Last night I went to the new Mexican restaurant by Fritti and Sotto Sotto owner Riccardo Ullio called Escorpion. I was excited to try new Mexican food in Atlanta since the city lacks really good Mexican or even Tex-Mex food - at least in the eyes of someone who grew up in Dallas (that would be me). Having been to Fritti several times and loving it, I expected a lot from Escorpion.
The meal started with trying to sift through the drink menu, which is absurdly long. I like having lots of options, but it really was too much to wrap my head around. I settled on the drink that our waiter suggested as a "girly" but very delicious. I would tell you the name of it if I could remember it. The drink had a very Mexican flair and was pretty good.
Overall, the food was good. I had chips and guacamole (one of the better guacs I have had), tuna ceviche, and the shrimp small plate (5 shrimp with diced tomato, olive oil, and seasoning). I was really excited for the tuna ceviche, which was made with watermelon and raw salt. I had very high hopes for the ceviche based on the description and the waiter's recommendation. It was definitely good, but not incredible. The restaurant was very dark so it was difficult to tell which cubes were tuna and which were watermelon. I would say the shrimp was the same way in that it was good, but not all that memorable. I enjoyed the restaurant, but it was over-priced, especially the cocktails.
My biggest problem with Escorpion is that it doesn't have a website up. These days, it is crucial to a restaurant to have a website and at least a sample menu up for customers to get a good feel of what the restaurant is offering, especially when it is new. Had a website been up, maybe Escorpion would have been mostly full or even had a wait instead of less than half full.
I look forward to seeing if Escorpion will succeed. It offers more upscale Mexican food than El Taco or Taqueria del Sol, giving it a niche in the Atlanta Mexican food scene. It also offers a bar scene similar to El Taco but with fancier drinks and probably more for people looking to out in Midtown or downtown afterwards. When it comes down to it, I would recommend Escorpion.
