TravelValue: Restaurants Across The U.S.: Google

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Tuesday, October 16, 2018

San Fernando, CA: Shiver Me Timbers, This Chubasco Blew Me Away!

Chubasco Restaurant
11220 Laurel Canyon Blvd
San Fernando, CA 91340
Phone number (818) 361-7408
Prices: $$$$

What a great little place! With an unassuming store front in a small strip mall with far too little parking, Chubasco serves top-notch, authentic Mexican food at a very reasonable price.

"A chubasco is a violent squall with thunder and lightning, encountered during the rainy season along the Pacific coast of Mexico, Central America, and South America" (Wikipedia).

With a plane to catch at Bob Hope Burbank Airport just a few miles away in two hours, I needed something quick and tasty. I ordered two crispy shredded beef tacos ($2.25) and a cheese and onion enchilada ($3) à la carte as well as a side order of guacamole ($1.95). They brought me a complimentary basked of fresh, warm chips and some salsa (green or red) to eat with my guac.

The guacamole was the size of a $5 - $6 order at most places and seasoned perfectly and tacos were spot-on with hot, crispy shells, an abundance of shredded beef, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and grated queso fresco (fresh, white cheese). I added a little of the guacamole and some salsa, making these the perfect tacos, the tacos that I have been missing since moving to the Pacific Northwest.

The enchilada had plenty o' cheese and onion, the homemade red enchilada sauce was sublime, a perfect blend of chiles (not tomato) and spices, and it was topped with more cheese and broiled before serving.

All in all, for just $12.50 including tax, this was one of the best values, when it comes to meals, I have had in recent memory. The service was fast and friendly and the place clean although very basic, with just a few small tables and chairs.

CombatCritic Gives Chubasco Restaurant 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Camas, WA: No Horsing Around, This Place Is A Definite Neigh ... I Mean Nay

Los Potrillos Mexican Restaurant

1735 SE 192nd Avenue, Suite 101

Camas, WA 98607

Phone number (360) 838-2431

Website: lospotrillosweb.com

Prices: $$$$

I do not know what happened since 2014 when Los Potrillos was selected "Best of Vancouver" (award in the entry), but if this is the best Mexican food in Vancouver, the bar must not be set very high. It was not the worse Mexican food I have eaten and there are more shoddy Mexican restaurants in southeast Clark County (there are two in Washougal), but this place is the poorest "value" by far.

Prices are very high by Mexican restaurant standards with combo plates running $13 to $15 and meat dishes (carne asada, carnitas, etc.) in the $17 to $19 range. One of the few positive things I can say is that the service here was very good. Everyone I came in contact with was friendly and efficient.

Only the margaritas have prices listed on the menu with all of the other mixed drinks, beers and wine displaying no prices. I do not know about you, but I am not going to ask how much a drink is and I refuse to order one not knowing how much it costs, so I normally bypass the alcohol at places like this. Because the margarita prices were listed, I decided to try a medium ($6.50), blended with salt. It was a decent size and not bad with a slight kick, probably being the best value on the menu.

My very small side of guacamole was $4.99 ("Market Price" - price not listed on the menu), the consistency was odd (probably cut with a cheap filler of some kind, probably mayo), and the flavor bland. $2.99 would have been a more realistic price based on the fact that it was probably made with less than one small avocado ($1 retail). The chips were most likely out of a bag, stale, and room temp - YUK - the salsa was oddly sweet and they were accompanied by a plate of cabbage with a couple of slices of jalapeño on top.

I ordered a large combo ($13.95 plus 75¢ for shredded beef on my taco - $14.70 total) with a chile relleno, cheese and onion enchilada, and shredded beef taco. The taco, like most places in the Portland metro area, came on a pre-fab shell (a large one nonetheless) with too much lettuce and not enough cheese - WEAK. I could not tell the relleno and enchilada apart by appearance and the flavors were nearly identical except for the green chile in the middle one. Both were somewhat flavorless.

For someone who loves good Mexican food - me - Mexican restaurants in the Portland and Vancouver metro areas have been a massive disappointment. There is a decent taqueria near our house and I found some pretty good Mexican places in Gresham, Tigard, and Tualatin, but, otherwise, there is a dearth of good Mexican food in the area. Unfortunately, this gringo can make better Mexican food than the supposed experts, so I will likely continue to eat at home, especially with inflated prices like those at Los Potrillos. It should be no surprise that the place was mostly empty at 7PM, having paid $34, including tip, for a dinner for one.

CombatCritic Gives Los Potrillos 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Three Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Boise (Meridian), ID: : Big Place, Excellent Service, Good Value, So-So Execution

Louie’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant

2500 E. Fairview Avenue

Meridian, ID 83642

Phone number: (208) 884-5200

Website: louiespizza.com

Prices: $$$$

A cavernous room with Italian street motif and a fountain in the middle, the ambiance was decent enough. My server, Journey, was friendly, professional and very efficient. Their house wine was not bad and a good value at $4.75 per glass.

The prices are fair enough with the Veal Parmesan and a side of pasta coming in at $17.99, including soup or salad and garlic bread (which was not obvious from reading the menu). I asked for and got Bolognese (meat) sauce on my penne, but the pasta was not drained well and made the adjacent veal quite soggy. The veal was a bit too thick and chewy, so it could have used a good pounding before being breaded to make it more tender and appear larger. The sauce was OK, but would have probably been better had it not been watered down by the poorly drained pasta.