With so many Mexican restaurants in the Two River area from which to choose, we were drawn to Zoe’s Emilio’s Kitchen in Atlantic Highlands because they state they serve “Authentic Organic Mexican Cuisine,” which is an interesting take on this type of food. Serving organic local meats and produce is a Mexican culinary tradition seen in some of the finest restaurants in that country.
The restaurant is in a small house with a modest exterior, a few blocks off busy First Avenue in a quiet residential neighborhood. In its first iteration, it served only breakfast and lunch but added dinner about a year ago. The restaurant is owned by the Vicens brothers, Emilio and Ruperto, who is the main chef. Emilio is truly on top of things as he lives upstairs with his wife and three kids over the restaurant. The brothers grew up in Puebla, Mexico, and learned the food business from their mother and grandmother.
The interior is a series of three rooms, bright, clean and cheerful. The large, colorful dishes were beautifully plated and each one was more delicious than the next. This was truly unlike any Mexican food we have had before locally. The attention to detail rivaled many high-end fine dining establishments without the hefty price tag and, might I add, no pretentiousness.
We started off with Eggplant in the Lava ($16), which was enhanced by mole rojo (a sauce with a bit of chocolate and ancho chiles), cilantro, pumpkin seeds, raisins, almonds, a dab of sour cream and homemade tortilla chips to scoop it all up. A very tasty blend of ingredients. Note: The tortilla chips, also served as a separate side dish with either salsa ($9) or guacamole ($12), are impossible to resist, so one needs to practice some self-control to avoid filling up on them.
The Albondigas (Mexican-style meatballs) ($16) arrived with chimichurri sauce, queso fresco and grilled sourdough bread. These meatballs were juicy, moist and very flavorful.
The quaintly named Apache Tartar ($20) arrived as a very generous portion of chunked tuna, diced and placed over house-made guacamole on top of a layer of cucumber pico de gallo. The freshness and quality of the tuna was impeccable. A favorite dish.
Octopus Revolcado ($22) featured Brussels sprouts, roasted corn, sweet potato sauce and homemade potato chips, creating a novel and tasty presentation.
From the Dinner Specials Menu, a unique and complex Cauliflower Soup (Blissful Bowl $13) featured chunks of colossal crabmeat, adobo and tortilla chips. This was soothing and simultaneously decadent.
Branzino ($41) was the Fish of the Day. It was plated with asparagus, zucchini and other assorted vegetables, as well as citrus sauce. The two filets were juicy and moist.
One guest was drawn to the Scallop Special ($45), paired with blended artichoke hearts, sitting atop wild rice and asparagus. She loved them and felt it was her dish of the night.
A generous portion of Rack of Baby Lamb Chops ($38), perfectly done medium rare as requested, was plated with a morita sauce (smoked and dried vine-ripened jalapeños) which gave the meat a gently spicy and savory flavor.
The Pork Chop ($36), thickly cut and dressed with guajillo glaze (made from a chili pepper with low to medium heat) brought a fruity, tangy and mildly smoky character to the dish.
A side dish, Seasonal Harvest ($13), highlighted cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and corn, making for an interesting vegetable offering.
Mexican street corn ($8) is offered two ways: Elote (on the cob) or Esquite (off the cob). We chose Esquite and were rewarded with a generous bowl of savory corn.
Normally wine is difficult to pair with Mexican cuisine, with its bold flavors and spicy dishes. The ideal companion for this food is usually beer. We brought beer and, just on a whim, some wines we thought might work.
A German white 2009 Reisling Trocken (dry) from Donhoff worked surprisingly well with many of the dishes. As a rule, I like slightly sweet Rieslings with Mexican food. Reds are usually more problematic. That said, I will bring some Cru Beaujolais and perhaps a Syrah, as well, when I return.
Lime Cake ($12) made with lime zest was our choice for dessert. The lime provided a delicious new dimension, making for a creamy, sweet and tart finish to our meal.
Words alone cannot adequately describe the sophistication of the food, and remarkably all of it is organic and served without any seed oils. All the dishes we had were complex, deeply flavored and impossible to stop eating. Puebla, from whence the owners came, is well known for some of the best and most important regional food in Mexico. The variations of mole found in this restaurant are inspired by that region. If you are not a fan of Mexican food, you should try Zoe’s Emilio’s anyway – it will win you over. If you are a fan, you will be won over at the diversity and elegance of their cuisine.
Zoe’s Emilio’s Kitchen
77 Center Ave.
Atlantic Highlands
zoesemilioskitchen.com
Bob Sacks, longtime food and wine buff, writes about food, wine and restaurants in this column. Follow him on Instagram @dinnerwithbob.
The article originally appeared in the January 16 – 22, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
