Mis Trucos

The phyllo-wrapped, deep-fried shrimp


The spinach, chestnut, raisin and parmesan dip with crostini's


Braised chicken with porcini mushrooms on papardelle

Don't let the Spanish confuse you, Mis Trucos ("My Tricks") is not the latest bordello on the block but rather the new eatery on Davie. The house that was formerly the Davie Village Cafe now has a new coat of paint, minimalist decor, semi-douche furniture, and extra-dim lighting. According to the website, Kits native Chef Kris Barnholden wanted to create a cozy venue with Mediterranean tapas influenced by French, Spanish, and Italian cuisine. In actuality the theme wasn't entirely cohesive; but the service was earnest and the place is trying to be that something-just-a-little-more-sophisticated that this end of Davie needs.

Not feeling like wine, I had the gin-gin cocktail which was gin, ginger beer made in house, mint, and something else, and it's freshness was very mojito-like. Although there were a couple of solid entrees, the menu is divided into single-servings and sharing platters of appies. This gave the meal a sharing, finger-food, lets!try!a!million!things! feel, as a tapas place should. Started out with the deep-fried phyllo-wrapped prawns with aoli dip, then moved on to the spinach, parmesan, raisin, and chestnut dip with some super salty crostini's. Finishing it off with the risotto with white truffle oil, creme fraiche, and seared scallops; and hands-down my favorite, the braised chicken with porcini mushrooms in handmade pappardelle. Kudos for the homemade pasta, fresh ingredients, and rich flavors. Reasonably priced, I felt like it was great quality without breaking the bank. This is the kind of place that I would go to for some tasty appies and creative drinks before heading out for the night.

I'm usually big on saving room for desert, or at the very least drawing out the meal with a few more drinks so that I have enough space to shove something sweet down my gullet. BUT. I didn't even look twice at the desert menu, I was set on trying the buck a shuck oysters (after 9pm) and indulging in a creme brule at La Brasserie. Have I told you yet how much I love this place? The creme brule has a super thin dish to optimize on the burnt sugar surface area, and is straight-up just vanilla, no shitty "mocha" or "berry" twist on the original. The perfect way to end the night, every night. So stoked that La Brasserie is now opened for lunch and half a block from where I work.

Ps. Don't check out the Mis Trucos menu online and get your hopes up, the ingredients are seasonal and frequently change, whereas their website does not.

Pss. Please forgive me for the crappy quality photos, it's hard enough to do discretely, never mind with flash.