TravelValue: Portland, Oregon: Mexican

Showing posts with label Mexican. Show all posts

Monday, January 20, 2020

Gresham, Oregon: Not A Lot Of Luck, But A Decent Meal At La Herradura

La Herradura Mexican Restaurant

90 NE Division Street

Gresham, OR 97030

LaHerradura.com

Phone number: (503) 491-1650

Prices: $$$$

My buddy took me to La Herradura (the horseshoe) and it was pretty good, but I have had better and less expensive Mexican meals at many other restaurants in this and numerous other cities. Portland Mexican restaurants, like their Italian brethren, are, unfortunately, mediocre at best and this horseshoe was not exactly what I would call lucky.

First off, we had to pay for chips and salsa ($2.50), which were OK, coming with a small cup of mild green salsa and a similar size cup of bean dip. For the price ($4.95), the equally small cup of guacamole we ordered was not particularly a bargain, but it was decent. So far, so average.

My Tacos - Excuse The Crappy Photos, But My Samsung S7 Went Tits-Up

I had recently been through a rather traumatic experience and the purpose of our lunch was to talk about what had been going on and how I was doing. The place was relatively empty, but the server kept coming to our table, asking me if I was ready to order every 3-4 minutes, interrupting our rather sensitive conversation on each occasion. She eventually tried to sway me toward the lunch specials, which I had seen on the way in and was not particularly thrilled about. Finally, I had to quickly peruse the menu and out of frustration, went with my mainstays, two Carne Asada Street Tacos ($1.60 ea) and two Cheese and Onion Enchiladas (ala carte - $2.50 ea). Each taco came on two tiny little corn tortillas with a small amount of chopped, grilled steak, along with some diced white onion and cilantro. They were adequate, but I get much more meat on two larger corn tortillas at my local taqueria for just $1.50 a piece. The enchiladas were pretty good with lots of cheese and red chili sauce, but the onions were inexplicably missing.

Enchiladas - My Samsung S7 Went Tits-Up, So I Bought A Cheap Replacement Until The 5G Phones Come Out Later This Year

My high school pal had a better experience, having ordered the Chili Relleno Lunch Special ($8.95), which looked delicious and, according to him, it was. The chili was massive, stuffed with gooey cheese and surrounded by a fluffy egg omelette, coming with rice and beans and not a bad deal.

All in all, not bad and not great, but lunch for $30, including tip, with only water to drink seems a bit pricey for the meal we had. The service was efficient and friendly enough, but the nearly constant interruptions and the pressure to order our meals was a bit disconcerting.

CombatCritic Gives La Herradura 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Camas, WA: No Horsing Around, This Place Is A Definite Neigh ... I Mean Nay

Los Potrillos Mexican Restaurant

1735 SE 192nd Avenue, Suite 101

Camas, WA 98607

Phone number (360) 838-2431

Website: lospotrillosweb.com

Prices: $$$$

I do not know what happened since 2014 when Los Potrillos was selected "Best of Vancouver" (award in the entry), but if this is the best Mexican food in Vancouver, the bar must not be set very high. It was not the worse Mexican food I have eaten and there are more shoddy Mexican restaurants in southeast Clark County (there are two in Washougal), but this place is the poorest "value" by far.

Prices are very high by Mexican restaurant standards with combo plates running $13 to $15 and meat dishes (carne asada, carnitas, etc.) in the $17 to $19 range. One of the few positive things I can say is that the service here was very good. Everyone I came in contact with was friendly and efficient.

Only the margaritas have prices listed on the menu with all of the other mixed drinks, beers and wine displaying no prices. I do not know about you, but I am not going to ask how much a drink is and I refuse to order one not knowing how much it costs, so I normally bypass the alcohol at places like this. Because the margarita prices were listed, I decided to try a medium ($6.50), blended with salt. It was a decent size and not bad with a slight kick, probably being the best value on the menu.

My very small side of guacamole was $4.99 ("Market Price" - price not listed on the menu), the consistency was odd (probably cut with a cheap filler of some kind, probably mayo), and the flavor bland. $2.99 would have been a more realistic price based on the fact that it was probably made with less than one small avocado ($1 retail). The chips were most likely out of a bag, stale, and room temp - YUK - the salsa was oddly sweet and they were accompanied by a plate of cabbage with a couple of slices of jalapeño on top.

I ordered a large combo ($13.95 plus 75¢ for shredded beef on my taco - $14.70 total) with a chile relleno, cheese and onion enchilada, and shredded beef taco. The taco, like most places in the Portland metro area, came on a pre-fab shell (a large one nonetheless) with too much lettuce and not enough cheese - WEAK. I could not tell the relleno and enchilada apart by appearance and the flavors were nearly identical except for the green chile in the middle one. Both were somewhat flavorless.

For someone who loves good Mexican food - me - Mexican restaurants in the Portland and Vancouver metro areas have been a massive disappointment. There is a decent taqueria near our house and I found some pretty good Mexican places in Gresham, Tigard, and Tualatin, but, otherwise, there is a dearth of good Mexican food in the area. Unfortunately, this gringo can make better Mexican food than the supposed experts, so I will likely continue to eat at home, especially with inflated prices like those at Los Potrillos. It should be no surprise that the place was mostly empty at 7PM, having paid $34, including tip, for a dinner for one.

CombatCritic Gives Los Potrillos 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Three Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"

Monday, April 2, 2018

Find "The Fatties" On Davis If In Need Of A Taco Fix In The Pearl

Los Gorditos

922 NW Davis Street

Portland, OR 97209

Pearl District

Phone number (503) 805-5323

Website: losgorditospdx.com

Prices: $$$$

On the plus side, the food was decent with reasonable portions and fair prices, particularly for downtown. On the flip side, the employees were too busy talking to assist us or communicate succinctly, the salsa bar's contents were mostly frozen, I am talking "ice", and I got a huge piece of gristle in my carne asada taco.

The place was not what I expected with stainless steel, glass and modern black tables and chairs instead of the colorful Mexican decor you routinely find in a mom and pop cantina. You pick from "vegan", "vegetarian", or "meat" menus sitting in front of the grill area, ordering at the adjacent register where they give you a number to place on your table. There were only high-tops and one four-top table with two long "family-style" tables with seating for 12, so be prepared to interact with strangers if so inclined.

We ordered Chips and Salsa ($3.50), a side of Guacamole ($2), a Quesadilla with Chopped Carne Asada ala carte ($5), two Carne Asada Tacos (2 x $2 = $4), and an Enchilada Plate (carne asada, rice and beans - $10.50).

The chips were OK, neither fresh nor warm and the salsa very orange with a strange taste, not bad, but odd. The guacamole was pretty good, made with fresh avocados and chopped tomato, a nice portion and an excellent value at just $2.

The quesadilla was a decent size and tasty with plenty of cheese and carne asada. My tacos had plenty o' chopped carne asada, but one had a piece of gristle the size of my pinky inside, at least I hope it was gristle, still a bargain at $2 each. The enchiladas were also pretty good, but a tad on the dry side and the rice/beans OK, nothing special.

Gristle

For just $24, we ate well and I would recommend "The Fatties" (Los Gorditos) if in the Pearl District and in need of a quick Mexican fix. Do not expect anything lavish and alcohol is not an option, so if you want a sit down meal with all the trimmings ... go elsewhere. Just be careful when you bite into your taco.

If this place had servers, some beer and margaritas, a better and not-frozen salsa bar, a little better quality control with their meat (maybe the cooks could stop the chit-chat for a while), and some charm, they could have scored 8-9 Bombs. However, ...

CombatCritic Gives Los Gorditos 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Good To Go"

Thursday, November 2, 2017

Vancouver, WA: EARTH TO JORGE - MENUS HAVE PRICES ON THEM ... GET A CLUE!

Jorge’s Margarita Factory

14415 SE Mill Plain Blvd, Suite 110B

Vancouver, WA 98684

Phone number (360) 882-8262

Website: jorges.com

Prices: $$$$

Wierd vibe. We were ignored at the entrance for over five minutes before I found someone to seat us and the decor looks more like a cheap diner than a Mexican restaurant.

The drink menu has no prices ... hey geniuses, how many times do I have to say this, MENUS ARE DESIGNED TO LET CUSTOMERS KNOW HOW MUCH STUFF COSTS! I am so sick and tired of restaurants that think they can trick people into paying $10 for a "house margarita" by not posting prices. I should not have to ask how much everything costs, so publish the damn prices for f***ks sake!

Speaking of prices, their food prices were quite a bit higher than any Mexican restaurant I have been in lately and looking at the plates of food around us, it did not look worth what they were asking. So with that being said, along with a "priceless" drink menu, we left. I will not eat at restaurants that refuse to put prices on their menu ... non-starter folks!

CombatCritic Gives Jorge's Margarita Factory 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My "WALL OF SHAME" ... More Bombs Are Better!

One Bomb Equates To:

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Read Chris S.'s review of Jorge's Margarita Factory on Yelp

Title: Vancouver, WA: EARTH TO JORGE - MENUS HAVE PRICES ON THEM ... GET A CLUE!

Key Words: Jorge's Margarita Factory, Jorge's, Jorge, margarita, factory, Mexican, restaurant, menu, Vancouver, WA, Portland, Yelp, YouTube, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, Wall of Shame

Translation for Civilians: FUBAR = "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

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