Profile

Mezcal’s may bill itself as authentically Mexican, but the tacky interior is immediately suspect, from the sombrero-topped parrot and Pancho Villa portraits to the dangling bunches of garlic bulbs and chili peppers and a large mustachioed, serape-swathed mannequin. It’s gringo Mexico in full flower, and the food does little to help Mezcal’s case. Tapizayo, which should be a sizzling fajita platter, instead yields tough bits of chicken and iffy filet-mignon morsels; guacamole is mysteriously mixed with lettuce, and bland combo platters aren’t enhanced by stale taco shells and store-bought tortillas. Some may wish to skip the cucina entirely, for one of Mezcal’s 60 tequilas. — Laurel A. Fantauzzo

Sunset Margarita, $8