Tale of Two Visits

I am a huge fan of Dakota Harvest Bakery, a local business located downtown on 3^rd street. My consistency in patronage had picked up over the last year, since my love for carbs had been passed on to the younger food lovers in my home.  It started out with picking up a loaf of fresh bread, onto desserts, and now it has become almost a Friday late morning ritual to cruising down to the bakery for a great lunch.  Any visitor can rely on there will be other patrons at the Dakota Harvest Bakery. And if it’s lunch, a person may want to go prior to noon, otherwise expect to struggle to find a place to sit.

One particular Friday my little partner in crime and I decided to head over to DHB for lunch. To my thrill, their special of the week was Mediterranean Tuna Sandwich.  I am absolutely delighted when some sort of Tuna concoction is created at an eating establishment that consists of more than mayonnaise. Not long ago I would visit Amazing Grains on a bi-weekly basis for their Tuna Niçoise Salad, which hasn’t been on the menu for quite some time unfortunately. So yes, again, I was excited about the menu choice and didn’t have to second guess my lunch selection.

So then it was onto the task of ordering at DHB. Which I have to say can be quite a challenge from time to time.  Sometimes a customer has to almost chase down someone behind the counter for whatever reason, which over time I’ve noticed that it wasn’t an issue only I had. This time I did flag my arm until someone seen that my little guest and I were here and ready to place our order. Once we placed our order and paid, it was onto the daunting task of finding a table to sit at that has been cleaned.  I do certainly enjoy DHB, the atmosphere is great, a person is not rushed at the establishment to eat and run. If you’d like to sit there all day sip coffee, nibble on scones, and read a book or surf the internet, you can certainly do that. I definitely don’t have an issue with bussing my own table either. Though with cleaning up after ourselves there is the misfortune which ends in a result of many dirty tables of crumbs and spills.

This particular day I remember very clearly that the several tables that were open all very dirty. So I eventually did have to settle on a dirty table and gone to the employees to ask for a clean wash rag to clean my own table. (They then did clean the table; unfortunately they didn’t clean the other tables) The lack of an employee’s effort in society in general has been a hot topic it seems, and as I sat down to eat my meal, I did once again ponder this issue of effort. With the floors that had appeared abandoned by a mop or broom for a few days and my current experience with getting a clean table, I had then started to observe what was going on in rest of the facility. It was quiet in DHB, a couple tables with people sitting and chatting, reading newspapers, or just enjoying some delicious food, so my gaze then focused on the staff… they were standing behind the counter talking.  I am one for downtime, and I would certainly want my employees to get along, have friendships possibly, etcetera, however while punched in, the duties should be priority. (So that a patron can get a clean table or quick service)

The untidiness of the facility was certainly not going to interfere with the feast I had in front of me.  While Ginger tea doesn’t necessarily compliment a Mediterranean Tuna Sandwich, I recall enjoying the tea.  The Mediterranean Tuna Sandwich in front of me looked absolutely delicious. The Tuna sat on a Whole Wheat Oatmeal bun, which was delicious, but a little on the heavy side for myself that one healthy day, so I took the bun off, to save it as a side dish. My partner in crime had ordered a salad. (Yes who orders salad at DHB? My little partner does, she begs every time) I grabbed a few leaves of the salad and put it with the tuna salad.

The Mediterranean Tuna was pure heaven. The salad consisted of flaked tuna, Kalamata olives, capers, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and artichoke hearts drizzled with lemon juice.  All the ingredients didn’t over power one flavor to another, it was quite harmonious. DHB certainly nailed this on the head. I tried pacing myself in enjoyment. The quantity of the salad and the bread was once again more than enough to take home, so I packaged it up for dinner. It didn’t make it to dinner.  I was very happy with this sandwich so of course I quickly hopped onto Facebook to recommend it, as it was the last day of this featured sandwich. I enjoy that the menu is always fresh and continually changing, but there are some items, you wish are a consistent menu item, and this is one of them.

A few weeks passed by, and a party of four strolled on over to Dakota Harvest Bakery.  Walked in, and refreshingly I quickly noticed floors had been cleaned and the tables were sparkling clean. That has been certainly a wonderful change after the consistently unclean tables. Kudos for the staff on this particular day for being ready for patrons to come in to DHB by having the establishment presentable as the owners and patrons deserve to have it. We were greeted by a fresh face at the counter. Could this be the reason for the cleanliness? Whatever the reason, we hope it stays.

This particular day I wasn’t feeling like having neither a sandwich nor a salad, but I believe that was because as we entered the Dakota Harvest Bakery, there on their announcement board, was “Knoephla Soup” featured. While my family isn’t of any Scandinavian background, this was a soup that my mother mastered and on a long winter day, this was a go to soup.  I never mastered the art nor inherited a recipe from anyone, so I am happy when this is a soup du jour.

Our party of four had four completely food choices, Mandarin Chicken Salad, an Almost Philly Sandwich, a cookie, and my Knoephla soup. Of course I thought, great, I get a lot to talk about today. Unfortunately the cookie and sandwich were devoured before I can even ask for a nibble. The salad was good, but I certainly prefer their Chef Salads. Now to the Knoephla Soup, I did notice it was rather bland in color, which I suppose you’d expect from a chicken dumpling soup.  Normally I’m accustomed to seeing bits of carrots and celery, which I didn’t get in this particular serving. The soup was mediocre, served hot as it should be.  The misfortune was that it was pure dumplings. I do have to wonder though if this was just a fluke in my dish. I don’t see how someone would make a chicken broth based soup and just toss in dumplings and think it’d be a hit. So I’m certain that perhaps the server didn’t stir up the soup and just grazed the top, and that is how this person only received broth and dumplings. On that note, the dumplings were yummy. Not chewy, undercooked nor overcooked.   I didn’t have to be disappointed on this visit though, I truly was impressed with service this time, and luckily the youngest partner in crime also ordered a Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosted cupcake that was delicious! (She shared unlike the gentlemen that devoured their cookie and their Philly Sandwich)

So with that Dakota Harvest Bakery, a person is always in for a new experience each time they visit this local establishment. If you get a chance, stop in sometime, something is always new on the menu, but they have some consistent favorites, like the North Woods Porridge. The bread is always delicious; a good treat to take home to serve with dinner, and also treat one’s self to perhaps one of the unique cupcakes, cheesecakes, but my youngest partner in crime will recommend the caramel roll.

The Name Says It All

Lunch time quickly came today. Famished, we scoured for the nearest restaurant. I notice a woman walking by with five Rhombus Guys pizza boxes, balancing them as she gets into the car. I pondered grabbing them and running. (No I didn’t… I don’t run fast.)  The Rhombus Guys was literally steps away., so I opted to go there myself. The Rhombus Guys is another newer restaurant in the Greater Grand Forks area, and business is booming. In the evening, if you haven’t walked in at the right time, be prepared to wait. And often times it is certainly worth it.

Business was busy as usual at the Rhombus Guys. Even at Lunch people come in and there will be a wait to be seated. A heads up for anyone with 5 or more guests, call ahead please. I often feel bad when I see large crowds walking in expecting to be immediately seated when this establishment clearly is cozy, the main floor filled with the bar and booths. And normally, the upper level, there seems to be some sort of private function.  The place actually oddly reminds me of Cheers. People walk in, and everyone seems to know your name (or at least your face).

Today we opted for the Arron’s Little Miracle, which we had yet to try. Our server Chad was certainly friendly, as usual. He amazes me, regardless how busy times can be, he stays calm, cool, collected, and manages to get orders to each table, exactly as ordered. He is very attentive. Our youngest guest at the table had ordered a side salad. When the side salad arrived, we were taken aback by the presentation. A side salad is ordinarily lettuce, a few tomato slices, maybe some onion and croutons, all depending on the restaurant. This wasn’t your ordinary side salad. In fact, I could have ordered this and be satisfied for lunch. The salad was garnished with fresh mixed greens, sliced mushrooms, black olives, tomatoes, red onions, large croutons and parmesan cheese.  It in itself was quite a feast.

Not long after the salad graced us with its presence, the pizza arrived. When it was decided that a medium was to be ordered, I was worried that this was too much pizza. Then, when I took the first bite, I knew that was the right decision, the name says it all.  The pizza was absolutely delicious. The crust itself is light, but filling. Pizza crust that has a light dusting of flour just seems to hit the spot. The marinara was balanced just right with its spices, not too sweet but not overpowering of the other flavors. This pizza consists of pepperoni, bacon, onions and green peppers also, covered by mozzarella. I was a little concerned that it would come to us as greasy. Clearly the business does not use cheap ingredients, as the pizza didn’t come out at all greasy. It was not a GERD sufferer’s worst nightmare. The pizza had been cooked to perfection, just the right amount of crisp to it. The vegetables held its fresh flavor thanks to the right cut.  The simple ingredients worked out wonderfully. We saved the rest of the pizza to take home to savor in the evening.

Between work and giving up our table for other customers, our experience ended there.  While we would have enjoyed a leisurely lunch, we knew we had more pizza to come home with us!  Unfortunately, the pizza didn’t last until the evening… it lasted until snack time. Until we meet again Rhombus Guys; parting is such sweet sorrow!

Chad Gets an A for Service with a Smile. And that awesome raspy voice…

And an A+ for the pizza, and an A++ for the salad!

My first hate mail

My blog is fairly new and fairly unknown. However I did receive my first email, which indicates I’ve possibly hurt a servers feelings and also doing my job as a CRITIC. Or perhaps this blog has already fallen into the hands of restaurant owners or managers. I have been a waitress and also assistant cook, I’ve done the work. I know and understand the chaos of working in the food service industry. Working in this field is not an easy task, long hours on your feet, having to learn how to deal with the unexpected, learning to deal with people. Without people, regardless of who they are and their personalities, businesses won’t succeed without loyal, happy and satisfied customers.

Once upon a time, we in the food industry would take pride in our work. We wanted to be sure the customer was happy and satisfied. Suddenly people have decided to do away with the concept of  excellent customer service, not just in the food industry.  We often wonder why chains are so successful, regardless of what business category they fall in.  The success may have to do with a niche they have found that works, which I can guarantee involves spectacular customer service.

I’m far from the only person that is upset by the service and quality that they receive. Our hard earned dollars have value for us, and if a business would like those dollars, then have value in we the customers. In fact, many places have been recommended to visit and be reviewed.
Returning to the hate mail, I expected negative responses from the beginning of this blog… which honestly once deterred me from doing starting this blog.  However I stand behind what I write. Yes, my perspective will change when repeat visits happen. The person who insulted me, stating I’m a bitter person… this is not helpful at all about what I’m writing. Perhaps suggest how I can improve the food writing, what direction should I take with this blog, how I critique the service rather than assume I am a bitter person.

Unfortunately this writer doesn’t know me at all to assume that I am bitter. I expect only the best for the hard earned dollars we’ve chosen to spend at local establishments to ensure that they succeed. Not long ago, during a job training, my trainer told me, I don’t expect anything but the best, and neither should you.  They’re exactly right. I want LOCAL businesses to succeed, however if people are not being flat out honest, then how will they know. Further more, if one wants to judge my overall food blog, and my character, read the rest of the blog! You’ll see there are some positive things. In regards to my recent blog, you’ll notice I complimented the Hostess.

If we’re going to be judging character, I’m sure many things can be said about the person who’s anonymously directly insults an individual.

I’ll repeat, I want local businesses to succeed. We don’t improve with only hearing songs and praises. We need to be aware of our faults also, so that we can be the best that we can be. So thank you very much for your criticism! The criticism has been taken under consideration for future blogs. Please feel free to read the blogs thoroughly so that you can see that not all critiques are negative.

And because of the type of response, this is why I choose to not reveal who I am.

Cookathome cookathome@gmail.com 24.111.102.224

Submitted on 2011/03/23 at 10:57 pm You sound like a bitter person that that thinks their shit doesn’t stink. Maybe you should just cook at home do servers in Grand Forks a favor. NEWS FLASH there are only like 7 places to eat in this town so good like keeping the readers of your blog captivated. And if you have such a sophisticated pallet maybe you should do something about it and open a place. HOW PUMPED ARE YOU FOR OLIVE GARDEN!!! I hear that’s suppose to be super sweet.

from mediocre, to bad, to worst

My young children have been pleading to visit Canad Inn’s l’Bistro and the arcade for several months. So we planned the day to be a late afternoon and evening filled with family activities, ending the night in treating our children to Canad Inn’s l’Bistro.

A lukewarm greeting was given at the hostess table, however we were seated immediately. How times have changed, once a very busy place which we would be waiting to be seated has now turned to a very quiet & minimal guest count.  l’Bistro was a favorite spot of mine, whether the visit was for the meal, or out for drinks. I could just flat out rely on great service and great food. So I was a bit surprised at how deserted the place was. The decor is very beautiful and charming. On this particular visit the atmosphere was very quiet, no music, no chatter, nothing. And it was their Wine Night, so I expected quite the opposite.

When we were seated, the menus were placed on the table. There was no question if we needed drinks, nor an offer to bring water out. There wasn’t the review of specials and recommendations of which I was once accustomed to. We sat at the table for approximately 10-15 minutes before our waitress came to our table. Who I could plainly see was a little busy with most of the tables at the restaurant. At the time of her arrival to our table, we were not only ready to place drink orders, but our dinner order as well. We had fairly simple requests, my husband and I decided to share a plate, I opted out of a drink, preferring only water, so the waitress was only really waiting on three people, versus four.  We also ordered an appetizer as an extra treat for the family.

With the quiet lull of the restaurant, our eager children wanted something to do. They went to the Hostess, asked if she had activities, and quickly gave our children coloring pages and crayons. She was very kind and happy to have activity happening at her station. The girls returned happily to our table and stayed busy.

We received water after we placed our orders, shortly after, two of the three drink orders appeared. The third drink was a strawberry shake ordered by our youngest. This was one of the reasons I would take my children to visit the restaurant over the years, but an incident about 18 months ago, when we over heard an angry bartender complain about making milkshakes, we stopped visiting frequently.  We did vocalize our disappointment, but the staff didn’t seem to care one way or another that a fellow staff person was swearing loudly within earshot of the customers he was complaining about. But with time, we are out to move on, hopefully. Yet, where is this milkshake that we ordered?

Remember that appetizer we ordered? Never came. I wasn’t interested in pointing out that we didn’t get our appetizer. Perhaps giving our drinks and meals at one time was far too overwhelming for her? (Which I don’t see the harm in having an order pad if its needed. Yes, it is impressive if you can remember all requests… but the important word is remember.) Again, I did notice she had several tables in this quiet restaurant… The other waiter was walking back and forth, perhaps he was busy doing something else.

Twenty minutes or so later, our meals arrived. The hot dog that came with fries and a side of shredded cheese for the oldest daughter came. I wondered why shredded cheese, what purpose does this have? If we’re wanting cheese on the hot dog, something that would adhere to it certainly would make better sense. If the cheese is a side dish, then a wedge of cheese also makes better sense than the shredded cheese.  The youngest had ordered her quesadilla and fries, which was not accompanied by the salsa you’d normally get. Then again, things just don’t want to make sense at this point for our experience. My husband and I decided to share off the Seasonal Menu, which was a Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Pizza, which boasted of the variety of mushrooms. It sounded great.  Wait a second, didn’t the youngest order a milkshake?  Oh yes, that came as the food was being served. I’m wondering if they had to go buy ice cream at the store, it was far from busy at the restaurant and bar, it didn’t make sense at all either to take as long as it did.

The girls were quite happy with their entrees, though the oldest did struggle trying to get the cheese to stick on her hot dog.  We made it a waiting game… Sprinkle the cheese on and hope the heat from the hot dog would melt the cheese.

I was eager to try out this pizza that looked rather tasty, despite obviously there was only one type of mushroom on it. As I bit into the pizza, I took a huge bite into RAW onions, which were cleverly hidden beneath the cheese.  It didn’t bother me that the onions were clearly chopped white onions used from making dishes such as omelets, what bothered me is that they advertised sweet onions that are sauteed. Being that eating out is a treat for me these days, as I’m trying to watch the waistline, the pizza was certainly a splurge. We continued on eating the pizza, figuring we can endure it. Eventually I flipped open the pizza to scrape out the onions. We did bring the issue to the attention to the waitress. She was going to offer a solution, but at this time that we spent there, it was getting rather late. So we said it is fine, however they need to be thorough with cooking what the menu description says. And as I grumbled about the onions, my daughter mentions, “if they’re going to sell something, sell it right.” Learning from her mother I suppose. It made me chuckle.  A note to one’s self: maybe we should stop being sold on anything involving Mushrooms.

We finished our dinners and came to choose check or dessert. Our daughters were promised dessert. Eagerly one ordered the Chocolate Lava Volcano cake which sounds fun for anyone, especially a 7 year old. The other ordered a Strawberry Sundae to go with her Strawberry Milkshake.  This time, we didn’t wait too long for the food. Good job, Progress!  The chocolate cake was apparently the best thing in this world according to my daughter. Chocolaty, warm and gooey. Great. The sundae looked like it was served in a bowl that probably could hold 1 quart of ice cream. Unfortunately the ice cream was freezer burnt, or had the taste of. So we return to the cake in the middle of our table. As I dig my fork in, there’s not only chocolate holding on, but a hair. Absolutely disgusting. Although, mistakes like this can and often does happen.

We had our check before the dessert was served, so as we are about to leave and pay for the food, the waitress came by. We mentioned the hair. She said, “that’s funny, no one has hair back in the kitchen.”  Well we certainly didn’t put it there. The cake was in the middle of the table, all three of us with long hair had pony tails on. This hair also was darker brown, and a bit curly. Much like the waitresses hair.  Again, I’m sure its a complete accident, but still disgusting.

We paid, and left the restaurant. Before my husband left, they did take off the cost of the dessert, and offered him a free appetizer at his next visit. Which is a very nice gesture, doesn’t fix the current experience though. However it clearly is the first restaurant willing to correct an incident since I’ve began this blog.

Will I come here again? I don’t know, it seems as if it hasn’t been able to go back to its original standards when it first opened. Then again this is Grand Forks, we don’t have many places to choose from. Do I recommend it? Perhaps, just don’t have high expectations.

The decor an A. The atmosphere was a snooze, C-. The service was a B. The food definitely a C-.

A quest for late night dinner

One weekday night, a girlfriend called wanting to go out for a late night dinner and a night cap. I thought what a great idea, it’s been a while…  My girlfriend was particularly wanting to visit a newer restaurant, Little Bangkok, which is located in East Grand Forks. I’ve been there a couple times now, usually later in the evening, so I felt this wasn’t a problem at all. We arrive at 8:45 pm, several tables filled, with people eating.  The waitress was about to seat us and then says, “our kitchen closes at 9.” So I stood there thinking, okay, so we’ll need to make our decision quickly. Not out to eat a heavy dinner, just maybe an appetizer, so no problem. Then she looks on over to her co-worker who signals not to seat us.  Then I said, “I thought you close at 10 pm.” And the waitress said, “right.”  We left. Clearly we weren’t going to with this battle.

Naturally we were disappointed, especially with previous experiences of late nights and there were no posted hours.  I was honestly very upset also about the situation.  When a kitchen “closes” at a certain time, in my experience, it means, we are not taking orders after 9 pm, then the kitchen staff can then begin the cleaning and closing process. It shouldn’t matter to the staff, they’re on the clock anyway, and why not go for another order, increasing their possible great tip?

So we hop in the car to venture to Mi Mexico, back in Grand Forks. We knew the hours are 10 pm there, and my girlfriend frequents the restaurant all the time. (She is the one who told me about the delicious Horchata) So we get there, by this time it’s 8:55 pm. It’s completely dark. There’s a few vehicles in the parking lot. We realize they closed early also, despite the large wording on the doors indicating their hours.  One person trying to get in is clearly upset. Then I notice the cook is hopping in his car and taking off. Yet another disappointment.

Is this the problem with privately owned small businesses? We make our own hours? Do we please ourselves or our customers?  According to recent surveys on restaurant failure rate done by Ohio State University the 90% failure rate is a myth. Their report indicates that the failure rate is near 60% but that is for a three-year period, not the first year in business. So shouldn’t we work a little harder to ensuring our small, privately owned businesses please the customers, to ensure that we have repeated business?

We decided to go on a rather reliable place, a chain restaurant, Applebees along the riverfront. The waitresses were rather friendly, after we told them about our night, they assured us that wouldn’t be an issue. That they close down at midnight. So we ordered a couple appetizers. To be quiet honest they were just the normal processed high sodium foods, but at this point we’re famished and determined to have our night out.

So in the end, the night could have gone obviously smoother, we got what we wanted, a late night bite. Just quite the challenge to get it, neither of us figured it would be such a conquest to have some down time with a friend.

If I were to grade these three places, obviously both Little Bangkok and Mi Mexico got big red F’s, just from the lack of food experience. I clearly was excited to return to either place, since food there is great, if you get to be seated.  Applebee’s an A for Effort, A for Service, a B for Food.

Couldn’t warm up the red wine

On a cold February night, we were invited to join friends at the Toasted Frog to celebrate a friend’s birthday.  Toasted Frog is a fairly new establishment, as are many here in the city of Grand Forks.  The Toasted Frog has had a continued success; there hasn’t been a time where I’ve visited the restaurant where it is a slow night.  This continued success I think can certainly be accredited to the choice of wait staff and the professionalism of their employees. Though it was a very busy night, they were able to accommodate our group of six.

Though we can thrive off of particular traits, they can also be our downfall. The success of the restaurant can also be attributed to the charm of the facility. Exposed bricks, wood floors, the privacy for guests yet despite the small space it feels very large and open. The high ceiling allows for local artists to display their recent work.  While the open space is again a positive characteristic, it certainly can work against itself. Grand Forks, North Dakota isn’t exactly known for warm winters, and on our visit to the Toasted Frog, Mother Nature served us yet another cold night. We were seated closest to the entrance, directly behind the hostess. Each time a patron entered or exited the facility, a surge of cold air would come through. Again, the restaurant is a very busy place to be, and on this particular night, Grand Forks was busy with our local sports, so naturally, there was high traffic. With this hustle and bustle, many people would come in, and we would be blasted with painfully cold air. I noticed several customers wearing their jackets throughout their stay.

We had a wonderful waitress who was very friendly, patient and professional. She would visit with us, small talk, suggesting wines, and patiently waiting to take our orders. Her presentation was very professional and it made us very eager to eat. I admit, I came here with a predetermined order, wine, an appetizer and dessert. And there I was contemplating ordering an entree. Of course my will power did set in, however, without her suggestions it would not have been an issue. One of the six at our table was quickly persuaded to order one of the entrees, a salmon with prosciutto; another ordered the baked brie, and I ordered the Chocolate Pudding Cake.

Earlier we had ordered a bottle of Syrah, a red wine that I often order when I visit the Toasted Frog. Unfortunately, the wine was not served in the proper glass, which normally isn’t an issue, but being that we were being continually exposed to the frigid cold air, the wine wasn’t allowed to be set at a warmer temperature. A decanter would not have been any help either due to our location, and was not offered. I’ve never needed a decanter at this establishment before for my wine, so I’m unsure if they’re available or not.  I kept my glass in my hands hoping to warm up the wine with no success.  It’s a simple thing that I was not going to let me spoil the evening, yet it was a disappointment, as I was looking forward to enjoying my red wine.  Thankfully the Chocolate Pudding Cake arrived at the table, along with a few other tasty foods, and the deliciously warm dessert balanced the cold red wine.

Do I recommend the Toasted Frog? Absolutely. The food is good, however I am not impressed with all the menu options, so its the Dinner Specials that I look forward to, along with the service and ambiance. In the winter, depending on where you are seated, be prepared to be uncomfortably cold.  ( Perhaps I should have put on a few of those disposable heat packs on. ) A note for the future. And in the summer, the circulation isn’t quite the best, so it can get uncomfortably hot.  So what else do I recommend? Dress in layers.

a request for “good Mexican food”

An unfortunate incident brought family into town today. I finished with work early and gave my big sister a phone call to see how things were going. She updated me with information then followed up with, “we’re looking for some good mexican food.”  I admit we don’t go out often in search of Mexican dishes (and I’ll probably blog about this in the future). Luckily recently a friend of mine suggested trying out Mi Mexico, a newer establishment on the corner of Washington and Demers.  Many people have gone to the establishment before, only to say good things about the food. So I gave it a shot. It was a rather hurried lunch but what I remember it was good, so I suggested to go there.

We got there a little later than my sister and her family, so I can’t really review how the greeting was, but there they were happily snacking on what I assume is restaurant baked tortilla chips (vs off the truck) and a variety of salsa. It was delicious, but proudly refrained from being too gluttonous.  The decor of Mi Mexico is very festive and fun to look at, although I’d draw the blinds… the cars zipping by take away from the ambiance of the restaurant. I don’t recall music playing either, but we were all engaged in conversation.

The waitress was timid, but very nice. She had come to take our order, everyone had different choices. Being that I have only been at the establishment once prior I was interested to get everyone’s feedback.  I ventured out and ordered Horchata for my beverage, which was delicious. Horchata is a cold milk drink with sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. It’s certainly a treat I plan to make at home. While the waitress was quiet, she certainly was very attentive, refilling drinks and offering refills on the chips.

Our lunch orders quickly arrived. I ordered a chicken fajita, while adventurous in milk, I wasn’t too adventurous in my meal this time. Everyone was happy with their orders, the only minor complaint was the lack of sauce on one order, which is why I often don’t frequent Mexican restaurants, I don’t like my food bathing in sauce.  We all finished our meals, paid our bill, which was certainly reasonable, tipped the waitress and left.

While the location is in an awkward location to enter and exit, it’s certainly worth the drive when one requests good Mexican food.