Cameron Mitchell’s first Mexican Restaurant
By Luke Eriksen, ’22.
Cameron Mitchell is no stranger to the food scene in Columbus, but his first Mexican restaurant, El Segundo, recently opened in the Short North on high street.
My expectations for El Segundobeing a Cameron Mitchell restaurant—were exceedingly high, but I can say with confidence that El Segundo delivered in every way possible.
The decor gave a modern feel to the Mexican restaurant. With sombreros hanging from the ceiling, the dimmed lights and bottled Mexican tequila on the walls, the atmosphere was ideal whether you are out for a good meal or hanging with friends for drinks.
The menu isn’t enormous as traditional Mexican restaurant menus are, but every item listed on the menu was tempting to order.
For appetizers, I ordered Mexican street corn and ceviche.
The Mexican street corn came on the cob. There were six pieces stacked on the beautiful blue and white plates; the presentation was phenomenal. The slaw on the corn was creamy and soft. I loved how the corn on the cob was cut into smaller pieces.
Ceviche contains raw shrimp and lobster that are cured in lime juice with cilantro and avocado. The citrus juice cooks the raw fish making it a savory-sweet and a delicious appetizer. The ceviche is served in a bowl with a side of chips. The shrimp and lobster were fresh and went well with the cilantro-lime flavors. The whole meal was phenomenal but this was perhaps my favorite part.
Finally, the last appetizer, chips served with 3 salsas including tomato, salsa verde, and a smokey, adobo pepper salsa. All three salsas were delicious and each complemented each other. The adobo pepper salsa gave a smokey heat while the salsa verde provided a smooth and chilling flavor.
Each taco meal comes with three tacos, a side of rice and a side of beans. El Segundo currently cannot mix and match tacos, but they opened very recently so this could change in the future. Fortunately for me, I was with three others at my table, so we all ordered tacos and swapped to try each one. I tried the fish tacos, barbacoa tacos and chicken tacos.
The barbacoa tacos came in a corn tortilla shell topped with cheese and cilantro. I have come to find that keeping tacos simple with only a few toppings is better than the popular customizing tacos which include several toppings. The barbacoa was juicy and tender, while the cilantro and cheese added just enough flavor to create a simple yet satisfying taco.
The fish tacos were my personal favorite of the three. It’s rare to find high-quality fish tacos in a setting far from the coast. The fried cod was added with a buttery crunch underneath the aioli slaw. Fish tacos have always been one of my favorite kinds of tacos, and El Segundo provides one of the best I’ve ever had.
El Segundo’s tacos were exceptional and are a personal favorite of mine.
It would be difficult to say anything negative about El Segundo even if I wanted to; Cameron Mitchell does it again with another fine dining experience. Without question, El Segundo is Lou Approved.
