A Few Flaws Drop Rating After Move To New Locale

El Potro
2351 W 31st St Lawrence, KS 66047‎

Phone: (785) 331-2500

Website
Prices: $$$$

Sunday is our weekly dinner out night and we were again surprised when we pulled into the parking lot to find a sea of cars and a restaurant full of people. Sunday night dinner out in Lawrence is normally so quiet you could be heard whispering three tables away, but not at El Potro. The new restaurant is bigger than the old place, but everything else seems pretty much the same with a few exceptions.

We were quickly seated with the waiter dropping by to take drink orders and the busboy dropping off chips, salsa and free chili con queso. Not only do they give you free cheese dip, it is in a decent size cup. My wife ordered orchata, a sweet rice-based drink from Mexico that tastes like liquid rice pudding with hints of cinnamon. I decided to go with the 22 ounce margarita (frozen with salt) and at $6, not a bad deal. It was fair, but with little alcohol. We also decided to try the guacamole (half order - $3.25), a good predictor of quality Mexican food. Not as good as mine or the best restaurant guac I have had, but plentiful and tasty with just a few chopped tomatoes on top to add color to the appetizer. It was a nice accompaniment to the cheese dip, chips, and salsa.

Veggie Quesadilla - $6.99

For our entrees, my wife ordered the vegetable and cheese quesadilla appetizer which came with more guacamole and pico di gallo (which they forgot). Quesadillas are pretty boring and this was no exception ... a flour tortilla, some melted cheese, and a few veggies ... at $7, it seemed a bit expensive to me.

Deep Fried Tacos - $8.49

I ordered the deep fried shredded beef tacos ($8.49 - ground beef or chicken also available) and a cheese and onion enchilada ala carte. The server brought three tacos in pre-fab shells (I hate pre-fab shells), so I asked them to bring the correct order. When they finally arrived, the tacos were crispy, the beef was well seasoned, and there was plenty of lettuce and cheese in addition to the standard rice and beans. The shells were pliable enough to add some guacamole, pico di gallo (from my wife's order - she hates tomatoes) and salsa, but the tortillas are thinner than I remember and fell apart on first bite. The enchilada came on a separate plate and was pleasing to the eye with a colorful accompaniment of sauce, cheese, lettuce and tomato. The enchilada ($2.50) was a tad small and the sauce spicy, but not overly so and the ratio of cheese to onion to sauce was good.

Cheese and Onion Enchilada Ala Carte - $2.50

They also had a guy with a guitar going from table to table singing Mexican mariachi songs. A nice touch, but he was not great and there were two small signs attached to his guitar reminding us that he works for tips. I understand that, but think it is a bit tacky to pressure customers into paying $1 or more for a single song which was all he stuck around to play. If you are going to provide music, pay the musician and if he gets a few tips, he can think of it as a bonus.

The new El Potro was not quite as good as the old one. The chips and corn tortilla taco shells are thinner than I remember, breaking easily. The margarita was not as tasty as at the old place and there was much less tequila. After drinking a 22 ounce margarita, I barely had a buzz. They got a 7 out of 10 score two years ago, but I have to drop a bomb after a less than stellar return visit.

CombatCritic Gives El Potro 6 out of 10 Bombs ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

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Title: A Few Flaws Drop Rating After Move To New Locale

Key Words: El Potro, el, potro, colt, Mexican, Lawrence, Kansas, Iowa, taco, guacamole, enchilada, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Translation: "G2G" - Good To Go

El Potro (The Colt): Free Cheese Dip and More Scrummy Surprises

LAWRENCE, KANSAS

Lawrence, Kansas

EL POTRO
2351 W 31st St Lawrence, KS 66047‎

(785) 331-2500

Website

Cheese Quesadilla with Guacamole and Pico di Gallo

I found El Potro on Yelp and with such good reviews, we decided to give it a try ... AND ARE WE GLAD WE DID!

Sunday is our weekly DINNER OUT night and boy were we surprised when we pulled into the parking lot to find a sea of cars ... and a restaurant full of people. Sunday night dinner out in Lawrence is normally so quiet, you could be heard whispering three tables away. Not at El Potro! The restaurant used to be a fast food stop of some sort, so the atmosphere is as to be expected, nothing special and a little brighter (in lumen) than I would like.

We were quickly greeted and seated with the waiter dropping by to take drink orders and the busboy dropping off chips, salsa ... AND FREE WHITE CHEESE DIP? That is correct, free chili con queso blanco for everyone! Many Lawrence Mexican restaurants charge for chips and salsa, a practice unheard of in nearly six decades and hundreds of Mexican restaurants all over the United States, so free chips and cheese dip was a welcome sight. Not only do they give you free cheese dip, it is a decent size bowl, not a cup.

Cheese and Onion Enchilada ala Carte

My wife ordered orchata, a sweet rice-based drink from Mexico that tastes like rice pudding with hints of cinnamon. I decided to go with the 22 ounce margarita (frozen with salt) special, at $6 not a bad deal, but the same price as the menu option. Not much of a special, but it was quite delicious and with more alcohol than most Lawrence restaurants so far. As usual, I have a built-in designated driver in my tea-toting wife, so I was able to enjoy my drink without concern. We also decided to try the guacamole, a good predictor of quality Mexican food. At close to $6.00, it had better be good and it was. Not as good as mine or the best restaurant guac I have had, but plentiful and tasty with just a few chopped tomatoes on top to add color to the appetizer. It was a nice accompaniment to the cheese dip, chips, and salsa.

Deep-Fried Shredded Beef Tacos, Rice, & Boracho Beans

I decided to go with the usual first visit tacos and enchiladas, so I ordered the deep fried shredded beef tacos ($8.99 – you can also get ground beef or chicken) and a cheese and onion enchilada ala carte. The tacos were crispy, the beef was well seasoned, and there was plenty of lettuce and cheese in addition to the standard rice and beans. The shells were pliable enough to add some excess guacamole, pico di gallo (from my wife’s order – she hates tomatoes), and some salsa without falling apart when I bit in. I chose the borracho (“drunk” in Spanish) beans instead of the refried beans and it was a good choice. They were soupy and well seasoned, a nice change to the usual smashed, refried variety. Off to a good start! The enchilada, came on a separate plate, was quite big, and pleasing to the eye with a colorful accompaniment of sauce, cheese, lettuce and tomato. The enchilada sauce was spicy, but not overly so and the ratio of cheese to onion to sauce was perfect. I have had better tasting enchilada sauces over the years, but it was good nonetheless.

Beef Fajita Burrito with Rice and Pico do Gallo

Our friend had the beef fajita burrito which was not huge, but enough to fill her with the accompanying rice and beans. My wife ordered the cheese quesadilla which came with more guacamole and the pico di gallo mentioned earlier. Quesadillas are pretty boring to begin with and hers were no exception. Flour tortilla and melted cheese … YAAAAAAAAWN … need I say more.

El Potro was a pleasant experience because I thought I had found the only good Mexican restaurant in Lawrence in Tortas Jalisco. Now we have two options for our weekly MEXICAN NIGHT and El Potro is a welcome delight. Reasonable prices, excellent, service, quality food, decent drinks, and FREE CHEESE DIP, CHIPS, AND SALSA … HOOAH!

CombatCritic Gives El Potro 7 out of 10 Bombs … Bombs Are Good!

Key Words: El Potro, Mexican, restaurant, eat, food, taco, enchilada, burrito, chimichanga, rice, beans, cheese, pico di gallo, tortilla, chips, salsa, CombatCritic, Lawrence, Kansas