mexican restaurants Archives - Page 3 of 4

El Sol Mexican Restaurant-March 2, 2013

March 3, 2013

Wow, is it really March? I just typed “February” into the title field for this post then realized, “Wait, it’s March!” It’s snowing here in Soddy-Daisy right now (and has been since yesterday morning) but it’s not cold enough to stick and besides, snow on the weekend is a total waste as far as teachers are concerned. No matter, though. Spring break is at the end of March! I have a full week of doing nothing planned and I can’t wait.

Anyway, I wasn’t feeling too hot yesterday (still not) and didn’t really have a restaurant in mind. I wasn’t in the mood to go much of anywhere, really, but there also wasn’t any food that I just wasn’t in the mood for. I really wanted some soup but I couldn’t think of any locally owned restaurants that claim soup as a specialty, not since Soup’s On that used to be on Broad closed (and I don’t think they were ever open on Saturdays anyway). Soup suggestions, anyone? Anyway, Philip suggested El Sol, the Mexican restaurant in the building that was formerly Hillbilly’s and before that Backyard Burgers-near Highland Plaza on Hixson Pike. Fine by me.

We were seated quickly. There was only one server working the floor, but at 1:30 in the afternoon there were only a couple of other tables occupied. He took our drink orders and suggested queso dip, which we of course accepted. He quickly brought out our waters, our queso, a basket of chips, and some salsa. The queso was standard Mexican restaurant queso…not too spicy, creamy, not too runny but not too thick. The chips and salsa were the same….the chips pretty standard, not too thick, not greasy, pretty fresh. The salsa was mild and not super-chunky, which is always a plus for me because I am not a fan of chunky salsa (for this reason I do not like salsa from a jar). Not bad but it didn’t stand out in any way from any other Mexican restaurant in the area (besides a couple that shall remain unnamed that I have not blogged about whose chips have been stale the last couple of times that I’ve been).

Again, the menu was pretty standard. There was a lunch menu on the back with lunch specials served until 3 p.m. I decided on taquitos Mexicano, which come stuffed with shredded beef or shredded chicken. I ordered one of each. Taquitos are, of course, tortillas (theirs were flour) rolled around a filling and fried. These were served with sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, and shredded cheddar (an unusual choice for a Mexican restaurant for sure) and refried beans and rice. I found the taquitos to be a little bit greasy but they did have a good flavor. I am not one to choose chicken over beef (ever!) but in this case I actually liked the chicken taquito better than the beef because the beef had large pieces of onion in it. The guacamole was fresh-tasting and very smooth. I really liked the rice…it was seasoned well and not clumpy. The beans were pretty standard.

Philip ordered the burrito El Sol, which contained beans and rice, lettuce, and chorizo (not listed as an option on the menu, but just ask!). It was covered with cheese sauce and salsa verde (green or tomatillo salsa). Philip is a huge fan of chorizo and has taken to ordering it at all the local Mexican restaurants. He liked their chorizo a lot-better than El Metate’s, as good as Delia’s, and not extremely greasy, which a lot of chorizo is. Overall, he really enjoyed his burrito and would order it again.

For some reason, dessert is not an item that we often order in Mexican restaurants, but their dessert menu (curiously) is at the front of the menu (not an afterthought at the end like most) and we happened to notice it. While my eye was immediately drawn to the banana chimichanga (hello, bananas Foster in a fried tortilla?!?!) Philip despises the texture of banana so that idea was out. He was all about the sopapilla, though, and when we had finished our lunch he wanted to order one. I was definitely game. Their sopapilla is basically a fried flour tortilla sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and drizzled with honey, topped with whipped cream (okay, Redi-whip) and a maraschino cherry (you can also get ice cream if you like, presumably for an additional charge). Funny, I just got a new Tex-Mex cookbook (The Homesick Texan Cookbook) and the sopapilla recipe in it is not made with a flour tortilla (it’s made with fresh dough) but I’ll cut them some slack. This was pretty good, reminiscent (in my opinion) of the cinnamon “crispas” that Taco Bell used to serve in the Eighties, and that made me think of my grandmother, which is definitely a happy thing. They were good, but I want to make the real thing soon and share them with you!

Overall, I’d say that El Sol didn’t stand out as any better than the average Mexican restaurant in the Chattanooga area, but it definitely wasn’t below average. Delia’s still stands undefeated in my play book. I’d eat at El Sol again, though, and if you are thinking about going to the Taco Bell just down the street…..keep driving for a minute and pull on in to El Sol. It’s worth the extra minute’s drive.

El Sol is located at 4047 Hixson Pike, Chattanooga, TN 37415. You can call them at 423-877-2879. They do not have a website or Facebook page (at least not that I could find).

Poblanos-January 26, 2013

January 27, 2013

Yesterday I had my first paid photography session! Super exciting. I did senior photos for a girl from my church. Lots of fun, and I think the photos turned out great!

We met her and her mom at Coolidge Park, so I consulted my handy Adventures in Dining coupon book to decide where we should eat. We settled on Poblanos, which I didn’t know existed until we got the coupon book. Poblanos is located at the opposite end of River Street from Coolidge Park, in the location that was Pisa Pizza for a long time. Turns out they really haven’t been around all that long, so I don’t feel too guilty for not realizing they were there.

The dining room at Poblanos is fairly small but it was surprisingly crowded for 2:00 on a Saturday. We decided to sit in the screened in/covered porch area (they also have a second outdoor seating area that isn’t covered). Our server brought us our menus and our waters and we decided to order some guacamole (instead of our usual queso) for $6.50. The guacamole was just slightly chunky and garlicky, yet creamy. I didn’t notice any tomatoes but there was cilantro. It was very good, and I liked that the chips were very thick, hot, and not overly salty.

I toyed with the idea of ordering the flautas but instead decided to get the tortas Milanesa, a Mexican sandwich with a breaded chicken breast, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, queso fresco, and avocado. I asked our server for a her side dish recommendations. She recommended the salad, which I ordered with the housemade mango vinaigrette, and the grilled Mexican vegetables (yellow squash and zucchini). The salad was pretty good, with romaine lettuce, chopped tomatoes, julienned cucumber, sliced radishes, and white cheese. It was fresh and cold, just like I like it. The housemade dressing was sweet with a strong hit of vinegar. I really liked it. The vegetables were well seasoned and tender. Unfortunately, I think our server got confused by my order and I ended up with what I’m pretty sure was a Torta Especial-the chicken wasn’t breaded. I didn’t feel the need to send it back, though, so I ate it. The chicken was well seasoned and I liked the crustiness of the torta roll. A couple of times I got a little too close for comfort with seeds from the jalapeño, but nothing too major. I would order this again.

Philip decided to get the flautas. Three flautas were included with the dish so he ordered one with pulled pork, one with steak, and one with chorizo. He decided on rice and refried beans for his sides. He felt that the beans seemed like they had a more “homemade” texture than most Mexican restaurants (i.e. not über-smooth) and that the rice was pretty standard Mexican restaurant rice. The flautas were fresh and hot, with sour cream drizzled over them and queso fresco crumbled on top. The chorizo was not as spicy as most that he has had. The pulled pork was tender with a few crispy edges. He didn’t find the steak to be as tender as he would have liked it, though it did have a good flavor.

Overall, I thought that the food here was fresh and tasty. The menu items were pretty standard, though the menu was not as huge and overwhelming as most Mexican restaurant menus. I liked the selection of tortas, which many Mexican restaurants don’t have. They do try to serve local ingredients, which of course I appreciate. Our total before our buy one get one free coupon was about $32….definitely a little more than we usually pay at El Metate or Delia’s. Still, Poblanos is worth a try if you’re in that direction.

Poblanos is located at 551 River Street, Chattanooga, TN 37405. You can call them at 423-490-7911. They are open Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Check out their website at http://www.poblanosofchattanooga.com. You can also “like” them on Facebook.

Mojo Burrito (Red Bank)-October 20, 2012

October 21, 2012

It’s a little bit embarrassing to admit that Mojo Burrito has been around in Chattanooga for ten years now and I am just now getting around to eating there. Ten years exactly, in fact. They were celebrating the ten-year anniversary this weekend at the St. Elmo location (the celebration is still going on today, 10/21, with giveaways, live music, and food/drink specials, FYI!). It’s been a while since we’ve been to a restaurant with a menu like this (burritos, nachos, tacos, etc.) but Q’Doba was always our go-to, since I used to work on Brainerd Road and Philip used to work at Unum….the two former locations were very close to our workplaces. Sorry, Mojo Burrito! We’ve learned our lesson (and that was before we were local-food-obsessed, anyway).

As I called out the names of restaurants that needed to be checked off of my iPhone list, Mojo Burrito caught Philip’s attention. We needed to head to Greenlife to pick up some maple syrup anyway, so the location (Dayton Boulevard at Signal Mountain Road) was convenient, and a huge plus was the fact that, as I looked at their website, I discovered that they buy as many local products as they possibly can. Off we went.

Now, I have to admit…I never order a burrito. Ever. Anywhere. Generally at places with similar menus (Q’Doba, Moe’s) I’ll order nachos, but the fish tacos also caught my eye. It took me a second to make a decision but for the sake of comparison I decided to go ahead with the Macho Nachos, a huge plate of white tortilla chips covered with pinto or black beans (I chose black), queso sauce, pico de gallo or tomatoes (I chose pico), green onions, fresh or pickled jalapeños (I passed on the jalapeños), and sour cream. You can also add meat for $1.99 to $2.40 (steak costs more than chicken or chuck) or sub veggie chili for the beans for an additional $1.25, which the staff member making my nachos suggested I may want to try next time. Duly noted. Embarrassingly, I’ll admit that I ate almost the whole plate. They were delicious! Everything tasted so fresh. The tomatoes in the pico were very fresh and I got the feeling it was freshly made; there was a great balance of ingredients-tomatoes, onions, jalapeño, and cilantro. The black beans were perfectly cooked, firm like black beans should be. The chips were thin and crispy, which I love, and the queso was also a perfect thickness and spiciness.

Unlike me, Philip almost always orders a burrito when they are available. He decided on the signature Mojo Burrito-chicken or ground chuck (he chose chuck), black or pinto beans (he got black) and Spanish rice rolled up with toppings in a large flour tortilla. Philip topped his burrito with cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo, and fresh jalapeño slices. The gigantic burrito was served with a basket of chips and salsa. The salsa was the texture that I like-thin and not chunky-and had a perfect level of spice for someone who doesn’t like her tastebuds to be seared off but thinks that salsa should burn just a bit. The burrito was stuffed full but not so full that Philip needed a fork to eat it. He was really impressed by the flavor of the meat, which had an interesting seasoning to it and is locally produced, which makes me wonder if it is grass-fed (which also lends an interesting flavor). He stated that it “wasn’t as good as Delia’s”, but (a) he orders chorizo at Delia’s; and (b) you can’t really compare a place like Mojo Burrito to an authentic Mexican joint. Apples and oranges. He really liked it, though.

Because it was Saturday, the Red Bank location was serving 99-cent tacos (the St. Elmo and East Brainerd locations feature 99-cent tacos on different days of the week). Next time I visit, I will probably try the fish tacos (fried tilapia on flour tortillas with lettuce, jalapeños, pineapples salsa, and remoulade, served with rice and beans). They also have delicious sounding quesadillas (including spinach), salads (side, spinach, and taco), and appetizers (like Texas caviar, which is made with black-eyed peas). Our total for the nachos and burrito was about $16 (we drank water). It’s a very vegetarian and vegan-friendly establishment with lots of options already in place and others that can easily be adapted. The cashier explained (unprompted) the policy of buying everything that they possibly can locally (which is probably the reason that the menu says prices are subject to change-I am sure that the prices are subject to availability and market prices, and I’m okay with that for local products) and that all of the artwork in the restaurant is local as well. Even the table tops in the dining room were made by local artists! They also have a patio for outdoor dining.

A restaurant with a philosophy of giving as much support as possible to other local businesses and individuals is the kind of restaurant I want to support. Remember that at restaurants like this you are not only supporting that local business and its employees but the owners and employees of every local business that they support. I truly believe in keeping my food dollars as local as possible. Their food is so fresh and the atmosphere unique and interesting. We thought it was fantastic and we’ll be back!

Mojo Burrito Red Bank is located at 1800 Dayton Boulevard, Chattanooga, TN 37405 (423-870-6656), with other locations at 3815 St. Elmo Avenue, Chattanooga, 37409 (423-822-6656), and 1414 Jenkins Rd. Ste. 100, Chattanooga 37421 (423-296-6656). By the way, 6656 spells MOJO on your telephone. You can also check out their website: http://mojoburrito.com or find them on Facebook or Twitter.

Delia’s Has a New Location!

August 1, 2012

Delia’s, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways….

Seriously. I couldn’t love this place any more if I tried. The taco trailer that was located in Daisy was first, then the Dayton location, then Taco Roc, which has the same owners and the same menu. Every time a hit. I make every excuse I can to get to Delia’s as often as I possibly can, and have stood crammed into the covered ordering area of their trailer with about eight other people (I am not even exaggerating!) on a rainy winter evening for at least twenty minutes.

The food is just THAT good.

When we first tried their Soddy-Daisy location, we couldn’t stop talking about how much we hoped that they would eventually move into a sit-down location. Back in June, we were driving by a building in Daisy that used to be Cheryl’s Diner (which, I can tell you now that it’s closed, was one of the restaurants that I chose not to write a review about) and there it was, on the sign: Delia’s COMING SOON. I almost peed myself, I tell you!

The new Delia’s location opened on Monday, July 9. My mom went by to pick up a carry-out order toward the end of that week and people were waiting outside for seating. Now, it’s a small place…but something tells me Delia’s is going to be successful. Like this:

Can someone please help me order something besides the taco platter when I go here? Okay, I have. I’ve had the quesadilla…I’ve had the nachos. One of these days I’m going to go rogue and order the torta (it’s a Mexican sandwich. Like, on a roll.). But most of the time, it’s the taco platter. It’s just. So. Good. Their rice and beans are perfect, and their tacos are so fresh. These are actually “Delia’s tacos”, not regular tacos. Where regular tacos come topped with pico, lettuce, and cheese, the Delia’s tacos have grilled vegetables and melted cheese (not to be confused with cheese sauce). I always order them on corn tortillas, though you can have flour….if you must. These were tacos al pastor. Al pastor is pork that is marinated and cooked in a marinade that contains chiles, vinegar, and pineapple. Don’t worry…this isn’t spicy. But it is delicious. The barbacoa (shredded beef), chicken, steak, and of course plain old ground beef are all wonderful. One of these days I’m gonna order cactus tacos. Anyway, I couldn’t choose between the Delia’s tacos (this is the first time I’ve had them) and the regular tacos.

Philip had the special of the day, which was the burrito plato, also known as the burrito platter. He, of course, had this with the chorizo (Mexican sausage), of which he cannot get enough. It really is delicious, and I do not usually care for sausage. Usually he orders the fiesta burrito, which comes stuffed with rice, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, beans, and pico. The burrito on the, er, plato only contained meat and cheese, with the rest of the fillings on the side. As you can see, there were also rice and beans. And he loved every bit of it.

One of the advantages of dining in here is complimentary chips and salsa…although theirs are so delicious that we really don’t mind paying for the (they don’t cost that much anyway). Considering the crowd that is usually here (we stopped in for lunch) we will probably continue to enjoy Delia’s mostly as a take-out treat. Their appeal, though, is understandable and undeniable. The staff is extremely friendly and attentive. They are willing to tailor your meal to suit your wants and needs. The menu contains items for the adventurous and non-adventurous eater. One of these days I’m just going to order something totally off the wall…and I’m willing to be I’ll love it. I haven’t had anything from here that I didn’t.

Delia’s new location can be found at 8363 Dayton Pike, Soddy-Daisy, TN 37379. You can still reach them at 423-521-7145. Sadly…they don’t have a website or even a Facebook page. I’m thinking that probably isn’t going to matter. Go see them anyway!

Taco Roc-March 24, 2012

March 26, 2012

Last week, I asked for suggestions for some places we could go to eat for this review, and, while there were many great suggestions, I ended up going somewhere that wasn’t suggested. We needed to go to a few places in the Hamilton Place area, so we decided to go to Taco Roc…we’d been wanting to go there for a while. We’ve heard many wonderful things about Taco Roc for several years, but after we heard that they were owned by the same people who own Delia’s, we knew we had to go!

When we arrived, there were only a couple of other tables filled…but, hey, it was not even 11:30 in the morning, so no surprise there! Sure enough, the menu was the same menu from both Delia’s locations. Unlike the sit-down Delia’s in Dayton, you don’t place your order at your table…you walk up to the counter and order, then they give you a number and bring the food to your table. There is a drink fountain (we got water, of course) and you can also order beer, a bottled Mexican soda (those things are GOOOOD if you’ve never had one!), and there were a couple of homemade-looking beverages in large beverage dispensers behind the counter. One was white, one was orange, and I wish that I had asked what they were…but I didn’t. There is also a little condiment bar with a few types of salsa (salsa verde, some sort of roasted tomato salsa, and a red, presumably hot sauce), shredded cheese, sliced jalapenos, some sort of whole pepper, cilantro, and a few other things.

I decided to order the flautas. I’ve seen them on the menu at Delia’s and wanted to try them, but since we always have to bring it home and flautas are deep-fried, I wasn’t too sure they would taste great once I got them home. I decided to have mine with steak (the other options were chicken or a mix with steak, chicken, and shrimp). Anyway, flautas are meat and cheese rolled into a flour tortilla and deep fried, then halved and topped with pico de gallo and queso fresco. The flautas were served on a bed of lettuce with a chipotle cream sauce. The steak at Taco Roc is seasoned and grilled perfectly. The cheese fried in the flautas was nice and melty, gooey, and stringy. I love queso fresco, which is very similar to feta. The chipotle cream sauce was quite delish, but a little spicy for my wimpy taste buds, so I didn’t eat a lot of it. I really liked the pico de gallo. It’s interesting, I hate raw onions but they don’t bother me in pico! This was a great dish, and I ate 3 of the 4 pieces of it!

Philip decided to order the tacos platter with Mexican sausage (chorizo). The menu says that the tacos platter comes with ground beef or chicken, but the cashier told Philip that he could choose any meat that he wanted. He has tried the steak and the barbacoa (shredded beef) and liked both of them, but he loves their chorizo. He decided to have them with flour tortillas. The tacos were what I would almost call overstuffed. Philip couldn’t finish them because they were so full of chorizo! He loved the beans, which, as I have mentioned before, are very fresh with no nasty skin on top. The rice was good too, but unlike Delia’s rice it had peas in it. I guess each location has its own approach! Anyway, we were both completely stuffed once we were finished.

The only (sort of) negative thing I can say about Taco Roc is that their chips were not quite as fresh as the ones we’ve had at Delia’s. They definitely weren’t bad, but at Delia’s they always taste like they were just fried. These tasted like they had been fried, I don’t know, maybe the day before or first thing in the morning. Oh well….we still ate them all!

So, we have completed the trifecta. Delia’s Soddy-Daisy, Delia’s Dayton, and Taco Roc. So far, the three best Mexican restaurants we’ve been to! I strongly urge you to try them-all of them!

Taco Roc is located at 6960 Lee Highway, Chattanooga, TN 37421. You can reach them at 423-653-1001. You can find them online at http://eltacoroc.com or on Facebook. They are open from 10-9 Monday through Saturday and 10-8 Sunday.

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