Philly's restaurant impresario has done it again. For his ninth venture, Stephen Starr has taken the skeleton of the failed tapas bar Trust and turned it into a carnival of kitsch and cool rivaled only by his other fabulously popular "restaubars," Continental, Buddakan et al. This time, however, the concept is more impressive than the food itself.
The fact that El Vez is named after a Chicano Elvis impersonator explains the outlandish, campy d‚cor to a certain extent, but Starr and The Rockwell Group, a New York design firm hired to revamp the staid old Trust, have outdone themselves -- nowhere else in the city will you find a bar with a gold-plated, neon-lit low-rider rotating in the center.
In fact, the entire place is an unabashed homage to trashy '60s glitz, from the oversized plush velvet booths to the huge image of The King himself, lit up on the back wall near a bright, borderline freakish Day of the Dead doll diorama. Even Charo and Oscar de la Hoya get Starr treatment here, grinning up from barstools, poking out of motorcycle spokes and adding to the frivolous Mexicali vibe.
With retro extras like a wood-paneled photo booth (a huge draw after a few margaritas, trust me) and a guacamole cart (it's prepared fresh, tableside), El Vez is certainly a spectacle. It's disappointing that the food is far less remarkable than the setting. Starr and head chef Jose Garces have tried to make Mexican food trendy and innovative, which is no small task. Appetizers like Leo's duck confit flautas with queso fresco ($12) were neither disgusting nor delicious, but rather bland and lukewarm. The open-faced shrimp quesadilla ($10) was better, but again not particularly exciting.
What El Vez does best, surprisingly, is dip. The 3-salsa sampler ($21) was so good that my friends were physically fighting over the last chips, much to the consternation of our waitress. The guacamole ($12), served in a gigantic lava-rock pig called a molcajete, is simply the best you'll find anywhere, at least north of the border.
If you're going to drink at El Vez -- and let's face it, you are -- pace yourself. Their signature margaritas and cocktails are sweet and fruity, but they pack a wallop that'll send you straight to the photo booth where you'll be posing like an ass for hours. Try their most popular drink, the El Vez margarita, made with Cuervo Gold, triple sec and fresh lime juice -- rather than whatever syrupy crap they use at lesser Tex-Mex joints. The Cha-Cha Noche, a tasty blend of Skyy Vodka and chocolate liqueur worth ordering for its name alone, is perfect for dessert.
