La Unica (Huntersville): 2nd Review

A little over seven months ago I posted my first restaurant review on this Blog. I visited a new Mexican restaurant called La Unica, off of 73, next to Food Lion, and I was smitten.

The food was great, the service was great, and I realized that I had made a great find. So now, seven months later, I was in the mood for Mexican food, and didn't want to drive too far. This meant I was heading to La Unica to see if the first visit was a fluke.

It wasn't.

Everything about La Unica has stayed the same. It still is decorated more like a trendy cafe, than a typical mexican restaurant. I was still seated immediately. And once I sat down, I was again handed two carafes of salsal (medium and mild), and a bowl of lime wedges.

The service here is like clockwork. (Except the servers here are hispanic -- not swiss.) There are several waiters and serving staff who are contantly attending to your every need. Need chips? They're refilled. Getting low on soda? The glass is refilled. Done with your meal? The plate is quickly taken away. The service here rocks!

Once seated, my friend and I glanced over the lunch menu. Being in a perpetual enchilada mood, I ordered the Speedy Gonzalez with rice. That's a beef enchilada and beef taco, and it came with a side of spanish style rice. My friend ordered a combination that included a quesadilla and a Chalupa.

You may remember my brief tirade about another restaurant in the area that tried to pass off a tostada as a chalupa. So the stage was set. It was a battle of the restaurants. Chalupa vs. Fake Chalupa. Who would win?

When the food arrived, the winner was instantly apparent. La Unica delivered a real chalupa. It looked delicious, with the fried dough, cheese, lettuce and meat. DARN! Now I wanted one!

So, I ate my friend's food while he wasn't looking. So, I started eating my meal. It was REALLY good. The enchilada was perfect. The sauce had a deep but spicy flavor, and the beef tasted of cumin and oregano. The same ground beef was found in the crispy taco. But this time topped with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. In addition, the crisy shell was slightly different than a standard shell. It didn't spontaneously break apart! It held together throughout the meal.

Then I took a bite of the rice, and I liked it! I'm not big on rice. But I use it as a way to determine how good a kitchen is. Most places serve the rice as an afterthought. And in those places it's usualy stale, and has a distinct flavor of cardboard. Not here. The rice was warm, moist, and flavorful.

It's apparent that they pay attention to the details at La Unica. And because of this, it's one of the better Mexican restaurants in the area! Needless to say, I'm still smitten over this place!

Score:
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 11.5/15
Avg. Total: 11.25/15 (Including previous visits)

Conclusion: La Unica is proving to provide consistently great food and service, for a reasonable price. It's one of those few gems that I won't hesitate to recommend to a friend.

Restaurant Info:
La Unica
9121 -1 Sam Furr Road
Huntersville, NC
p) 704-895-5378

La Unica

In an old stip mall off of Hwy 73 with a tired exterior, and even more tired fast-food restaurants in the parking lot, I found a diamond in rough. La Unica, opened its doors less than two weeks ago, but it has already found a way into my heart via my stomach.

The restaurant has a more of a trendy cafe feel to it, than the typical wrought iron filled mexican restuarant. There are two HD TV's easily seen from the 20 or so tables about half of which were booths. The tables, chairs, and booths all appeared to be new and exceptionally clean.

Upon seating, I had two small carafes of salsa (hot and mild), chips, and a small bowl of lime wedges given to me. I instantly went for the hot salsa, and was pleasantly suprised. It was spicy, but the heat didn't overwhelm the flavor of the salsa which included chunks of onions, tomatos, and other veggies and herbs you'd expect to find. If this salsa came from a can or was freshly made, I couldn't tell.

I ordered the Lunch Chimichanga (filled with ground beef), a lunch special. About two or three minutes after I ordered, the food arrived. Again, I was suprised. The nacho cheese, was not the standard, neon yellow cheese wiz topping that I was expecting. It was white and made from real cheese (I'm guessing Asadero). Personally, I would have liked the cheese topping to be a little thicker, but it's flavor was good. The beef had a good flavor of cumin and oregano, and was exactly what I was hoping for.

The chimichanga was good and the service was great -- the wait staff were very attentive. And considering how hard it has been to find a decent mexican restaurant in the Huntersville area, I'm ready to jump for joy that I found this great little taqueria.

Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 11/15

Conclusion: Great restaurant, great food, it's a good value, and definately a diamond in the rough. Including food, drink, and tip, I was out of there for less than $10, but for the non-lunch specials expect about $12 per person. I'll definately be back.

Restaurant Info:
La Unica
9121 -1 Sam Furr Road
Huntersville, NC
704-895-5378