Now Todd Kliman Slams 'Designer Taqueria' Bandolero

Well, more bad news for Mike Isabella this week as Washingtonian critic Todd Kliman drops a one-star review for the Mexican small plates restaurant Bandolero. And while at least Tom Sietsema praised the food in last week's Bandolero slam, Kliman shows no such mercy. He begins by complaining about the price and the too-small small plates — and seems he's no fan of Isabella's untraditional take on Mexican cuisine:

The most egregious departure is the lobster taco, which folds sweet meat into a tortilla that looks like imitation black leather. It's not; the black comes from squid ink—a liquid that's sometimes stirred into paellas and risottos to give them depth. Here the effect is mostly—well, effect.

Kliman hardly touches on the Day of the Dead design and decibel level that his Washington Post counterpart hated so, but the Washingtonian critic advocates a "designer taqueria" that is a little less designer when it comes to the menu: "The area might be starved for great Mexican food, but it can't be so starved that it will put up with a place that trades on celebrity and its Georgetown location while putting out expensive and often mediocre food."

· Bandolero: Mex it Up [Washingtonian]
· Tom Sietsema Dubs Bandolero 'One of the Grimmest Restaurants to Open in Years' [-EDC-]