I f Casa Azul is an afternoon stroll through Mexico City , Diego ’ s is its nightscape . Like its original Newport location , Diego ’ s comes to life in the evening and , against the backdrop of a dark sky and a dark ceiling , it presents itself in inflated technicolor . The Wayland Square spot is designed entirely around its sunken center bar that serves as an altar to the agave plant . Tequila rules in both sweet form — half a dozen fruits plus vanilla — or spicy in varying degrees of pain . But the bar caters to all types including the Miller High Life crowd as well as sangria drinkers who can sip wine out of a goblet squat enough to resemble a scorpion bowl .
The bar is bordered by a collection of slender Corinthian columns and a perimeter of tables and a panoply of trippy colors . Woven lights that vaguely resemble aqua jellyfish undulate from the ceiling while mustard walls stare straight ahead . But it ’ s the Sean Mattio / Katie Fogel wallcoverings that steal the show . Shifting from gape-eyed skulls to tiles covered in retro comic books and a psychedelic wallpaper of forbidden fruit , it ’ s easy to feel as if you ’ re three drinks deep and things are starting to spin into celebration . One of the best things about this new incarnation of Diego ’ s is that it reminds people — even the sober ones — of life without social distancing and assures us that a party of one can still craft a night to remember . It ’ s not unusual to see staff snapping photos of people dining , a remembrance of mood more than any actual event . Throw in some lucha libre masks , a hefty dose of Joan Jett , a dash of harder punk and you ’ ve got a fullon salted-rim rebellion from six feet away .
The menu is very obviously in on the coup as well . There are a handful of traditional dishes — enchiladas , the occasional quesadilla and a miniature version of nachos — but that ’ s not really what Diego ’ s is about . The kitchen ’ s identity is wrapped up in re-interpretation that necessitates letting go of the status-quo burrito . Plates are every bit as artful as the space itself , an explosion of color in the composed food and the dishes that parade out in hues of amber , canary yellow and subdued gray . ( If they opened a housewares store behind the bar , inventory would be depleted in a night .)
Thick rounds of eggplant are deep-fried and served with truffled pico de gallo ($ 12 ), a dish that feels almost as Italian as it does Mexican . Not surprisingly , chiles are the grounding ingredient and , as eclectic as the menu is — fried chicken , shrimp and grits , quinoa salad — it ’ s the poblanos , chipotles and aji amarillo that define Diego ’ s culinary palate . This is the singular path that reads as traditional rather than simply an American reading of Mexican food : Everything is bright and herbaceously nuanced rather than drowned in dairy . Vegetables play a large role here and even a collection of roasted carrots eats like Carnival , sprinkled with cubes of rainbow root vegetables , quinoa and a parsnip-celery root puree .
The fried chicken with adobo glaze and corn souffle ($ 24 ) might be the most entertaining option but the go-to is a Mexican steak frites ($ 30 ), covered in chermoula and served with arugula . It pulls from both European and South American perspectives but it showcases modern Mexican in a way that translates not just taste but energy . That ’ s always been true about Diego ’ s : It presents like a bar and it acts like a bar , but it insistently takes part in the evolving dialogue of the Mexican-American narrative .
You can still find the familiar lexicon in bowls of salsa , notably the smoked pineapple , which is rife with the charred sweetness of the days we sidled up to the bar with strangers . The wonder of Diego ’ s is that it suggests we ’ re not too far from getting back to a time that not only permits proximity but thrives on it . The tables might still stare silently at each other from across the room but there ’ s a slow rumble in the belly of this beast and it promises — at some point — a no-holdsbarred night out . �
DIEGO ’ S EAST SIDE 192 Wayland Ave ., Providence , 865-6222 , diegosprovidence . com .
MUST GET Tequila , crack fries , crispy eggplant ,
steak frites . Whether you get churros or another margarita is up to you . Indoor dining , takeout and delivery available at press time ; call for details .
86 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l APRIL 2021