Las Mamacitas now open in Chesterton

I've been excitedly waiting for this cool new upscale Mexican spot to open and I got a chance to get a sneak preview earlier this week as they prepared to open to the public. The opening of Las Mamacitas in Chesterton, Indiana is just in time for Cinco de Mayo and they've got a fun weekend of activities planned to celebrate.

Advertised as a place for tantalizing food + kick ass cocktails, it seems to live up to it's motto. I tried out one of the margaritas and some of the food items on a limited menu that is available before the full menu is released in the next few days. I loved everything I tried. The menu items are creative and a nice departure from other Mexican eateries in the region.

My margarita was a hibiscus margarita - somewhat like a strawberry margarita, but not as sweet. Each margarita is available as the "house" version or you can get an upgraded one with top shelf G4 tequila. I got the smallest margarita I could get - the 16 ounce. They also come in 21, 52 and 56-ounce or can be purchased by the pitcher. Another margarita that sounded really tempting was the Fresh Fresca with Reposado tequila, fresh muddled strawberries, orange curaçao, fresh citrus and simple syrup. I'll have to try that one on the next visit. Other cocktails include a cucumber mint slush, red or white sangria, Dunelands Bramble (with muddled fresh blackberries, mint leaves, lime juice and soda water with tequila, rum or bourbon), the Coffee Creek Cooler (with Demeraara rum or tequila, Journeyman coffee liqueur, Ramazzotti Amaro, orange bitters and Aztec chocolate bitters) and a mojito. There are also a half dozen wine options, as well.

We sampled three salsas - a medium tomatillo salsa, a medium guacamole salsa and chile de arbol, which is not just hot, but uber hot. I'm a wimp when it comes to really spicy foods, so I tried one bite of the chile de arbol and knew it was beyond my taste buds. My sister-in-law, who came along with me, and who loves spicy foods couldn't get enough of it. The tomatillo salsa was a perfect middle ground salsa that wimps like me can handle - good flavor and just a little bit of a kick. The one I couldn't stop eating was the guacamole salsa. It was so different from traditional guac - very cream and smooth with a completely different texture, but with that cool avocado flavor. I could have made a meal completely out of the chips and guacamole salsa.

Next we tried avocado fries as an appetizer. I'm a fan of anything with avocados. These had such a nice crunch on the outside with buttery bites of avocado incase. They were served with jalapeño crema.

For our entrees, we mixed it up a little - three different tacos and some tamales and sides and we shared. We tried three different tacos - the chipotle chicken (24-hour marinated chicken topped with cilantro and onion), the carnita (marinated pork) and the spicy sriracha snapper (red snapper, red cabbage, pickled carrots and sriracha crema.) My favorite was the red snapper taco, although I worked my way around the sriracha in getting a couple bites. Not sure I could handle the full sriracha heat. My S-I-L said that one was her favorite, too.

We also tried the buffalo chicken wing tamales. They were amazing. I've never had tamales stuffed with something so interesting. It came with a blue cheese sauce that went perfectly with it. Each plate includes two sides. I had to go with one of my favorite foods ever - elotes. This traditional Mexican street food that often comes on the cob was delicious off the cob and in a bowl with a spicy may sauce. I also got the "Happy median Rice," which was like Spanish rice with some corn mixed in and was a delicious side.

The place also has some awesome art work and I'm sure will be a super fun and lively place that will make it a great foodie destination in NW Indiana.

**Our meal (with the exception of alcohol) was complimentary. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.

Las Mamacitas

225 S. Calumet

Chesterton, IN

(219) 728-6659

lasmamacitasnwi.com