A sad day at Paco's

It was a somber meal at Paco’s today. The notice on the door read the Marj had lost her battle with cancer on 4/11/2009. I have many fond memories of Marj and Paco’s. In fact, I choose to go to Paco’s today to celebrate my 20 years at Florida Hospital. I thought that I should go some place for lunch that held many memories for Florida Hospital and the many friends that I’ve gone to lunch with over the years.

I can remember the lunches with Fred G my first director at Florida Hospital. Then there were the meals with Dave R and Bill Z where we argued the merits or doing something this way or that way. There have been periods where I have not gone to Paco’s as often as I’d like, mainly because of the parking here at the hospital. But I always return for the friendly atmosphere and good food. At Paco’s you are always made to feel at home.

I can remember one meal I had at Paco’s where my order had been somehow misplaced Marj came over and said “I’m so sorry but we can’t find your order” I gladly gave it to to her. While I was eating my meal Marj came back over and told me this was on the house, “you can just leave when you are finished”.

While I was just a customer Marj made me feel at home, on most days she came over and said hi and chatted for awhile. She will truly be missed.

The Taco Maker - dj

The Taco Maker
2212 Aloma Ave.
Winter Park, FL 32792
"Finally Here Fresh Made Food!!!"
www.tacomaker.com


A friend suggested that we go to Taco Time on Aloma Ave, in the old KFC building.



It was a Taco Bell wantabe that has not quite made it yet. I had the Special number 1 - two tacos beef or chicken, soft drink, and of all things fries. I substituted chips and salsa. The menu item number 1 was about $5.00.

I had the chicken tacos they weren't bad, but nothing special. Another person in our party did not want their second beef taco so I had it. It tasted more like a taco but still was not special.



We were for some reason expecting a more authentic Mexican meal.

La Luna

La Luna
151 Center Lane
Gallatin Gateway, MT 59730
(406) 995-3280

La Luna's Moto "Experience Gourmet World Cuisine in a casual & Relaxing Enviroment" is a fitting one. The menu choices range from Mexican to Thai to Japanese to Italian.



I choose the "Enchiladas filled with shredded chicken topped with jack cheese and baked to a bubbly perfection." This came with a side of beans and rice.


The meal started with Eric the owener/chief coming out and taking our order. At the door were photo books he had made of the surrounding area. Including photos of the fish he has caught and released. Some several times as proven by the photos.

Chips and homemade salsa were provided while we waited for our dishes. The salsa was nice.


Our dishes arrived shortly. They were presented nicely. The beans were cooked just right as was the rice. The three enchiladas looked wonderful. I had chosen the mole sauce. Which was a deep brown with a nutty taste. Very good.



I have visited La Luna several times over the last 7 years while visiting Big Sky it is always the culinary highlight of any visit

Paxia Alta Cocina Mexicana - dj

2611 Edgewater Drive
College Park, FL 32804
407.420.1155
http://paxiarestaurant.com/
“Modern world meets traditional Mexican cuisine”

Paxia is a new Mexican restaurant in College Park it opened around June 1, 2008. They took over the old Moe’s location on Edgewater drive. I read about it in the Orlando Weekly yesterday and stopped by for lunch today.

The restaurant looked very modern with vivid colors on the walls and cloth table cloths – covered with butcher paper. The menus were uncluttered with just a few items. Items that you would expect at a Mexican restaurant, there were 6 priced at $7.00 to $7.50.



Were greeted with a smile and chips and salsa were not far behind. The chips were nice and the salsa was also good.


From the menu I chose the Chicken Enchilada at $7. Others at the table chose Flautas $7.25, Soft Tacos $7.50, and Burritos $7.50. The wait was a little longer than I would have expected considering the number of people in the restaurant.

When our plates arrived they looked quite nice. All of the dishes we ordered came with bean and rice. The rice was rather unremarkable, nowhere near as good as say El Portros . The beans needed salt and there was none on the table. My enchiladas were good but again nothing special.


The tacos the one of our dining partners had were soggy he said he would not be returning. The flautas were not very filling was the comment I heard.

This a place that I wanted to be good. Maybe I'll stop back by in a few months to see if it has improved.

Rating: **
Service **

What others are saying:
Orlando Weekly
Chowhound.com

Taco Fresco

713 US Highway 41
Schererville, IN 46375
(219) 865-5300
http://www.tacofresco.com/


I was on my way to Chicago and came across Taco Fresco in Schererville. It is located in a strip mall along Highway 41. It looked the place had not been open long. It had a fresh clean look about the store. They advertise themselves as an authentic, healthy alternative to fast food.

I had the Chicken Taco $1.95 and the Grilled Yellow Fin Tuna Taco $2.75 both were good. The salsa bar had a very good selection of salsas both hot and mild.


I only found out later that this was a chain out of Chicago. This would be a place that I could eat at often if they had stores in Florida.

Free Wi-Fi is also available.
Rating: ***
Service: ****
Monday-Saturday:11am - 9pm
Sunday:11am - 7pm

The Alamo – DT

55 Medway Rd Milford, MA 01757

Just a short plane ride from Winter Park, FL, I found myself cruising the beautiful little hovel of Milford, MA for a late, after flight dinner. You know me. Nothing mainstreet like Applebee’s or Uno’s will do. So I drove out 190 for a few miles to see if anything looked enticing. The Alamo caught my attention just a few blocks from the hotel. This old converted home advertised a Mexican menu and the parking lot was full, which seemed impressive since it was late on a Sunday night. The friendliness of the staff represented the best of New England and shortly after being seated, I realized the source of the attraction. Karaoke upstairs in the “bah”. I usually find karaoke upsetting due to some past restaurant experiences, but the frequent cheering and laughter actually made the place fun while I ate too many tortillas and salsa. Apparently the owners are the parents of ‘Dewie’ from “Malcolm in the Middle”. I love that show. Dewie is Malcolm’s younger brother. The one who gets all the best lines.
I immediately search for, and find, fish tacos on the menu. I am going through your standard fish taco phase. Whenever I mention to someone that I like fish tacos, they all make the same face but hey, New England is legendary for their seafood. This should be good. Three tacos to a plate served with beans and rice for less than $8. I asked about tartar sauce, and my waitress explained that they are served with a Jalepeno Ranch dressing. After two flight delays and an hour’s drive outside of Boston, I was not in the mood to be discerning. I don’t remember the first taco but half way through the second, I started to slow down and examine this treat. “It’s not bad”, I thought. Cut pieces of fried fish and your basic lettuce and cheddar with a thin line of ranch at the bottom. But something seemed strangely familiar. Upon closer examination, I realized this was not New England’s finest seafood, it was more like Milford’s best fish sticks. I may have come in with pretty high expectations and I have children so I am not too good to eat fish sticks. Heck, I once made cashew chicken at home with left over chicken McNuggets. My point is, while this particular fish taco does not rank at the top of my list, the service was awesome and for an out-of-towner eating dinner alone, I left full and I enjoyed the experience. Next time I’ll get the fajitas. No one makes a face when I mention those.

Quantity: Plenty
Price: 3 tacos and a drink under $11.
Service: As kind as they come.

Casa Serrano El Palacio - DJ

Casa Serrano El Palacio Mexican Restaurant and Cantina
401 E. Andy Devine Ave.
Kingman, AZ 86401
"Authentic and Unique Mexican Cuisine and Cocktails"

This restaurant is located on Route 66 in the historic old downtown area of Kingman Arizona. From the outside we were not sure if they were open but once we opened the door the place was full. Most of the clientele seemed to be locals.

I orderd "Mini Tacos and one enchilada with red sauce. Your choice of meat. $4.35" I had mine with chicken.



It was quite good. Just like the description the tacos were mini about 3 to 4 inches in diameter filled with chicken. The red sauce on the enchilada was also very good.

Outside while we were there the railway lines were busy. At least 4 long freight trains passed 2 in each direction.

You Tube video of passing train in Kingman AZ

Rating: ***
Service: ***
Price: $4.35 for Lunch item.

Beto's Mexican Restaurant- DT

My friend JoAnna says Beto’s is muy bien. JoAnna is a gringa from the Southwest and one of the most discerning people I know, so we went. Located just east of the corner of 436 and 17-92 in Casselberry, I found that while it is not much to look at from the outside, Beto’s is equally unremarkable on the inside. I did however find it to be clean and spacious and simple. All signs that the food should be affordable. I had a difficult time at the counter deciding what to try. I love Chimichanga, but wanted to try something new. The main menu board had plates priced around $7 give or take. They had 3 or 4 lunch specials, including a drink, for around $6.50. I ordered the Pollo Asado plate. Marinated chicken and peppers served with rice, refried beans, sour cream, fresh lettuce, onions, and tomato mixed with cilantro and a large flour tortilla on the side. I guess I could have wrapped it all in the warm, soft tortilla but I chose to mix all of the flavors and use the tortilla as a flat bread. In the middle of the restaurant was a small salsa station. Along with your choice of red or green, they offered seasoned carrots with peppers. JoAnna really likes the carrots and peppers and said it was a mistake for me to pass on them. She reminded me that Beto’s is open 24 hours and recommends the machaca (breakfast burrito). Apparently it is something you pick up for breakfast on the way to work and finish for lunch. I’m now very curious. This is exactly the type of place we created this blog to showcase. If you are looking for flavor in a local food experience without the hype and circumstance, Beto’s will not disappoint.


Facility – Heritage rich flavor in a fast food setting.
Service – Broken English with a smile!
Quantity – I thought it was just right which may be a lot for most.
Price - $6.50 including drink.

Beto’s Mexican Food - dj

103 E. State Road 436
Fern Park, FL 32730
407.834.0882

Lunch time where to go? DT suggested Thai, I had it last night, Chinese we both had that yesterday for lunch. DT says how about Beto’s in Fern Park, while a little drive for us it was worth the drive.

Beto’s is located in an out building in the parking lot of Bed Bath & Beyond shopping center. According to the Orlando Weekly it has been a roast-chicken stand, a bagel place and a Chinese takeout. The decor is early fast food, I guess. Plain and simple, but clean.

The menu board is quite extensive it includes about 20 numbered plates, and then all of these ingredients are available al-cart. I could not decide between the Enchiladas Verdes and the Fish taco special. I ordered the #2 Enchiladas Verdes with two chicken enchiladas, pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, and sour cream $5.39. I also ordered a side of Fish Taco $1.99. When the food came it was way too much. The tortilla shells of the enchiladas tasted as though they were homemade I did not ask them to find out. The chicken was tender, the Verde sauce was excellent not to tart from the tomatillos. The Fish Taco was also very good. It had shredded cabbage and a sweet / sour cream based sauce. The fish was fried to perfection. There was also a small salsa bar that had about 6 things on it.



This is the kind of Mexican restaurant I could eat at every day. I just wish they had glass plates instead of Styrofoam, and it was a little closer.

Rating: ****
Service:***
Price: Special + side $7.90
Open 24 Hours

What others are saying:

This years Foodies for Best Mexican Critic’s choice when to Beto's “I went .. with Beto's, which doesn't even offer table service. But for authenticity — and bargain prices — it's my choice this year.” Said Scott Joseph.
Orlando Weekly
Metromix.com

Note 1/13/2008: On a revisit with my family I found that the dishes are not always prepared the same way. We had the Fish Taco. It was missing the cabbage, and the sauce that made it so good on the last visit. Also the fish was over cooked. I will have to change my from 4 stars to 3.

Los Charros - dj

946 W. State Road 436
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
407.682.5156

This is my favorite Mexican Restaurant in the Orlando area. I go here at least 3 times per month. It is located in a building that has had several failed restaurants; Miami Subs, and some sort of ice cream shop most recently. Los Charros has been in the building for the last 2 or 3 years. It is painted bright orange and yellow on the outside and located across 436 from Kohl’s. The inside is nicely decorated with paintings of a Charros a Mexican cowboy on a horse. There is a fountain on the center of the dining room that creates a nice white noise. Of course there is also the ever present Mexican music playing over the speaker system.

I usually find a dish in a restaurant that I like and stick with it. But at Los Charros every dish I have had is good. The chicken flautas verdes are crisp and not greasy perfectly fried. The enchilada verde is excellent, the dish is hot and tangy from the tomatillo/chili sauce and topped with lettuce cheese and sour cream. The soft chicken tacos made with shredded chicken and thick meaty corn tortillas are heavenly. There are 7 or so vegetarian item to choose from including a potato burrito that is quite good.

For lunch there are 14 specials from $5.50 to $6.50.

Tonight I had the House Enchilada Special. Three chicken enchiladas topped with a white cheese sauce with rice and a small salad with sour cream on top. The Mexican rice is always good at Los Charros. The enchiladas were packed with shredded chicken topped with a creamy white cheese sauce. This is a favorite of one member of my family. I’m still not sure which item is my favorite. I’ll go back again next week to try and figure that out.



Rating: ****
Service: ****
Price: $8.50

Sabor A Mexico - dj

891 S Orange Blossom Trail
Apopka, FL
407.880.1060

Located in a strip mall near the corner of 441 and 436 in Apopka the Sabor A Mexico (Restaurant Mexicana) was not exactly a hopping place at 6PM on a Monday night. There were only three of the 30 tables occupied. One of these had 3 paying customers the other had three relatives of the managers and the third had the three children of the managers. There were three TV’s two were on but turned to different stations one to the typical Spanish station the other one in the back turned to Sponge Bob. It really didn’t matter because the sound emanating from the juke box drowned out both TV’s. Above the tiny bar the disco ball was spinning.

We were told we could sit anywhere. We decided to sit close to the front of the cavernous restaurant. Half of the dining room had the chairs turned upside down on the tables. I'm not sure if they ever have enough customers to fill the dining room.

The menu seemed quite large until it was pointed out to me that there was a column in English and a column in Spanish. The fare was what you would expect from a Mexican Restaurant. I choose the enchilada plate with 3 chicken enchiladas. There was a choice of 5 types of sauces; chili, cheese, ranchero, tomatillo, and I forgot the 5th one. I choose the tomatillo sauce.

The food seemed to take a long time to come especially considering the crowd in the dining room. The plates were very hot as you would expect with a dish cooked on the plate. The tomatillo sauce was a bit over powered by the amount on lime juice on the sauce, but it was still good. The chicken in the enchilada was shredded and in a chili sauce. The corn tortilla was very good possibly home made. The rice seemed a bit greasy. The beans were passable. The meal was OK but the experience of dining in this restaurant left much to be desired.



Rating: **
Service: **
Price: $7.00

El Portro Mexican Restaurant #27 – dj

501 N Orlando Drive – 217
Winter Park, FL 32789
407.975.9132
http://elpotrocatering.com/

EL Portro was one of the early true Mexican Restaurants in the Orlando area. They have occupied this space in the K-Mart Plaza for over 8 years. There are four El Portro’s restaurants in the Orlando area. Their web site shows that they have restaurants as far away as Brunswick and Valdosta Georgia.

At lunch time there is a fantastic buffet for $7.50, which will leave you wanting a siesta all afternoon. They also have a full menu and a 14 item lunch menu with 6 items under $5.00. The lunch menu is available 11 am to 4 pm Monday thru Saturday.

My mission today was to eat for less than five dollars and not feel stuffed. I had the Speedy Gonzales – 1 taco, 1 enchilada, and rice. The rice here is some of the best Mexican rice I’ve ever had. The cheese enchilada was excellent the sauce has a slightly sweet taste. The chicken in the taco was moist and tender. I think I achieved my mission of getting a good Mexican meal for under five dollars.


On my next trip I think I’ll get the Tacos de Pollo it’s listed under the most Mexican in character section of the menu. “Chicken tacos seasoned to perfection, served on soft corn tortillas, with cilantro, onions, & salsa verde $5.45 for 3”. It sounds really good to me.

Here is a picture from another visit that included the buffet. Chicken Enchilada and taco. Beans and rice and fried potato slices. This was the first trip to the buffet.



Rating: ***
Service: ****
Price Lunch special/water $4.79

PR’s Mexican Restaurant - DJ

499 W. Fairbanks Ave.
Winter Park, Florida
407.645.2225

We went to PR’s today because I thought they could handle a big crowd (14) for lunch. We got everybody at the table, but two they set at the bar right next to our table. PR’s has been a Winter Park tradition for at least 25 years. It is the place to go for lunch on Fridays if you are in the mood for fajitas. The restaurant looks just the same as I remember it when I moved to Florida in 1982. It just has more graffiti and the bike made from copper tubing is missing from the wall there are TV’s in its place. The building still rattles when trains go by on the track a few feet from the corner of the building.

The food at PR’s has been pretty consistent since those early days. PR’s is Tex-Mex with lots of cheddar cheese. Today I had one of the combination lunch specials. I choose one Enchiladas, one taco and rice. I had chicken on both the enchilada and the hard taco. The chicken was all white meat which had been shredded. The enchilada was topped with a savory ranchero sauce and then capped with cheddar cheese that was melted under the salamander. A bed of lettuce was placed under the taco which kept it from becoming soggy with the juicy from the enchilada. The other end of the plate had rice which was topped with a red sauce as well. The presentation was nice. The meal was very good.


Vegetarians can eat well here too, as the list of filling include spinach, mushrooms, veggies, and guacamole.

The thing you have to remember at PR’s is don’t fill up on the chips and endless soda before your meal arrives. I’ve learned over the years to sit at the bar because your meal will arrive sooner and you aren’t as tempted to eat the whole bowl of chips.

Rating: ***
Service ***
Price: Combo/Soda $8.50

AzTex Mexican Restaurant - DJ

745 Bennett Rd.
Orlando, FL 32803
407.893.4990

I spotted an ad in the Orlando Weekly for the Aztex Restaurant while waiting for a table at the Thai House last weekend. A new place for us to try next week!

I could not remember where a restaurant could be located on Bennett Road, except for the possible location of a old strip club. Turns out it was called Club Quest. The transformation has not quite been completed. The outside has been repainted, but the inside still looks like a former bar.

The wait staff was friendly and efficient, the chips and salsa flowed from the bar. There were two kinds of salsa: red and salsa verdé. Both were good but the red sauce had a bit of a bitter taste at first.

I ordered the Enchilada Dinner – Chicken and Cheese. The plate came with rice, pinto beans and pico de giao. The rice and beans were both ok. The enchiladas were topped with cheddar cheese. The chunks of chicken inside were large and had a good flavor. The portion was way too large for lunch. I could not finish it. I guess I should have tried the Tacos or something a bit smaller.

The overall experience was a good one. Although I don’t think it will top Paco’s on my list.

Rating: **
Service:****
Price- Dinner/water: $8.49

Aztex Mexican Restaurant - DT

Aztex Mexican Restaurant at 745 Bennett Road just north of Colonial is “Mexican food with heritage and pride”. The best part about being an amateur food critic has to be trying a new restaurant and liking it. I try to have no expectations before a visit to minimize any bias. The neat thing about Aztex…the décor actually lowers your expectations. I’d call it “Post naval station watering hole goes mexican”. While we waited for our meal, the chips and salsa kept coming. While I prefer my salsa chunky, they offered a tasty red pureé. After trying the red, our waitress offered us something a little more spicy. The green. You have to watch this stuff pour out of the pitcher to again, achieve the proper expectation for minimal bias. Don’t get me wrong. For lunch, this place rocks. The service was great. They treated us like we were the only ones there. OK maybe we were close to the only ones there but hey it’s Monday and they were very nice to us. I ordered the Chicken Chimi. This fried burrito contained chicken, refried beans and cheese, topped with the red sauce, more cheese and served with sour cream and chopped lettuce, tomato and onion. I always eat everything, except today. I thought it tasted great but the portion was big enough for me to take some home. In summary, the taste, portions, cook time service and value are all good. As far as the atmosphere, if you have been looking for that perfect combination of Freddie Fender, poker night and cervesa, I give Aztex a big thumbs up!

Service: Rocks
Fresh ingredients: Yes
Atmosphere: Plenty
Chips and a Chimi big enough for two: $8.49

Dexter’s - DJ

558 W. New England
Winter Park, FL 32789
407.629.1150
www.dexwine.com

What was I thinking ordering a faux Mexican Dish from an American restaurant? I had the Chicken Tortilla Pie which is described as below:

Crisp flour tortillas stacked and layered with sautéed chicken breast, tomatoes, jalapenos, melted provolone, baked and topped with sour cream, chopped scallions and sun dried tomatoes.

I am still feeling the result of this meal 12 hours later. I guess you could say I got my moneys worth. The dish came out looking quite impressive. Everybody around the table said what is that! The dish at first tasted good, and then I noticed that the flour tortillas had been fried and were very greasy. The sun dried tomatoes at first were unidentifiable; they were cold straight from the refrigerator. I’m also not sure provolone was the right choice for the cheese on this dish. Before I was half way done the dish was quite unappealing.


The sweet potato chips that we had as an appetizer were also greasy. This is something I’ve noticed since Dexter’s moved from there Fairbanks location. The sweet potato chips were always good there but since they moved to the New England address (several years a ago) they have always been greasy. Could this be because the owner was always in the kitchen at the Fairbanks location?


Rating: *
Service: Excellent 3
Quantity: Way too much!

Paco's - DJ

1801 W Fairbanks Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
407.629.0149

Paco's recently celebrated their 25 anniversary. I have eaten here off and on for the last 25 years. When I first arrived in Florida it was one of the only non-chain Mexican restaurants around. Most of these chains have closed up shop, but Paco's is still the same. I remember when only the front room was used for lunch, and RC was the drink of choice. This has now changed there are lines out the front door if you arrive after 12:00PM and Coke is now served.


Paco's is a small restaurant occupying a renovated 4 room house at the corner of Fairbanks and Clay. The rooms have been painted bright colors recently. Not much else has changed. The food is still the same, just as good as ever.

The staff is friendly and greats you as an old friend, not with shouting as some fast food Mexican is prone to do. The menu classifies Pacos as a Tex-Mex restaurant, something I had been trying to figure out until recently when I noticed this on the menu. They do not use as much cheese as the normal Tex-Mex restaurant, which is good.

Today, I had one of the old standbys Combo A – Two Tacos and one enchilada with beans and rice on the side. I choose to go chicken all the way, but the cheese enchilada is also good. The standard taco at Pacos is packed with the filling of your choice – chicken, beef, or beans. Then toped with chopped lettuce and diced fresh tomatoes. The enchiladas are filled with the same fillings with the addition of black olives and onions as choices. The sauce is a type of green sauce that is very good. The beans are topped with melted cheese. Rice is also included.


This dish has tasted the same for the last 25 years as far as I can remember. A taste that I often crave.

Paco's also has daily specials that include a soft drink of your choice. I think they are now $6.95. This is a good way to get your Pacos Fix for the week.

Monday Tostada
Tuesday Burito
Wednesday Taco Salad
Thursday Enchilada
Friday No special

Rating: ****
Service: Excellent: *****
Meal/Water: $8.75

Border Grill

Border Grill
Mandalay Bay
Las Vegas, Nevada

The dish I had as described in the daily special menu.

Chicken Enchilada – Smoked Chicken & Oaxacan string cheese in a chipotle cream sauce, with an Ancho chile corn salad.

The dish was preceded with homemade corn chips and 3 salsas. There was a tomtailo, red chile, and a smoked chipolte. All 3 were good. The chips were a little greasy but were still good. They were made from thick homemade tortillas and were crispy.

The enchilada dish arrived promptly, and the presentation was very well executed. The plate had a base of the chipotle sauce with streaks of cream streaked through the sauce. The three chicken enchiladas were topped with a corn salas which consisted of asparagus that had been thinly sliced and cooked just till tender. There were also slices of Ancho chiles, corn and onion in the salad. This was topped with the string cheese.

The Chicken Enchilada’s were made of homemade corn tortillas, rolled around the chicken and cheese mixture. This dish might have been the best enchilada dish I’ve every had, except for at Orlando's in Taos, New Mexico. The thick tortilla and the chicken mixture had just the right texture and flavor.

The restaurant advertises themselves as Real Mexican, it is not the standard Tex-Mex fair. The restaurant was created by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. They had a Food Network show called The Two Hot Tamales when the network was still new. I still have some of their recipes. I would give this restaurant a must visit while in Las Vegas.


Rating: *****
Service: *****
Meal/Water/Tip: $30.00

The Two Hot Tamales

Gonzalez y Gonzales

Gonzalez y Gonzales
3790 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, Nv

I should have known when I called and ask where the restaurant was located. The answer was inside New York New York next to the ESPN Zone. The restaurant was billed on the out side as Tex-Mex. They ask if I wanted to sit at the bar, I preferred a table. There was one open near the front door.

The chips were crisp, but the salsa was not that good. No heat and not that much taste. I ordered Chicken Enchiladas with beans and rice on the side. It arrived in a timely manner. The dish was presented nicely. The chicken was tender and the sauce was good, but the dish lacked something. The rice was nice the accompanying beans were as to be expected. The meals was just not as good as I would have liked.

Women’s boxing was on the TV. The view out the door was faux New York, a deli and an Italian restaurant, with “outdoor” seating. The whole experience was lacking authenticity from a local restaurant that one might visit more than once.

Service: Good
Quantity: Plenty
Meal (Supper)/Drink/Tip: $15.00

Orlando's New Mexican Cafe

1114 Don Juan Valdez Ln
Taos, NM 87571
505.751.1450

I’m still dreaming of Orlando’s years later. It is the best New Mexican cuisine that I’ve ever had. I would fly from Orlando to Taos just for this meal. The restaurant is located just north of Taos on the right hand side of the road. The restaurant is small and intimate. The view from the front door is spectacular. Taos Mountain is just across the road. There is a warming fire pit out front just incase you have to wait on a cold New Mexican night. The interior is decorated with hand tooled tin in the Mexican style.
The food is classic New Mexican cuisine. I always have the enchilada plate. It consists of Pinto beans, pozole, and flat blue corn enchiladas in a green chili sauce topped with cheese. There was also a small garnish of chopped tomato salad. I love this dish. I have not been able to reproduce it at home, probably the lack of fresh New Mexican green chilies.


Rating: *****
Service:***
They except cash only.