Why is local Mexican food so bland? I think of Mama's Mexican Kitchen (http://www.mamas.com/) in Seattle, and how I loved going there, as it was consistently interesting food. The huge Elvis posters added to the funkiness of the atmosphere, and I could count on some zest in both food and ambience. At On the Border in Allentown Monday night with Sis and Mom, I was disappointed. (Lest you think there are no local restaurants I'm enthused about, see my blog on Louie's.)
First -- the chips -- they were oily and chewy in the center, crisp only on the outside (though the salsa had plenty of zip). Then, the taco melts were served in a way that you put them together yourself (again - where were the plates?). The self-servings would've been OK if we'd been given a spoon, but the watery cheese surrounding the chicken (what was it - Cheez Whiz???) slithered through the fork tines, thus unmanageable, and also completely bland. We all had pulled chicken tacos (Mom and Sis hard corn shells, me flour tortillas), and all were a mess to eat. I couldn't tell if Mom's sound effects (grunts and moans) were from pain or pleasure, though she did finally say it was good. There was no seasoning at all, except on the rice (which Sis didn't like) and refried beans (which Mom didn't like). These were OK in my book, but I could have done without the overcooked corn in the rice, and it's pretty tough to mess up refried beans. . .
I looked around, and everyone was busy chewing, but no one looked happy. Where was the fiesta atmosphere? I'm sure the other patrons left as full as we did, but when I think of Mexican food, I think of spice -- chilis, peppers, right? -- and smiles and sparks. Oh, Mama's!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment