Openings

What to Eat at Mission Cantina, Officially Open Tonight

Soft scrambled eggs with sea urchin, jalapeño pickles, and chicharrón.
Soft scrambled eggs with sea urchin, jalapeño pickles, and chicharrón. Photo: Melissa Hom

After lingering in soft-open mode for the past ten days, Danny Bowien’s Mexican restaurant will officially begin serving tacos to the public tonight. He’s nixtamalizing Anson Mills corn for the tortillas, making Oaxacan cheese in house, and cooking chicken and pork on a big rotisserie. There are plenty of tacos on the menu, of course: chicken liver, crispy beef tripe, and lamb belly — plus pumpkin, mushroom, and bitter greens with soft cow’s-milk cheese. The décor is day-glo chic, with bright lights and a throwback poster of Jenny McCarthy. Check out the food, the space, and the (tentative) menu, straight ahead.

Shrimp-and-butterfish ceviche with lime, habanero, and coconut.Photo: Melissa Hom

Hokkaido-scallop-and-beef-heart ceviche with capers, olives, and citrus.Photo: Melissa Hom

Octopus-and-chicken-wing taco with pickled jalapeño.Photo: Melissa Hom

Hongos taco: mushroom, epazote, charred queso oaxaca.Photo: Melissa Hom

Beef-tongue taco with charred onions, tomato pickle, and peanuts.Photo: Melissa Hom

Al pastor taco with rotisserie pork belly and fermented pineapple.Photo: Melissa Hom

Whole rotisserie chicken stuffed with rice, chorizo, and pecans.Photo: Melissa Hom

Guacamole and chicharrónes.Photo: Melissa Hom

Charred cauliflower escabeche with rosemary and red-rice vinegar.Photo: Melissa Hom

Dirty horchata: Stumptown cold brew, almond, and cinnamon.Photo: Melissa Hom

Groovy.Photo: Melissa Hom

Menu [PDF]

Mission Cantina, 72 Orchard St., 212-254-2233

What to Eat at Mission Cantina, Officially Open Tonight