Philadelphia, PA—I created the Las Tarascas site (Sicklerville, NJ) in 2006, and it was a complete pleasure. To be honest, it was my first restaurant client, but I was excited to give it a go. I love to cook, and this was right up my alley.
But not long afterward, a golden opportunity fell before the owners of the restaurant, allowing them to pick up shop and move to a larger, better location in Philadelphia. The new restaurant is named "Las Tarascas en Zocalo", and it brings traditional Mexican cuisine to the nation's 5th largest city.
Las Tarascas en Zocalo is located on 36th street, a block from the Drexel University campus. Sun-colored walls with hand carved artwork, ceramic masks and authentic figurines give the three dining rooms a warm, comfortable feel. The focal point of the dining areas, however, are the amazing hand painted chairs which depict traditional Mexican pueblo scenes. They also feature a patio for outdoor dining, and a bar area with the area's largest selection of tequila.
The food at Las Tarascas en Zocalo is not outdone by the decor. Authentic regional dishes are prepared with precision and passion, using only the freshest ingredients. The menu consists of an array of appetizers and entrees from central and southern Mexico, all of which is made from scratch.
The focus of the site was photography, and every menu item has a photograph which can be clicked and enlarged. It's how you'd want every restaurant website to be. This was important, as all too often restaurant menus, let alone websites, don't have any photography to help whet your appetite. I took all the photography using a Canon Rebel EOS 400D digital SLR camera using an 18-55mm lens. I tried to mimic the shots that many mainstream cooking magazines use, which gives the food a more dramatic appearance.
I encourage anyone within the Philadelphia metro area to give the restaurant a try. It's worth the drive!