Portland, OR: Cold Food, Apathetic Attitude ... Cha! Cha! Cha!

Cha! Cha! Cha!
5225 N. Lombard Street
Portland, OR 97203
North Portland, Portsmouth
Phone number: (503) 802-2262
Website: chachachapdx.com
Prices: $$$$

Now I understand why this place rates just three stars. The food was good, but lukewarm and the staff obviously were more concerned about closing and cleaning up than customers.

I ordered the guacamole and chips ($4.95), a decent (not huge) size of mediocre guac and chips that seemed to be made in house. It is obvious when guacamole is cut with something (Imo, sour cream, tomatoes, etc.) to increase profit and this was, although not bad. Their house salsa was the highlight of the meal, containing all of the ingredients of pico de gallo (tomato, white onion, jalapeño or serrano chile, cilantro, and lime juice) roasted, then blended into a thick, creamy dipping sauce that was absolutely wonderful.

Then came dinner, quickly. When the entrees arrive so quickly, you know they are closing and want to pump out orders as fast as they can so they can clean (which I observed) or the stuff is all prepped and thrown together once ordered. My pet peeve, the server brought my entree before I was less than halfway through my appetizer ... HELLO, CHIPS, SALSA, AND GUACAMOLE ... please let me enjoy them before you bring my food.

In this case, it did not matter because the food was lukewarm, at best, when it arrived. I ordered two tacos ala carte ($3.50 each - one carne asada and one with "mama's braised beef") and a cheese and onion enchilada ($3.75 - with rojo - red - sauce). The enchilada was not cold, but almost, and the cheese inside had barely been melted. The flavor was actually quite good, but would have been much better properly warmed.

It was obvious that clean-up and closing were more important than customers because the cleaning started well before closing time and they turned away a couple that arrived a few minutes after 9pm (closing).

CombatCritic Gives Cha! Cha! Cha! 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Cha! Cha! Cha! on Yelp

Title: Portland, OR: Cold Food, Apathetic Attitude ... Cha! Cha! Cha!

Key Words: Cha! Cha! Cha!, cha, Mexican, Portland, Oregon, taco, enchilada, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, product, service, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: BOHICA = "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

Lawrence, KS: UPDATE - El Mezcal Open Again ... Same Location, Similar Menu, Upscale Decor, But No Margarita Specials

El Mezcal

1819 W. 23rd Street
Lawrence, KS 66046
Phone number: (785) 832-8775
Website: elmezcal.com
Prices: $$$$

Old information and reviews do not apply to "new and improved(?)" El Mezcal. There is a new menu and no great margarita specials like they had before they closed ... "We're still deciding" I was told ... Well, I am still deciding whether or not I want to come back! We used to eat at El Mezcal 3-4 times a month, now we eat there 1-2 times max.

Deep fried tacos (3 - $9.99) with shredded beef new on the menu, are a welcome addition, although they are much smaller and skimpier on meat than Mi Ranchito down the street. Unlike Mi Ranchito's deep fried tacos, El Mezcal's fall apart by the time you get to taco #2 and #3 and I do not like having to eat my tacos with a knife and fork. Otherwise, the food is pretty much the same and the decor more upscale after the infamous Italian/Mexican fiasco and expensive building renovation.

Cheese Quesadillas ala Carte

Taco "Plater" (Platter)

Cheese and Onion Enchiladas ala Carte

KU students cannot afford $7+ margaritas, so they should add some margarita specials soon or we and many others will be eating at Mi Ranchito where the food is better. If El Mezcal is trying to make up losses for the expensive renovation, they are going about it the wrong way. I have heard from many friends that the lack of reasonably priced margaritas (like before) is one thing keeping them away and I am sure that is the case with KU students. Cheap, strong margaritas was one of the few things that made the "old" El Mezcal stand out from the other mediocre Mexican restaurants in Lawrence, so they are losing customers and revenue by trying to recuperate losses by charging more for drinks. They could also offer daily specials like $1 tacos (e.g. El Potro) on Monday night ... their place is packed, El Mezcal is not.

CombatCritic Gives The "New And Improved" El Mezcal 4 Bombs Out Of 10 With A 2 Bomb Deduction For Overpriced Margaritas ... More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Read Chris S.'s review of El Mezcal on Yelp

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Lawrence, KS: UPDATE - El Mezcal Open Again ... Same Location, Similar Menu, Upscale Decor, But No Margarita Specials

Translation for Civilians: BOHICA = "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

Key Words: 66044, burrito, CombatCritic, eat, El Mezcal, el, enchilada, food, guacamole, Kansas, Lawrence, margarita, Mexican, mezcal, restaurant, taco, travel, TravelValue, value

Lawrence, KS: Tres Mexicanos Is Muy Bueno Amigos

Tres Mexicanos

1800 East 23rd Street
Lawrence, KS 66046
Phone number: (785) 830-8415
Prices: $$$$

We tried Tres Mexicanos shortly after moving to Lawrence and were not overly impressed. Because they are so close to our house, in a stirp mall on East 23rd Street, we decided to give them another try recently and I am glad we did.

Even though the service was spotty, the food was pretty darn good and the prices fair. They have Amercanized tacos with pre-fab shells, fried tacos (more traditional), and traditional, authentic soft tacos on corn tortillas with just meat, cilantro and onion as they should have. The tacos, except the pre-fab variety, are very good and their cheese and onion enchiladas tasty. Their guacamole is one of the best in town and one of the best values as well.

The atmosphere leaves a lot to be desired, but the food is good, the margaritas well done and strong, the service OK, and the prices very fair, so we will be returning again soon.

CombatCritic Gives Tres Mexicanos 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

"Good To Go"

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Lawrence, KS: Tres Mexicanos Is Muy Bueno Amigos

Key Words: Tres Mexicanos, tres, Mexicanos, Mexico, Mexican, taco, enchilada, Lawrence, Kansas, 23rd, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, service, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: G2G = "Good To Go"

Read Chris S.'s review of Tres Mexicanos on Yelp

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"

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

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

WTFO! - Muy Bueno ... OLÉ!

El Pueblito

1705 Forest Hills Boulevard
Bella Vista, AR 72715
Phone: (479) 855-2324

Website: El-Pueblito's Facebook Page

Prices: $$$$

A medium size place with booths and tables, El Pueblito was busy on a Friday night but they managed to make room for our party of 16 when we decided to change restaurants last minute while on a golf outing in Bella Vista.

The chips were nothing special, but the salsa was good, particularly the hot sauce which is, like at most Mexican restaurants, available upon request. I ordered a small guacamole ($1.99) which was as big as a $4-$5 order at many other restaurants. It was not the best I have had, but was good and a very good value.

They had 99 cent drafts and $4.99 16 ounce margaritas on special, so I went with the margarita, one on the rocks and one blended, both with the requisite salt. They were both good, but I preferred the blended variety.

For dinner, I chose the ala carte carne asada tacos ($1.99 each) and cheese and onion enchiladas (also $1.99 each). The tacos came wrapped individually in aluminum foil and the warm corn tortillas were filled with small strips of the marinated beef. Adding some of the guacamole I had ordered and  salsa, the only thing missing was some pico de gallo. The enchilada sauce was obviously homemade and delicious, the best I have had in recent memory, and there was plenty of cheese and onions. Both the tacos and enchiladas were an excellent value being $1-$2 less than ala carte items at many of the places I frequent in Kansas.

They even had a mariachi band that night, not the best I have heard, but a nice touch which added to the ambience of the experience. The food was very good although I did see a hard shell taco which looked like the pre-fab shells so many poor restaurants serve, but the food I had was excellent. After eating mediocre Mexican food in Lawrence for two years, El Pueblito was a breath of fresh air on our trip to northwestern Arkansas.

CombatCritic Gives El Pueblito 8 Out Of 10 Bombs For Good Food At Very Reasonable Prices ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 
El Pueblito
Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)
Zomato - "Super Foodie"

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Muy Bueno ... OLÉ!

Key Words: El Pueblito, el, pueblito, Mexican, taco, Bella Vista, Arkansas, AR, margarita, enchilada, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Translation: "WTFO!" - What The F#&@ - Over!

Lawrence (KS): One Of The Best (Not Tex-Mex) Mexican Restaurants in Lawrence ... Not Much To Brag About!

Mi Ranchito

707 W. 23rd Street

Lawrence, Kansas 66046

Phone: (785) 727-2005

www.miranchitokc.com

Hours:
Sunday-Thurs 11am-10pm
Fri & Sat 11am-11pm

Prices: $$$$$

The Infamous "Bar" ... My Home Away From Home

To be the BEST MEXICAN FOOD IN LAWRENCE the bar must not be set very high as I have yet to have a Mexican meal as good as the worst I have eaten in Texas, where I was a resident for 20 years, and not a single one comes close to resembling Tex-Mex. On that note, let me add my two cents ...

The place was nearly full on a Sunday night, a rarity in Lawrence, particularly among Mexican restaurants, and normally a good sign. We were steered into the bar for some reason, asked if we wanted to sit at a "high-top" even though there were booths available in the bar and tables available in the restaurant. Maybe I look like a lush, but I think it was primarily because there was nobody in the bar and the bartender needed something to do. The lush that I am, I ordered the margarita special ($7.99), described as containing "El Jimador" tequila and not bad although the "20 ounces" were more like 13, coming in the standard "cheater" glass that looks big on the outside ... well, you know what I mean. The house "grande" margarita ($6.25) was a better value, coming in the "20 ounce" glass but like its El Jimador cousin, a bit weak in terms of alcohol content.

The chips and salsa arrived rather quickly, the chips being far too thin and very likely out of a bag along with a red salsa and an odd looking yellowish-green sauce. The salsa was not bad with obvious hints of fresh cilantro. The other, described by one reviewer as a "lemon avocado" sauce, was strange, unlike anything I have ever had in a Mexican restaurant, but again not bad. The chips are so thin that they cannot be dipped in the salsa, which is not very thick to begin with, without breaking apart, leaving the basket more than half full of pieces of chips too small to eat.

Guacamole and Espinaca "Dips"

We decided on the Espinaca Cheese Dip ($5.99), a blend of hot cheese, white onions, tomatoes and spinach, and the guacamole ($6.99). The guacamole was described as "fresh and buttery avocados, cilantro, jalapeños, onions, lime juice and special spices" on the menu, but I found no evidence of either cilantro or jalapeño (or butter for that matter). I thought the price was a quite steep compared to other places in town, but the serving was large and the guacamole pretty good, not nearly as good as mine however. You can get a half and side order ($1.99) of guacamole which are not on the menu and I was told that the half order was $3.99, reasonable considering the price of the full order, but when the bill came I was charged $5.25, the equivalent of $10.50 for a full order. When I complained about the higher price, management quickly apologized and charged me the quoted $3.99 price, but insisted that $5.25 was the correct price. He told me hat he would "take it up with the company" (remember, this is a chain) to see about implementing a reasonable price.

The "espinaca" (spinach) cheese dip had too little spinach, much less name the dish after it, to mention and seemed to be more like your average chili con queso minus the chili, but it was big and decent. Again, my primary complaint being that the chips were too thin to withstand either "dip", falling apart when submerged in either and resulting in a basket full of crumbles with very few whole chips.

$7.99 ... Really?

Like most Italians my wife dislikes spicy food, especially Mexican (one of my favorites), ordering her standard "cheese quesadilla" ... boring! At $7.99, I have to say that this was one of the most pitiful quesadillas I have ever seen and a terrible value. Charging $8 for a (small) flour tortilla, a couple ounces of cheese, a spoonful of sour cream and even less guacamole, and a thimbleful of pico de gallo (which was noticeably missing from the plate even though it is on the menu) should be a crime, highway robbery, but it's not, so there you go.

As always, on my first visit to a Mexican restaurant, I ordered tacos and enchiladas to see if they could get even the simplest of recipes right, in this case el numero nueve, the #9 combo, with a burrito, taco, and enchilada, "machaca" (shredded beef) all. I have to say that the taco was the best I have had in recent years, having lived in the Midwest since 2008, being large, stuffed with plenty of machaca, deep fried, then topped with lettuce, cheese, and even some diced tomatoes. It would have been nearly perfect if the taco had a couple of thin slices of avocado on it, but we had plenty of guacamole leftover so it was not an issue, although a very good idea. The enchilada and burrito were both equally stuffed with shredded beef, but uninspiring with little to no cheese and smothered seemingly in the same red (enchilada?) sauce. The rice and beans were minimal, sprinkled with kernels of corn oddly enough and two deep-fried masa de maiz (corn meal dough) balls, another novelty ... could it be Tex-Mex ... not! The masa balls are excessively sweet and do not compliment the meals, so I would reduce the sugar or 86 them altogether. Beside the masa balls, everything was "OK", but the taco was the star of the show and likely a staple if we return.

Cheese and Onion Enchilada ala carte ($3.19)

You can order ala carte although you would not know it from looking at the menu. I asked if I could order a cheese and onion enchilada ala carte and was told it would cost $3.19 plus tax, not unreasonable, so I decided to try one. The sauce was decent, but missing the distinct chili zing of a traditional enchilada sauce and the chili con carne you would find in authentic Tex-Mex cuisine. The cheese inside was plentiful, but a bit too runny, making it a little difficult to eat and there was not an onion in sight (or bite for that matter). Overall, it was not the best enchilada I have eaten and not the worst, but it was definitely NOT a cheese and ONION enchilada.

Service is very good and management is very responsive to customer concerns, all bending over backward to make things right and a breath of fresh air in an industry suffering from apathetic servers and managers. The prices were comparably a bit steep, except for the combinations oddly enough, the service good, and the food decent, maybe even one of the BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANTS IN LAWRENCE, but that is nothing to brag about!

CombatCritic Gives Mi Ranchito (Lawrence) 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... VERY AVERAGE ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic, Including Mi Ranchito, On Yelp And TripAdvisor Along With Many Other Reviews And Much, Much More!

Title: One Of The Best (Not Tex-Mex) Mexican Restaurants in Lawrence ... Not Much To Brag About!

Key Words: Mi Ranchito, mi, ranchito, Mexican, restaurant, food, taco, enchilada, burrito, guacamole, Lawrence, Kansas, 23rd, menu, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value