Tico-Boston, MA

Simply put, Tico was a colossal waste of money! Now that I told you how I really feel, let me describe the food and drinks in more details.
I ordered a pitcher of Tico’s Sangria. Now, you don’t have to be Pythagoras or Descartes to figure out this next problem. An individual glass of Sangria was $10; a pitcher was $36. If the pitcher yielded only 3 glasses of Sangria, how much did I get ripped off? I paid $2 more per glass by getting the pitcher than I would have if I ordered 3 individual glasses. I guess this restaurant doesn’t reward its customers who order in bulk. But silly me, what did I think this was, Costco? Still, the Sangria was overpriced and quite frankly, extremely mediocre.

My favorite dining partner and I opted for ordering several small plates: chorizo bites with a chimichurri sauce, quail in a mango and aji amarillo sauce, fried manchego cheese with a soy pomegranate dipping sauce, tuna tartar, shishito peppers with shallots and lime, and creamed corn with bacon and basil. The first two dishes listed above were the better ones of the bunch. They were also served on sticks, which made them fun to eat.

The chorizo plate came with three medallions of chorizo, each about an inch in diameter. These were serve with a chimichurri sauce: garlicky and parsley-y…clearly the latter is not a word, but you get the idea. The chimichurri sauce was great, as was the chorizo. Both had a very authentic Spanish taste. Priced at $7, I felt that I overpaid for my chorizo. It was great, but it wasn’t worth that much.
The quail was seared and crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. In other words, it was cooked perfectly. It was drowned in a mango and yellow pepper sauce- the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Oh man, it was good! I have no complaints about this dish. I loved it!

I love manchego cheese. No wait, scratch that. I live and breathe for manchego cheese. I also live and breathe for anything deep-fried. I thought the union of these two food groups (yes, to me they are their own separate food groups) would make me hear angels, but instead I heard the purring of soft, fluffy kittens. For those of you who missed my subtle humor, I meant to say that the fried manchego was good- I enjoyed it, but it was not as “foodgasmic” as I expected it to be. The fried manchego bits were glorified cheese sticks, but who doesn’t love a cheese stick? I also didn’t care for the soy-pomegranate dipping sauce. It was too sweet and it didn’t complement the cheese well. I would recommend that the chef pair this sharp and delicious Spanish cheese with a romesco sauce. Sure, it is not as eclectic as the pomegranate sauce, but sometimes being a purist with your food pairings can yield amazing results.

The tuna used to make the tuna tartar was mushy. I can only imagine that mushy tuna can only mean one thing: it wasn’t fresh! I am assuming that it was made at around noon and it sat in a container until I ordered it at 6 pm. Tuna tartar, just like sushi, is only good when made to order. If it sits around too long, it’s just not good. I am not going into a lot of detail because after all, no one cares for mushy tuna.

I am noticing that shishito peppers are the latest trend in the culinary world. These light green peppers are thinner and for the most part, less spicy than a jalapeno; however, a batch of these peppers range in heat. Some are extremely spicy and some are extremely mild. It’s unusual and I love it. It’s a surprise in every bite because you never know what you are going to get! Served whole and roasted, these peppers were covered in sea salt, crispy shallots and limejuice. For those extra-spicy peppers, the lime was a refreshing element! This combination was fantastic.

And now for the catastrophe of the night, I introduced to you the creamed corn. This corn was crap. Honestly, I can’t find a witty or eloquent way to put it. I expected roasted corn- corn that had been grilled and shucked off the cob. What I got was frozen kernels, with a splash of half-and-half, a soggy-handful of bacon pieces, and 4 jalapeno rings. This dish resembled a pot-induced experiment, not a dish you would serve in a restaurant. Flavorless and mediocre! Absolute crap!

All of the above, not including tip, was a few cents shy of $100. I have never paid this much money for food that has left me extremely dissatisfied. Sure a few dishes were good, but I they are not worth returning to Tico. Under no circumstances, will I be returning to this place! I am usually very opinionated about food, so I encourage my friends to try restaurants on their own and form their own opinions; however, my dear amigos, save yourselves the time and money and go elsewhere. This restaurant is not worth your patronage.