Top Chef Mike Isabella Opens Bandolero | Washington DC

How to drink well at Bandolero

Mike Isabella knows how to pair his food with good drinks.

When his Italian-inspired Graffiato opened last year, Prosecco flowed from the taps. Now the Top Chef favorite is pouring stronger stuff at Bandolero, his new Georgetown ode to Mexican food.

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The cocktail menu includes plenty of mezcal- and tequila-based concoctions, like the mole-spiced El Padrino ($15) with tequila and Carpano Antica. But our favorite finds come from the tequila menu. Here are a few winning dishes to eat with bartender Sam Babcock's best drinks:

El Mata Amigos: Tart and vividly pink, this blended mix of Patron Reposado, orange curaçao and prickly pear puree ($10) is an easy companion to a starter of guacamole ($13), which Isabella serves with puffy chicharrones and masa crisps.

Zambada Garcia: A mezcal float gives this limey margarita ($12) a deeply smoky finish. Pair its throatiness with the toasted chiles and mellow avocado crema in grilled skirt steak tacos ($12; click here for the recipe).

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Casa en Fuego: Habanero adds a tickling level of spice to tequila in this strawberry-spiked blend ($11). Calm the fiery drink with blue crab taquitos ($13), which tuck sweet, coconut-marinated shellfish and diced purple potatoes into blue-corn divots.

Bandolero, 3241 M St. NW (between Potomac St. and Wisconsin Ave.); 202-625-4488 or bandolerodc.com

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