Mexican Food is Not the Same Everywhere
Prince Charming and I had supper out on Saturday night. We left Bunny with Grandma and headed north to a Mexican restaurant we'd heard good things about.First the good: The atmosphere was lovely. It was charmingly decorated with considerable care and yet was very child-friendly. It managed to be both very open and yet our booth was very intimate. A paradox, I know, but that is how I felt. We were seated right away without a reservation and my pina colada was exceptionally tasty.
Now the bad: I got the very distinct impression that the menu had been de-spiced for the pasty palate of the Gringos. Seriously - I make better Mexican food than this. I ordered the special plate that afforded me a taste of many different dishes because I really wanted to test this menu and thought this the best way to do so. And just for the record, I did not have a cold or allergies or anything that would impact my ability to make a judgement on taste.
Unfortunately, the fare was uninspired. In fact, it seemed as though all of the same stuff had merely been presented in several different ways. The stuff in the enchilada was exactly the same as the stuff in the burrito (though they were wrapped differently and in different sized tortillas). The stuff presented on the open pepper was the same as in the burrito and enchilada, except more generously topped with the same white queso that had been sprinkled everywhere else. The only thing that varied slightly on the plate was the chalupa, and that not by much. This featured the same stuff, only it also had a dollop of guacamole and a bit of cheddar.
Frankly, I was disappointed. The only spice on the table came from the salsa (which wasn't spectacular). The meat wasn't seasoned, the guacamole tasted...like it had been scooped out of a 20-gallon plastic tub, and the rice was cold.
Despite all of this, I did get excited when I saw sopapilla on the dessert menu. I had to try them! Unfortunately, this too fell flat. I am used to a sopapilla that is a fried pillow of dough. You tear off a corner and drizzle honey inside and enjoy them hot. I was served something that looked like a chalupa - laying flat on the plate, drizzled with Hershey's chocolate syrup, and sporting an offensive (to me) pile of whipped cream in the center that featured a maraschino cherry.
It was an abomination!
I wish that someplace north of I-70 had the courage to not water down and dumb down the menu for the Gringos. Frankly, it puts me in mind of having a fiesta of my own and doing it all up right. I'm not kidding when I say that I do it better. I do! My guacamole is delicious. I love good salsa. I make good enchiladas. I even make a mean pina colada!
You know, I miss Texas for the food. The steak is amazing, to be sure, but the Mexican food is amazing - if only by comparison.
What's a girl got to do to get some decent Mexican food? Get on an airplane or make it yourself, I guess. But my point is, this was a place that had been recommended. These poor people of the frozen tundra must never have had good Mexican food. It is a tragedy.
