Now I know this may come as a shock to you all but I may have just discovered a restaurant even better than Dos Caminos. They are big shoes to fill as my favorite Mexican restaurant but Azul 17 in my hometown of Columbia, MD has definitely lived up to every expectation I had and more.
I do have to give credit to my boyfriend, Nick, for suggesting this place as somewhere special to take me. I had only heard about it here and there but hadn’t made it a priority to go. Once he looked into it he realized it had me written all over it and said “babe, get in the car, I’m getting you guacamole.” Obviously, I could not refuse.
When we walked in I think I really embarrassed him by screaming “It’s like Sur in here!” at an alarmingly loud level, but hey, I was excited. The decor was chic to the point of me telling him our house some day would be decorated exactly like the interior of a Mexican restaurant I had been in for less than 5 minutes. There is a bar area with and extensive tequila collection and a restaurant area, both of which have a chill vibe.
We tried four different margaritas ranging from spicy cayenne pepper infused to a mix of pina colada and margarita, all which were insanely pleasing. For an appetizer we tried the seasonal guacamole which was made fresh at our table with crab meat and Old Bay added in. Now, if you are not from Maryland you probably don’t understand the serious cool factor that they incorporated these state classics into a classic appetizer but if you ever do come in from out of town to try it you WILL get the hype. The guacamole was the most delicious thing I have ever tasted, I swear. It was served with fresh chips. Sold for life.
For the entree Nick ordered a skirt steak thing that was all delicious for his meat loving palette and of course, I had to sample the fish tacos. They were perfection, so fresh and perfectly flavored. To finish off the course we each took a shot of tequila that was handpicked for us by our server.
Overall, the service was phenomenal, the food was fresh, flavorful and flat out amazing, and the decor was so chic I went home and searched on Amazon for half the cool skull decorations they had. Nick knows, the way to my heart is in the guac. We coined a new winning spot for date nights and friend outings alike.
Below are some pictures I took so your mouth can water just as much as mine did.
hashtags and hashbrowns 