In January, Rene and I celebrated our first anniversary. Since we go out to restaurants quite often, we really wanted to pick a special place for this occasion – somewhere a little fancier, somewhere we’d remember. I have been to Rosa Mexicano for drinks and appetizers for a friend’s birthday before, and having enjoyed the decor and the few bites of food I remember eating, I figured it fit the criteria for our first anniversary.

Rosa Mexicano is a nationwide chain of fine dining Mexican restaurants with three NYC locations. The Union Square location is enormous and absolutely beautiful – the ceiling goes on for miles, and the light brown walls are accented by jewel tone blue lighting, which together are reminiscent of what I imagine a tropical sunrise to look like.

We ordered their famous table-side prepared guacamole to munch on while browsing the menu. We asked for mild but was we got was so spicy that I could barely get it down! I gave it some valiant attempts but ended up with runny eye make-up  and almost choking. It was a disappointment since I adore guac as much as the next person.

Then my frozen pomegranate margarita arrived – it wasn’t anything to write home about but it did give me the courage to make a brief, cheesy, almost teary-eyed (note to self: next year, waterproof mascara!) toast to my love.

The ceviche sampled arrived next. It featured tuna, yellowtail and fish of the day (which we didn’t inquire about) ceviches. The appetizer was beautiful, fresh and delicious, but it was too tiny to share and just not worth $17.

We also had the Suizas enchiladas, with pulled roasted chicken and a creamy tomatillo sauce. The succulent chicken was melt-in-your mouth good and well complimented by the creamy, mild sauce.

Finally, the had the duck pie – luscious pulled duck sandwiched between two tortillas and smothered in a creamy corn sauce. Although calling this a pie is a bit misleading, it was the most creative and memorable dish of the dinner.

The night did turn out romantic and the food was beautiful and delicious. However, I did feel it is slightly overpriced for no reason. I mean, I don’t mind spending money on food since it is clearly the sun in the proverbial universe of my life, but it order for me to feel that money was well spent, I’d need to have been blown away and Rosa Mexicano did not do that for me.