Tag Archives: guacamole

Aug14

Mexicali: 7303 52nd Pl E Bradenton, FL

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mexicali chips:salsamexicali my meal not deep fried chimi seafood

 

On the recommendation of a friend, Gabriel and I decided to stray from our go-to Mexican place, Mi Pueblo, to try something new.

We were happy to see that chips and salsa were complimentary since Gabriel has been known, historically, to walk out of a few Mexican restaurants where they charge extra for this staple.

We told the waiter that we are pescetarian (and then explained what that means) and asked him for suggestions. It turned out there were quite a few good choices for us on the menu- and most under $12. Sounds good to me!

I ordered the seafood Chimichanga (stuffed with shrimp, lobster, crab meat, portabella mushrooms and mixed cheese.  Wrapped in a Garlic Herb Tortilla with Cilantro Sherry Cream Sauce, salsa and guacamole)  but asked that it not be deep fried as the menu described it. He said that was no problem and told us both we had 2 options for the beans, but then corrected himself and said only one was vegetarian and that he would make sure that’s what we’d both get.

The food came out quickly and looked awesome. We each started with a taste of the beans which were a little on the salty side, but pretty tasty anyway. Gabriel offered a taste of his beans to me- and I said, we got the same ones, didn’t we? I then noticed that his looked totally different and called it to the attention of the waiter. He immediately looked embarrassed and said they looked different because apparently someone in the kitchen didn’t get his message that we both wanted the vegetarian option. Gee thanks…Gabriel was pretty pissed that he’d just had a bite of beans cooked with pork. The waiter apologized- sort of, but really just blamed the kitchen staff instead of taking responsibility for it.

Other than that, the meal was really quite good. My chimichanga had tons of flavor from all of the different types of seafood and big pieces of portabellas. The rice was not cold or overcooked (one of the only things I don’t like about Mi Pueblo) and the salsa and sauce that I asked for on the side was fresh, full of fresh, pureed cilantro (which I LOVE) and very flavorful.

Overall, I thought this was a great lunch with plenty of options for us non-meat-eaters and I will definitely be happy to go back.

 

 

 

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Jan6

Guerrero’s Bakery & Restaurant: 3557 Webber St Sarasota, FL

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guerreros 1 guerreros 2 guerreros 3 guerreros 4 guerreros 5 guerreros 6 guerreros 7

 

As I get older I’ve been gravitating toward stronger tastes, spicier spices and more flavorful seasonings. When the doctor I work for told me that this was his favorite Mexican restaurant in Sarasota, I took him VERY seriously being that he grew up in Mexico. There are so many Americanized ‘Mexican’ restaurants in this area that are more about tex-mex than authentic food, and though I have been a big fan of Mi Pueblo (https://bigforkinmouth.com/2012/06/13/mi-pueblo-university-walk-plaza-8405-tuttle-ave-sarasota-fl/) up until this point, I definitely have a new top pick.

Guerrero‘s has a totally no frills atmosphere. It does not have the awesome decor or waitstaff in costumes that Mi Pueblo or Two Senoritas has, but the food is awesome, and I’ll take that over looks any day. We sat right away and the waitress brought over warm, fresh, super crunchy chips and a bowl of very spicy salsa. Yum. These are already so different than most Mexican restaurants around that we knew right away we were in for some great food.

We decided to share shrimp fajitas and steak fajitas which came with rice, beans, sour cream, lettuce, and tomatoes with fresh cilantro (YUM). The menu said that it came with guacamole too, but the green sauce we were served was quite avocado-less. The waitress explained that it was what they call guacamole when we asked about it, but there was a language barrier that prevented us from finding out what it really was. There was also no cheese served with these fajitas- but It really didn’t need it.

The peppers and onions were caramelized slightly and served with the shrimp and steak in a sizzling pan. They were all quite good- but the standout were the REAL tortillas. What a difference to have those over the store bought ones. They were so full of flavor and texture- even though they did keep falling apart wrapped around our fillings. I guess we probably overstuffed them but we really couldn’t resist. The only criticism I had was that the rice and beans were room temperature (and that’s being generous) , not hot. I’m sure we could have sent them back, but we had enough other food that we really didn’t care that much.

Even though we were quite full at this point, we couldn’t help browsing the bakery filled with homemade Mexican breads and pastries. We each chose one to bring home and polished them off by the next morning. There is no question that we will be returning soon. We live close by and the prices are extremely reasonable- less than $10 for an entree? Wow. Awesome find. Thanks for the suggestion Dr. G!

Mar5

El Cantinero: 86 University Place. New York, NY

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Gabriel had been telling me about El Cantinero for a while because he thinks it’s great Mexican food, reasonably priced, and (most importantly for him) they don’t charge extra for chips and salsa. When we got there, we were initially told they wouldn’t seat us until all 4 of us arrived, but just a few minutes later the host changed his mind and led us to a great table towards the back. We’d specifically asked for a quiet-ish spot and he gave us a large, round table that was kind of tucked away. Perfect.

Chips and salsa were brought out right away and drink orders were taken. Our friends arrived just a few minutes later and the waiter came back to take their drink orders and to bring us water and menus. So far so good. At that point I asked for an order of guacamole for the table. (request #1)

He came back about 5 minutes later to take our orders and check to see how our drinks were. So far, so good. I asked if the guac was coming out and he said it was on it’s way. (request #2)

Our meals were brought over and everything looked great (except for Gabriel’s order which didn’t include the stuffed pepper he’d ordered, but ok- he was hungry and happy with what came instead).

I found it odd that our entrees arrived and our app still hadn’t so I made that known by asking the waiter about our guac. (request #3) He apologized and asked if we still wanted it.

We ate about 3/4 of our entrees. The guac came out! Hooray! It was quite good even though we were already filling up and slowing down. Better late than never. Kind of. I was not impressed with the service at all. The waiter hardly checked on us at all and the timing of the guac’s arrival was really pretty pathetic. Maybe they had to go harvest the avocados. My chicken mole was good- though not the best I’ve had. Overall, the meal was so-so. My frozen strawberry margarita was delish though!

When our bill came, I honestly thought there was a mistake. 4 of us, one app, a few drinks and 4 entrees came out to well over $120. For pretty typical Mexican food I thought that was really too high but oh well, at least we had plenty of time to catch up with great friends!

Would I go back again? Um, no. Doubtful. Right near me is my fav Mexican, Maz Mexcal.

https://bigforkinmouth.wordpress.com/?s=mezcal

Next time I have a Mexican craving, that’s most likely where I will go.