Botaneria, from the owner of Georgetown favorite Fonda La Catrina, is now open.
Botaneria, from the owner of Georgetown favorite Fonda La Catrina, is now open. AG

Botaneria Is Open in Georgetown

• Anyone who frequents Georgetown has been keeping a watchful eye on what's been going on at 5901 Airport Way S for the last few months. The building, the former home of the Magic Wheels motorcycle club, has been transformed, its tan siding replaced with sheets of rusted steel and reclaimed wood. The project, from Enrique Trejo, owner of the excellent Fonda La Catrina, has remained mysterious as La Catrina's employees have remained admirably tight-lipped about its details.

As of last night, Botaneria, the cocktail bar specializing in tequila and mezcal and serving a small menu of seafood-focused snacks, is officially open.

Inside, Botaneria is lovely: simple, minimalist, and clean, with all-white walls and ceilings, skylights, dark-wood banquettes, a 20-seat bar, and a spacious back patio. Unlike family-friendly La Catrina, Botaneria is a 21-and-over only establishment. It has a short-and-sweet menu of just seven cocktails, but there are 50 different tequilas, as well as more than 20 mezcals. The lounge's kitchen serves ceviches, montaditos (slices of grilled baguette, slathered with goat cheese, and topped with things like sardines, radish, or roasted zucchini), and small plates like clams with chorizo and grilled octopus until 11 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. On the weekends, Botaneria will no doubt be where the many people waiting for a table at La Catrina will go for a pre-dinner drink, but I have a feeling it will become a destination of its own.

I live just a few minutes away and couldn't resist stopping in for a drink last night. As I sipped the terrific Last Train to Georgetown—a smoky, warming cocktail made with anejo tequila, mezcal, and Lillet—and perused the menu (which also includes a few nice, light Mexican beers, as well as Georgetown's Roger's pilsner), I felt a little tingle of glee. I texted my husband: “Possible new favorite neighborhood bar."

Tortas Condesa Opens Thursday, October 1
• From chef Monica Dimas, who also serves excellent Mexican street fare at Neon Taco (located inside Broadway bar Nacho Borracho), comes Tortas Condesa, whose short menu is focused entirely tortas, the hearty sandwiches made with fluffy rolls of French bread called bolillos. Dimas's menu of sandwiches includes the House Chorizo (house-made sausage with a fried egg, avocado, and smoked chili mayo), the Holé Mole (mole-braised beef, Cotija cheese, pickled red onions), and pulled pork with tomatillo salsa, caramelized onions, and cumin mayo. There are two vegetarian options, including an ultra-spicy torta made with caramelized jalapeños and onions, a fried egg, cabbage, cilantro, and cumin mayo.

It’s a walk-up restaurant (where the Kedai Makan used to be), so you’ll have to enjoy your torta to go. Or just take it next door to the bar Montana, where it will make an excellent accompaniment to drinking. If you go to Tortas Condesa on Thursday night, you're encouraged to take your sandwich to the dance floor, as Dimas is throwing an opening party at Montana, Dancing with Tortas.

Mama's Mexican Kitchen Will Stay Open Until April 2016

• In May, news broke that Mama's Mexican Kitchen, a Belltown institution serving burritos, enchiladas, and beans buried under blankets of melted cheese since 1974, would be closing this month, as owner Mike McAlpin sold the building to a Chinese development firm for more than $4.5 million. While the new owners plan to raze the building and replace it with an eight-story, mixed-use structure, Mama's is still open and will remain so until around April of next year. So get those enchilada sauce-smothered burritos while you still can, people.