Colorado Springs (CO): As We Say On Yelp ... "Meh, I've Experienced Better"

Hacienda Colorado

5246 N Nevada Ave

Colorado Springs, CO 80918

Phone: (719) 418-7999

Website: haciendacolorado.com

Prices: $$$$$

Three steak tacos and a few black beans - $13

You would never know you were in a Mexican restaurant by the looks of the place. It looks more like a seafood restaurant or a steak house. Anyway, unlike most of my reviews, this will be short ...

Food ... average

Service ... adequate

Prices ... very high ... $10 for guacamole?

Value ... terrible

CombatCritic Gives Hacienda Colorado 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Portobello Burrito - $11.59 ... For A Burrito With No Meat?

Cheese and Onion Enchilada Ala Carte - $3.99 

Read This Review And Many More On Yelp ... CombatCritic Is An Elite '14/'15 Yelp Member

Title: As We Say On Yelp ... "Meh, I've Experienced Better"

Key Words: Hacienda Colorado, hacienda, Colorado, Colorado Springs, Nevada, Mexican, menu, food, restaurant, taco, enchilada, guacamole, chips, salsa, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Colorado Springs (CO): Carne Asada or Tuna Taco? That Is The Question!

Monica's Taco Shop

30 E Fillmore Street

Colorado Springs, CO 80907

Phone: (719) 473-1996

Prices: $$$$$

After reading the mostly rave reviews on Yelp, I had to try Monica's as it is just a couple blocks from the hospital where my mom is currently admitted.  Let me just say that I was not overly impressed.

Carne Asada Tacos - $2.15 Each

A cheese quesadilla, two carne asada tacos, chips and guacamole, and an horchata came to almost $15, not exactly cheap.  The quesadilla was nothing special, the tacos came on greasy tortillas that tasted like they were fried in dirty (fishy) oil, and the guacamole, and I use that term loosely, looked like the stuff from a tub that you get on nachos at Little League baseball games and was smothered all over the chips (fried in the same fishy grease) and topped with a little cheese. 

Chips and Guacamole? - $4.19

There was no need to deep fry a soft shell corn tortilla for a carne asada taco in the first place as they should have been lightly toasted on the grill prior to serving.  The contents, meat, cheese, and pico di gallo, were actually pretty good and plentiful, but I could barely stomach the greasy, fishy flavor of the fried tortillas. Non me gusto ... YUK!

I would like to think that it was just a bad night, but I honestly cannot say that I will return to find out.

CombatCritic Gives Monica's Taco Shop (Fillmore) 4 Bombs Out of 10 ... MORE BOMBS ARE BUENAS!

Title: Carne Asada or Tuna Taco? That Is The Question!

Key Words: Monica's Taco Shop, Monica's, Monica, taco, shop, Colorado Springs, Fillmore, chips, menu, enchilada, burrito, guacamole, eat, food, restaurant, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value

Absence Does Not Necessarily Make The Heart Grow Fonda

Amanda's Fonda
3625 W. Colorado Ave 
Colorado Springs, CO80904

http://www.amandasfonda.com

Facebook

@amandasfonda

An old haunt, I had to try it again after 6 years in the Midwest ... Tacos, enchiladas, you know the drill. 



The shredded beef tacos were OK, little meat or cheese, but what was there tasted good. The cheese and onion enchilada was decent, but the sauce was rather bland. The chips were decent, the salsa very good, but the guacamole was a bit pricey for the size so we steered away from an appetizer.



I remembered the food being better ... I guess absence does not necessarily make the heart grow fonder. Ever been back to your high school? Disappointing, small, but you still have fond memories.



CombatCritic Gives Amanda's Fonda 6 Out of 10 Bombs ... BOMBS ARE GOOD!



UPDATE: After my check-in, the manager contacted me and offered a gift card and an invitation to return and give Amanda's Fonda another try. I will return next time I am in Colorado Springs and will update my review based on that experience. "6 BOMBS" is not a "bad" review, but leaves room for some improvement ... SPERIAMO (let's hope so)!

Key Words: Amanda's Fonda, Amanda, fonda, Colorado Springs, Colorado, springs, 80904, Mexican, food, taco, enchilada, chips, salsa, guacamole, CombatCritic, combat, critic, TravelValue

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

Kansas City (MO): Sports Bar or Mexican Restaurant ... Maybe Both?

Jalisco Mexican Restaurant

Category: Mexican

7749 NW Prairie View Rd

Kansas City, MO 64152

(816) 587-0899

Jalisco is more like a sports bar than a Mexican restaurant with TVs everywhere you look.  The decor is new, plain, and cheap, but the colors are pleasant and, most important, the restaurant is clean!

The food is good in general, starting with the guacamole which is fresh and tasty at $4.00 for a medium size serving. The cheese dip, also $4.00 is also tasty and same size as the guacamole.  Margarites are also $4.00, not bad, but on the small side and with NOT MUCH PUNCH if you know what I mean

The first time I visited, shortly after their opening a few months back, I had the carnitas (slow cooked chunks of pork) and the was tender and plentiful.  Served with tortillas, pico di gallo, rice, and beans, a serving of guacamole would have been nice and is always a welcome accompaniment to the tender pork delights.

My wife had the cheese quesadilla, also very good although a bit pricey at $7.50 for a couple flour tortillas and some cheese.  I went for the taco special yesterday, having three beef tacos with rice and beans for $6.99.  I was disappointed in the taco shells, looking like the prefab variety you get at the supermarket.  The tacos only came with white cheese and lettuce, no tomato or pico di gallo, a necessity when eating tacos as far as I am concerned.  All three of the tacos broke in half upon first bite, so I had quite a mess on my hands ... literally!

The service is good, the salsa fresh, and tortilla chips warm.  Do not forget to ask for the "HOT" sauce, a tomatillo variety with more kick than the standard, but not extremely hot.

CombatCritic gives Jalisco 6 BOMBS out of 10 with room to grow as they mature and we try new, hopefully more impressive, dishes ... BOMBS ARE GOOD!

Title:  Sports Bar or Mexican Restaurant ... Maybe Both?

Key Words: chips, salsa, Kansas, City, combat, CombatCritic, critic, eat, enchilida, food, Jalisco, Kansas, Mexican, Northland, Platte, restaurant, salsa, taco, urbanspoon, Woods, Yelp