Maria's Mexican Restaurant

My friend and I went to Maria’s the other day for the first time. A bright, colored place on the corner of Tyvola and South…

Upon entering we were seated quickly and given a basket of hot tortilla chips (nice!) and a small bowl of salsa (ahhh man). The chips were great and had a good crunch – nothing better than fresh chips. The salsa – however – was a little watery but did have a nice ‘bite’ to it. I only wish the bowl was bigger and the salsa had more veggie chunk (I had several refills since the bowls were tiny).

For my meal, I went with the lunch special – beef burrito, beef taco and cheese enchilada. My friend ordered the rojo burrito. Our food came out rather quickly (within 5 minutes of ordering) and plates were hot. I dove into the burrito first. A nice size for a combo lunch plate special. The beef was good and had flavor and there was a good layer of cheese on top. The red sauce on top of the burrito was also tasty and did not over power the beef. Next, the taco. I have been eating tacos like crazy lately and this ranks in the top 3 – nothing like a taco loaded with beef and cheese. Finally, the enchilada. Sometimes when I order enchiladas, they are not too hot and the cheese is not fully melted in the middle. This enchilada had enough melted cheese it was oozing out of the ends (leaving even more melted cheese to sop up with tortilla chips). The enchilada was good but the sauce on top was ok. I rather would have had the red sauce from the burrito on the enchilada as well.

My friend enjoyed their rojo burrito. This was a regular burrito with the rojo peppers – a good little kick.

I would go back again when I am on that side of town. Plus, it’s a quick drive from work to get a good, cheap lunch. I give Maria’s 3 ghosts… mainly due to the watery salsa. And I believe it is a step below my El Valle (which is four ghosts).

Go give it a try – don’t let the bright colors outside distract you away…

5234 South Boulevard

Charlotte, NC
28217-2711
(704) 525-5075

Loco Lime

Loco Lime is a brand new restaurant in the Plaza-Midwood area. Since I had Monday off (thank you Mr. Presidents…) I decided to stop in and give it a try. We were greeted by a friendly staff who took our drink order and brought us some chips and salsa. The salsa was a homemade red tomato salsa – you could see and taste the fresh cilantro and peppers. When the waitress returned, she asked if we wanted some hot sauce and I quickly said yes! We were quickly brought two bowls of additional sauce – a green tomatillo sauce and a red chipotle sauce. The tomatillo sauce was a little creamier than a regular tomatillo sauce in that it had some avocados mixed in and it was complimented by lime and cilantro. My first taste of this sauce was something I have yet to taste at a Charlotte area Mexican restaurant – it was bliss. The tomatillo’s small ‘bite’ was cooled by the lime. The avocado gave the sauce a nice thickness to coat the tortilla chip. I then tasted the red chipotle sauce. This sauce was the thinnest, hottest and smokiest. The taste of the chipotle was strong and had the smoky undertone of a roasted pepper. I then combined the red tomato salsa and green tomatillo salsa (thanks to an extra bowl brought for just that) and was proud of my combination. The chips were also nice and hot and had a trace of some paprika.

The waitress was real friendly and gave an overview of the restaurant and its menu. She was able to provide several good suggestions – in which we took her up on them. My friend ordered the vegetarian burrito. This burrito was stuffed with refried beans, mushrooms, corn, zucchini and plantains (which at first my friend thought it sounded weird) and topped it with a citrus chili sauce. There are several options of sauce for your burrito topping – the citrus chili, queso, green tomatillo or red sauce. I settled upon the chicken enchilada (topped with green tomatillo sauce) and a cheese relleno. I substituted the refried beans for black beans.

I continued to drink the green tomatillo sauce until our food arrived. Our plates were hot, hot ,hot. My friend’s burrito was a perfect portion. The friend commented that the plantains were actually tasty in the burrito and complimented the citrus chili sauce nicely. As far as my dish, I jumped on the enchilada first. The chicken was very very tender and flavorful. It tasted as if it was simmering for hours. The green tomatillo salsa on the enchilada was a more traditional tomatillo salsa (thinner but still full of flavor). The cheese relenno was a huge poblano pepper that was lightly battered and filled with a lot of queso fresco (cheese is my secret lover). The queso fresco was hot and oozed out of the pepper. It was a nice mild cheese that mixed well with the ranchero sauce – neither overpowering the other. The pepper itself was nicely battered and not greasy. I am glad I ordered the black beans as they tasted fresh and was flavorful with a lime aftertaste.

We were both too stuffed (like a poblano) to order dessert… maybe next time. But it was all muy bueno. I give this new little place 4 ghosts – yes, equal to my beloved El Valle. My lunch was ~ $9 with tax and tip. Loco Lime also has a Huntersville location.

http://www.locolimecharlotte.com/

Senor Tequila Cantina Grill

I am a sucker for Mexican food - I will admit. I have actually been there before but wanted to write unbiased and not have my previous experiences effect my experience.

I decided to go at a non-peak time (2PM) for lunch and was able to seat myself right away. The waiter came by and brought my menu and fulfilled my drink order. During that time, another waiter brought some chips and salsa. The chips were cold and seemed that they have been sitting out for a while and had no flavor (i.e. salt, crispness). The appearance of the chips also seemed to be store-bought chips and not homemade chips that most Mexican restaurants make. The salsa was pretty good but not as flavorful as I have tried at other restaurants. 10 minutes must have passed until the server came to take my order (and I was one table out of three). I ordered the Senor Tequila Lunch Special from the lunch menu and it consisted of a burrito, taco, chicken flauta and cheese quesadilla. I asked for beef for the burrito and taco. At this time, I had finished my drink and it took about 5 more minutes for the server to come and refill my drink. 15 minutes later - the food arrived.

At first glance, the food seemed like it was worth waiting for... however, the food was at a 'room temperature' and my chicken flauta was actually shredded beef and the cheese quesadilla was beef... I guess a beef burrito and taco means to make everything beef. Since I have already spent more time there waiting than eating, I decided just to dig in. The burrito was simple - stuffed with beef and topped with cheese and red sauce. I will say that the beef was pretty flavorful and tasty - however, it could have been warmer than the room temperature. Next, was the taco - topped with lettuce and cheese. The taco was as expected and the bottom of the shell was greasy - which is common with the 'beef taco.' I dove into the 'chicken' flauta next... this was served with a red sauce. The red sauce was definitely needed as the shredded beef was dried out and again - not warm at all. I choked those down only to start on the 'cheese' quesadilla. The flour tortilla was cooked nicely with the right amount of cheese. I was on beef overload at this point so I basically ate the around it. Again - the server lacked the drink refills and dining follow-up.

Overall, the service was sub-par and the food was adequate - but not great. Especially being one of three tables, I would have expected better - including hot food. I was disappointed that I ended up with Beef everything instead of my original order (and what was described in the menu). Like I said, I am trying to let previous visits not sway my review - but I will note that service before was terrible. On this visit - service gets 1 ghost. Food has been a little better previously but on this visit - I give it 2.5 ghosts. Overall - an average of 1.75 ghosts and I will round up to 2 ghosts... It should not be too difficult to deliver what the customer asked for. Again, I could have asked them to correct it but after waiting already - I was hungry and ready to eat (and the 'store-like' tortilla chips did not satisfy my wait). I will also mention that the menu/meal is overpriced for what you get.

If you want some great Mexican - try El Valle (see previous review). They're spot on.

Senor Tequila Cantina Grill
6414 Rea Rd
Charlotte, NC 28277-2528

El Valle

I am a Mexican food junkie... ok a cheese junkie - but always love a quick, hot bite with melted cheese. I can find this at El Valle in Matthews. I will admit - this is my Mexican restaurant in the Charlotte area. I have been to others (again - a review will follow as I am giving everyone a new slate) but always find this one the best of the best.

Walking in, the decor is a little - I will say 'different' and the faint smell of cleaning products in the background may shock you a little but don't let that sway you. Once entering, you are greeted by the friendly staff who sit you promptly and bring the chips and salsa. The chips are warm and the salsa is in a small craft and small bowls (so you have your own and don't have to worry about double dippers!). The salsa is homemade and light and tasty and only the slight heat is an after taste. The waiter came and took my order - the #11 (one burrito, one enchilada - cheese, and a taco) and a jumbo margarita. Not even five minutes later, my meal arrived.

The plate was hot! and the food sizzling. The burrito was simple - beef and cheese. The beef had good flavoring and not overly greasy - as one my expect. The burrito had a red sauce as well which added flavor. I moved onto the taco next - this was stocked full of beef, lettuce and cheese and still hot. Finally - the enchilada. The cheese was melted all the way through (I have been to some places where the cheese is not melted all the way through and you get to the middle and it is shredded coldness). The enchilada sauce was also tasty. As for the jumbo margarita - it was big and it hit the spot.

I will also recommend the Chicken Chilaquiles - which is shredded chicken served on corn tortillas topped with some cheese and red sauce. This dish has it all - perfect flavored chicken that is tender to the touch with the nice blend of spices (and hotness) on top of the moist corn tortillas that compliment the chicken.

I give El Valle 4 ghosts just for the quickness, cheapness and hot food. Don't judge it based on the appearance - as this is a flavor party on a plate. (and yes - I did give it 4 ghosts - similar to Andrew Blairs and Crepe Cellar Revisited - but this place it GOOD). My #11 plus jumbo margarita was $12.50 (not including tip).

305 W John St Matthews, NC 28105-5356 (704) 845-1417

Zapata's Cantina

I was feeling a little festive with the Holiday weekend approaching so I took myself to Zapata's Cantina in Ballantyne. The server came right away offering chips and salsa and bringing my non-alcoholic tequila (i.e. water). The chips were served with two sauces - a mild and a hot. I noticed that one of the sauces had pieces of tomato and onion, while the other was a simple looking sauce. Both tasted the same temperature to me - I preferred the one with the tomato/onion pieces because of some additional flavor. I also ordered some queso, which was hot and served in a large 'soup bowl.' Tasty.

For my meal, I ordered a beef burrito from their Pronto Lunch Menu (a little smaller portion at a good price). The burrito soon arrived (pronto!) and was gigantic - it took up the entire plate. It had ground beef in the inside and topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and guacamole. My first bite of the burrito was okay - nothing spectacular. I was disappointed that the plate the burrito was served on was hotter than the burrito itself... also I thought that the flavoring of the beef could have been more (like the salsa) and less greasy. I did finish the burrito and was stuffed - which is always good. The burrito was $7 plus tip. I will note that the service was excellent as the waiters were very considerate and constantly refilling the chips and salsa and water.

Based upon the temperature of the burrito and the lack of flavor (show me some heat!), I give Zapata's 3 ghosts as I could have made a better burrito at home (or another Mexican restaurant to be named later). Overall, if you are just in the mood for some fast-served Mexican food - then Zapata's is your place... and kids eat free on Sundays.

www.zapatasrestaurant.com