Roseangel Review

Last night, I finally stopped in at Marlin Kaplan's newest culinary venture- Roseangel. Located in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, just down the street from his other well-known restaurant Luxe, it took over the space that was formally La Boca. The restaurant's decor is warm and playful. The soft lighting, color scheme, and artwork all lend a hand in creating a very inviting and cozy space, and then the polka-dot tables, bubble glassware, and fun T-shirts that the staff wear all show the playful side of the restaurant. I instantly liked the atmosphere.

I also liked their happy hour deals. A few select (and more basic) tacos were about half off at $2.25, and the classic margarita was Buy One Get One Free at $6.75. Other drink deals were available as well. My friend and I settled in with an order of the guacamole and a margarita for each of us while we waiting for our other friend to arrive. The meal started off on a high note. The margarita was small but strong, and the guacamole and chips were very good. I have to say that the guacamole was no where near as good as Momocho's, but it was certainly fresh and creamy.

Unfortunately, then the meal took a turn. Once our other friend arrived, we each ordered two tacos. I selected the Duck Confit soft shell taco, and the Seared Tuna soft shell taco. All of the happy hour tacos are served on a hard shell, but when ordering off of the regular menu you have a choice between the two types of shells. I am a soft shell girl through and through. They each arrived completely overflowing, and there was no way that I was going to able to pick up and eat the overstuffed taco as it was served. This meant strategically taking a few forkfuls without sacrificing any of the ingredients, so that when I was able to pick it up- I didn't lose any of the flavor combinations. The seared tuna taco was very cold and extremely bland. I really don't think that I tasted any flavor or seasoning at all, just the house-made flour tortilla. I had been really excited to try this taco after having a similar version at Momocho about a year ago. This was no Momocho tuna taco, that's for sure. I quickly tried to scarf it down and moved on to the duck taco. This was a much better taco, with slightly more flavor and a huge gob of delicious, creamy goat cheese on top. I won't say that this taco was really that good- it just was a refreshing improvement over the tuna taco so I was pretty happy at that point. I think the tacos were overpriced for the size and quality (or lack there of) that we received, and I couldn't help thinking of how wonderful Momocho's taquitos are in comparison. Diners can't help but compare the two similar restaurants. They both boast to serve high-end tacos, classic Mexican dips and starters with an upscale twist, and of course...margaritas. It is my opinion that Roseangel has missed the mark, and isn't even in the same league as Momocho. With their locations not that far from each other, I could see Roseangel struggling if they don't fix some of their initial issues with the food.

I never like to end on a bad note, so let me tell you about the best part of the evening- the White Wine Sangria. I think that I may have fallen in love a little bit. Served with fresh lemon and lime wedges and a strawberry garnish, this drink was crisp, light, and FAN-TAS-TIC. Some of the starters on the menu looked interesting and the white sangria is reason alone to go back, so I think that I will. I just won't be ordering tacos anytime soon. So go for the drinks and the atmosphere, just don't have high hopes for the food and you won't walk away disappointed. Hopefully they are still working out issues from their opening, and they will be corrected as the restaurant continues to grow.

Roseangel

5800 Detroit Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44102
(216) 961-5800