God, did I suddenly feel old. Or maybe, even more startling, was the sensation that Northern Liberties - the province of urban fringe-sters, beer wonks, and Bohemian artistes - was speedily getting younger. It was telling enough a few years ago when this space debuted on Liberties Walk as Deuce, whose polished lounge look and Snickertinis edged a bit too close to the pop cocktail trendiness of Old City. But El Camino, at this moment, seemed to have regressed right past that martini-land down to the binge-bar college vibe of South Street.
I doubt whether El Camino Real is actually striving for such a kiddie crowd, especially with a kitchen that has ambitions to tackle two of the more serious themes straddling our Southern border: real barbecue and Tex-Mex cooking.
But there is an unmistakably younger feeling here compared with the tapas wine-bar sophistication of Owen Kamihira's Bar Ferdinand just across the pedestrian walk. Kamihira, who took over the Deuce space at developer Bart Blatstein's request, wanted a concept with straightforward energy and a more familiar theme.
And he's done that with this Southwestern-styled room - wormwood pine tables, carved longhorns, and serape-wrapped booths - and a menu built on burritos and ribs. It doesn't seem to matter whether any of the better beers are in stock (three we asked for on my second visit were "out"). Or if the margaritas are especially good - they aren't; ours had a prefab taste despite the claims of fresh lime. This cantina has the mass appeal of a hopping Cancun beach party.
