La Calaca Feliz Lands Three Bells

Craig LaBan declares that chef Tim Spinner is owning it, making a statement of his own when it comes to his Mexican food at La Calaca Feliz.

Spinner’s latest inspirations, though, mostly caught my eye with striking, and often unexpected, pairings. Huge Barnegat Bay scallops, seared with one side clinging to a crispy round of salty queso, had the perfect sweetness to echo the spring delicacy of white asparagus soup that had been pureed into ivory silk. Cubes of melon, meanwhile, compressed and infused inside a vacuum bag with La Calaca’s Garcia margarita (with Espalon reposado), had a distinctive firmness and fiesta flavor that further heightened the already fruity character of pristine diced raw tuna, a creamy green scoop of avocado sorbet melting richness into the mix.

Three Bells – Excellent

La Calaca Feliz Reviewed [Philadelphia Inquirer]
La Calaca Feliz [Official Site]

Photo by Courtney Apple