Yesterday I decided to drive up to Mooresville to try something new. As we were driving up Hwy 115, I spotted a mexican restaurant, and made the first left turn possible. Unfortunately, because I was in downtown Mooresville and the restaurant was on the other side of the railroad tracks, I had to navigate through three stoplights within 50 feet of each other. But after some white-knuckle driving, I was in the parking lot, and ready for some mexican food!
My friend and I entered, and seated ourselves. We were quickly brought some salsa, chips, and a menu. I started munching on the salsa and chips. But I decided against munching on the menu, and opened it to the Lunch Specials section instead. :)
There were several options, and I picked lucky number 13. Which according to the menu consisted of an "Enchilada, taco and chalupa." Keep in mind the chalupa part, it'll come up again later. Remember... chalupa.
As we waited for our order, I enjoyed my Diet Coke and the salsa and chips. The salsa and chips were very good. The chips were light and crunchy. I think they had more flour than typical corn chips -- which is a good thing. And the salsa was a nice and thick sauce. Not too chunky, and not too liquidy. The more I think about it, I REALLY liked their salsa and chips. But this man cannot live on salsa and chips alone. I need enchiladas too!
The plate arrived, and it was loaded. I started on the enchilada first and all I can say is YUM! Ok, I can say more... it was ground beef rolled inside a corn tortilla covered with red enchilada sauce and melted cheese. I plowed through the enchilada, it was delicious. The meat was flavorful and moist, and the enchilada sauce added a nice spicy zest.
Next came the crispy taco. It was a standard crispy taco shell packed with the same ground beef that was in the enchilada. It was topped with lettuce and cheese. It was ok, but was lacking some flavor, so I put some extra salsa on it. This bought it up a notch, and I was happy with it.
Then came the tostada. It was good. A flat and round crispy corn shell (just a flat and round version of the taco shell), topped with refried beans, lettuce and cheese. It was nothing special, so I loaded lots of salsa on it, and then it was good.
We waited a long time for the check, and then waited some more for the change. Between when we were done with eating, to when we finally got our change was probably about 20 minutes. Waay too long in my opinion. That's a LOONG time for two guys to sit around and talk. Really, after some talk about sports, weather, and the economy, we were out of topics! I mean what else are we supposed to talk about -- our feelings?? *shudders*
It was when I got to the car I realized (with the help of my friend), that I ate a tostada. But I ordered a chalupa! This is one of my pet peeves, and it has happened to me in this area before.
The restaurant probably had the tostadas already made, and was hoping that I wouldn't notice the difference. Tostadas and chalupas are made of almost the same things. The major difference being that chapulas are made with a fried dough, not a taco shell. Those flat taco shells are for tosadas.
Small thing, I know. But really, why put both things on the menu when you're only going to serve one of them??
Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 3/5 (Enchilada, salsa, and chips good. Wrong menu item, not so good)
Service: 3/5
Total: 9/15
Price: $ (everything including tip was $10. For dinner expect to pay $3 to $5 more)
Kid Friendly: Yes. There is even a very cheap kids menu.
Conclusion:
This place has potential, but the wrong menu item and slow service hurt it. The enchilada, chips, and salsa were good. So, I'll go back to try dinner and see what happens.
Restaurant Info:
Pueblo Grande
241 South Broad St.
Mooresville, NC 28115
p) 704-799-8499
http://pueblomexicangrill.com/
Showing posts with label Tacos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tacos. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Chico's Mexican Grill
The other day I was again craving mexican food. So, I decided to drive to a nearby restaurant with my friend, to check out Chico's Mexican Grill.
Located in a rather bland strip mall on the corner of Statesville and Gilead, Chico's is very easy to get to. Once I made my way past the Food Lion in the same mall, I grabbed a parking space, and we made our way in.
I was suprised by the atmosphere at this restaurant. It's sorta cute. The tables at the booths are covered with colorful tile, and in the middle of the restaurant there is a sort of a wooden pergola covering a row of booths. It has no function other than to add atmosphere, and I liked it quite a bit.
We were quickly taken to our seats, and upon seating were promptly brought chips and salsa. To be honest, the salsa was nothing special -- it was very similar to what I get at the store. But nevertheless, I promptly started munching. Our waitress arrived quickly and took our drink orders. And then I started looking over the menu.
On the back of the menu were the lunch specials, and there were many of them. I settled on the special with the tostada, taco, and enchilada. After a short wait, our food arrived, and I dug in. I started with the enchilada. Which, really, wasn't an enchilada. It was simply a flour tortilla filled with beef and topped with enchilada sauce and cheese. It wasn't the standard enchilada that is baked in the sauce. To be honest, I found the beef to be lacking in flavor, so I started applying salsa, to the enchilada. It helped.
Then I hit the tostada. It was good, but not great. It was a simple tostada with beans, cheese, lettuce and tomato. It just wasn't enough to keep my tongue happy so I proceeded to the crispy beef taco. Again, I found it to be lacking flavor. The beef just didn't have enough flavor for me. I'm used to mexican food having a distinctive flavor, and this just lacked most flavor. In my opinion, they needed to add some more cumin, oregano, and onion to the beef.
Aside from the beef, the taco was good. The lettuce and tomatoes seemed to be fresh, and the crispy taco shell wasn't soggy. But since the meat tends to add so much flavor, I was just disappointed by the overall experience.
But it should be noted that the atmosphere and service were great. Our drinks were regularly refilled, and the service was fast and friendly.
Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 10/15
Price: $ (Including tip, lunch was less than $10)
Conclusion: Chico's has a lot of promise -- but I just couldn't get over the lack of flavor of the beef. But I did enjoy my time there, so I will be heading back, and trying another dish and meat. Hopefully next time the meal will be a bit better.
Restaurant Info:
Chico's Mexican Grill
North Statesville Rd.
Suite B2
Huntersville, NC 28078
704-992-2755
http://www.chicosmexgrill.com
Located in a rather bland strip mall on the corner of Statesville and Gilead, Chico's is very easy to get to. Once I made my way past the Food Lion in the same mall, I grabbed a parking space, and we made our way in.
I was suprised by the atmosphere at this restaurant. It's sorta cute. The tables at the booths are covered with colorful tile, and in the middle of the restaurant there is a sort of a wooden pergola covering a row of booths. It has no function other than to add atmosphere, and I liked it quite a bit.
We were quickly taken to our seats, and upon seating were promptly brought chips and salsa. To be honest, the salsa was nothing special -- it was very similar to what I get at the store. But nevertheless, I promptly started munching. Our waitress arrived quickly and took our drink orders. And then I started looking over the menu.
On the back of the menu were the lunch specials, and there were many of them. I settled on the special with the tostada, taco, and enchilada. After a short wait, our food arrived, and I dug in. I started with the enchilada. Which, really, wasn't an enchilada. It was simply a flour tortilla filled with beef and topped with enchilada sauce and cheese. It wasn't the standard enchilada that is baked in the sauce. To be honest, I found the beef to be lacking in flavor, so I started applying salsa, to the enchilada. It helped.
Then I hit the tostada. It was good, but not great. It was a simple tostada with beans, cheese, lettuce and tomato. It just wasn't enough to keep my tongue happy so I proceeded to the crispy beef taco. Again, I found it to be lacking flavor. The beef just didn't have enough flavor for me. I'm used to mexican food having a distinctive flavor, and this just lacked most flavor. In my opinion, they needed to add some more cumin, oregano, and onion to the beef.
Aside from the beef, the taco was good. The lettuce and tomatoes seemed to be fresh, and the crispy taco shell wasn't soggy. But since the meat tends to add so much flavor, I was just disappointed by the overall experience.
But it should be noted that the atmosphere and service were great. Our drinks were regularly refilled, and the service was fast and friendly.
Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 10/15
Price: $ (Including tip, lunch was less than $10)
Conclusion: Chico's has a lot of promise -- but I just couldn't get over the lack of flavor of the beef. But I did enjoy my time there, so I will be heading back, and trying another dish and meat. Hopefully next time the meal will be a bit better.
Restaurant Info:
Chico's Mexican Grill
North Statesville Rd.
Suite B2
Huntersville, NC 28078
704-992-2755
http://www.chicosmexgrill.com
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Taco Stand on Statesville Rd.
Growing up in California, I learned that if you want to find cheap, but tasty food, your best bet is a taco/burrito cart. So, the other day when I was looking for a good but VERY cheap lunch, I was excited when a friend recommended the the Taco Stand found in the parking lot of the Seed Planters Supply and Equipment, just off of Statesville Road, south of Stumptown Road.
It's hard to miss the bright red taco cart as you drive by. It's one of the smaller taco carts that I've seen, and it's pulled by a pick-up truck. Though there was no line to order, but there was a line of people waiting for their food. So, I placed my order of three Pastor (spicy pork) Tacos, and waited.
This definitely wasn't Taco Bell, where everything was pre-made, and shoved into a tortilla. The two guys working hard in that taco cart, actually cooked the food for that order, then started the next order -- I was impressed.
After about eight minutes my food was ready, and including a can of Coke, I paid less than $7. After checking out the spartan dining area which consisted of two long tables and some chairs under an aluminum roof, we decided to head to my friend's place to eat.
The pork came wrapped in two small corn tortillas, and was cooked with onions, cilantro, lime juice, and herbs and spices. In addition, it came with two salsa containers. One contained a tangy salsa verde, and the other contained a VERY spicy tomato based salsa.
I was very happy with my meal. The pork was tender, filled with flavor, and contained very little fat. The serving size per taco was good, but ordering two seemed too small, and ordering three seemed too big -- SO next time I'm there I'll see if they can make me 2.5 tacos! :)
Score:
Atmosphere: 1/5 (It's a taco stand, you don't go there for the atmosphere)
Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 9/15
Price: $ (CHEAP!)
Conclusion: Though this is a relatively low score, the thing here is economy. Great food, terrific price. I highly recommend it, and will be back to try their Carne Asada. I hear it's even better than the pork.
Restaurant Info:
Taco Stand
(In Parking Lot of Seed Planters Supply and Equipment)
14310 Hunters Rd.
Huntersville, NC 28078
It's hard to miss the bright red taco cart as you drive by. It's one of the smaller taco carts that I've seen, and it's pulled by a pick-up truck. Though there was no line to order, but there was a line of people waiting for their food. So, I placed my order of three Pastor (spicy pork) Tacos, and waited.
This definitely wasn't Taco Bell, where everything was pre-made, and shoved into a tortilla. The two guys working hard in that taco cart, actually cooked the food for that order, then started the next order -- I was impressed.
After about eight minutes my food was ready, and including a can of Coke, I paid less than $7. After checking out the spartan dining area which consisted of two long tables and some chairs under an aluminum roof, we decided to head to my friend's place to eat.
The pork came wrapped in two small corn tortillas, and was cooked with onions, cilantro, lime juice, and herbs and spices. In addition, it came with two salsa containers. One contained a tangy salsa verde, and the other contained a VERY spicy tomato based salsa.
I was very happy with my meal. The pork was tender, filled with flavor, and contained very little fat. The serving size per taco was good, but ordering two seemed too small, and ordering three seemed too big -- SO next time I'm there I'll see if they can make me 2.5 tacos! :)
Score:
Atmosphere: 1/5 (It's a taco stand, you don't go there for the atmosphere)
Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 9/15
Price: $ (CHEAP!)
Conclusion: Though this is a relatively low score, the thing here is economy. Great food, terrific price. I highly recommend it, and will be back to try their Carne Asada. I hear it's even better than the pork.
Restaurant Info:
Taco Stand
(In Parking Lot of Seed Planters Supply and Equipment)
14310 Hunters Rd.
Huntersville, NC 28078
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