Dinner at Orale in Jersey City, NJ

OMG Orale in Jersey City is an amazinggg restaurant.  I honestly don't think I've ever had Mexican food this good.  Most Mexican restaurants I've been to were small, hole-in-wall type places, minus Rosa Mexicano.  I guess I don't really know how "authentic" any of these places were, but this was definitely the best meal I've had at a Mexican restaurant EVER.  The concept is tapas-style, which is Spanish not Mexican, but I think the concept makes sense and works well with their menu.  Everything we had was delicious, though I probably wouldn't order the guacamole trio or ceviche again.  Though I would try other types of ceviche on the menu as there are many kinds.  My absolute favorite dishes were the corn side (which was GIANT and only $4) and the bone marrow and pork belly taco.  It's so wrong, it's right.  The restaurant is now on OpenTable, which is great because seems to get pretty packed, especially on the weekends.  The decor was also fun, some graffiti and cool colors, lights.  A little hipster but I guess that's alright.

(L to R) Sandia - tequila and watermelon, Sangria.  Both were very strong, refreshing and delicious.  Also a little pricy for JC but worth it

Side of grilled corn esquites.  Basically Mexican corn on the cob minus the cob.  Corn, cotija cheese, mayo, chili powder and herbs.  Amazeballs.

Corn all mixed up

Trio of guac (L to R) El Bombero (chipotle and chile de arbol), El Naco (crispy braised pork belly) and Casa (avocado, tomato, cilantro, onion, jalapeno and lime).  All were pretty similar minus the obvious spice and pork belly.  The basic guac was a little too onion-y for my taste.  I couldn't really taste the tomato, jalapeno or cilantro.

Side of tortilla chips for guac trio.  This became super useful later on when we decided to use it to eat the corn

Empanaditas de Pato (duck mini-empanadas) - red masa empanadas filled wtih foie gras, duck confit, and a hint of Mexican chocolate.  Super rich and delicious even though small.  Wish I had gotten an inside shot

Taco Borracho - crispy beer battered halibut topped with a pickled jalapeno cabbage slaw.  Dan said this was the best fish taco he's ever had, and I'd have to agree.  The fish was perfectly fried and so meaty.  Everything just worked so well together.  Even better than our home-made fish taco, which is hard to beat ha

Taco Machin - roasted bone marrow topped with crispy pork belly and shredded cabbage.  OMG was this good.  The bone marrow was like butter and the pork belly was so crispy and meaty.  All served on top of the bone.  It was unbelievable.  Def a little pricy for a single taco ($6) but a once in a lifetime experience

Ceviche Mixto - lobster, shrimp, scallops, octopus, in a mango chile de arbol salsa with grapefruit.  Tasty but a little too onion-y, and hard to find some of those pieces of seafood.  Also it just wasn't the best citrus mix.  Go to Me Casa for the best ceviche of your life.

Vanilla Flan with caramel and whipped cream.  GET THIS.  Even as full as we were, totally worth it.