For more information, visit their website: minerorestaurant.com/charleston/
For this post, you will notice that there are significantly more photos than the last (Hominy Grill), because it was at Minero that I decided it would be fun to write a food blog. Not a bad place to begin!
Minero's walls are well lit, exposed brick, which adds a cool and somewhat glowing atmosphere--a refreshing break from the steaming hot southern weather.
Another impressing feature of the decor is each table's individual set of drawers! When you slide out your drawer, you see that it is complete with utensils and plenty of napkins. This was a big excitement to me for some reason; a nice creative touch! (see below)
We started with the Enmoladas de Mole Negro, pictured below. They were folded tortillas smothered in a dark mole sauce, and covered with cilantro, limes, onions, and cotija cheese. I actually scraped the plate clean. The mole had complex flavors and was the perfect blend of spicy and sweet. I decided to be over the top and requested an extra tortilla to mop up the sauce with, and was disappointed to hear that it would be a $7 charge for an entire extra plate of tortillas--a single wasn't possible. This was my only disappointment at Minero, and probably meant to be anyways.
Next, we tested out the tacos. We ordered the three listed below:
Pork Carnitas Taco: This was our favorite of the trio. It was juicy, flavorful, and stuffed with thick slices of well cooked pork. The skin was crispy, which added a nice texture.
Grilled Steak Taco: Tasty, but our least favorite. We felt that the taste and texture didn't quite live up to that of the carnitas. Another downside was that one member of our party strongly dislikes cheese and picked this taco because there was no cheese listed, only find that it was packed with cheese when it arrived at the table. Don't worry--I took care of that and scraped out all of the cheese onto my plate...so it did work out well for some of us.
Charcoaled Chicken Taco: This one was a huge hit too. The peaches added a sweet tangyness, and the pickled onion added a good bite and sourness.
See picture below for a repeat visual (larger version above):
Last but not least, we ordered the Shrimp and Masa Grits. My goal on this trip is to try as many variations of shrimp and grits, and Minero's interpretation has so far been the most unique.
This dish was incredibly flavorful, and quite spicy. The chorizo added a great kick, and improved a somewhat soupy texture. The grits seemed to be pureed, and were quite silky. I prefer a bit more texture, but they were delicious none the less. This was another bowl scraper, and I'd definitely go back for it. (Sorry for the lack of photo--I guess I was too excited to dig in!)
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