AndyBlog: SALSA!

It's not every day one gets invited to a totally authentic Mexican restaurant in Leonardtown Maryland staffed entirely by

genuine Mexicans, to celebrate someone called Bonnie's Birthday the day after her actual birthday and one arrives just as the sunshine is fading leaving only meagre time to photograph the sign over the door for blog purposes before entering the restaurant and being seated by a moustached Mexican staff member of the staff at the genuine authentic Mexican restaurant and then to be given a basket full of tortilla chips and the finest garlic-heavy salsa one had ever tasted before witnessing Bonnie ordering a cup of queso salsa to further accompany said tortilla chips as we settle down to give our fullest attention to the colourful and treat-packed menu... - but it happened to me last Monday, of that you can be sure!

I can't imagine it will ever happen again, that way. Can you?

Seriously, this place calls itself a cafe (as, I am told, all Mexican places do), but it is most definitely the finest Mexican restaurant. I would really love to have the opportunity to go there again before I leave this lovely area. The salsa, and more specifically our demand for it, was reflected in the presence of a carafe to enable us to top up our personal salsa bowls as we worked our way through the pile of tortilla chips.

The chips were warm, and the salsa so garlic'y I thought I might smell quite badly afterwards. I cared not. :)

A word about the chips - the fries. The chips - the potato chips -NO - erm, French fires, I mean fries. Well, they were exceptional, I would make the 30 minute journey to there again with complete glee just to eat a plate of these chips fries. They are /battered/ fries, and, as such, beautifully crispy on the outside, even after the vinegar I assaulted them with - and fluffily soft on the inside. Pure chip fry heaven.I even hit them with tomato ketchup as well and still they were crispy. Amazing. Seriously, if you like chips fries, you would be sure to have loved these. Totally.

And then there were the main courses.

Mine was a beef taco (badly photographed and so not included), A chicken Chalupa, A Chile Releno and a Beef Enchilada. I effortlessly changed the rice for chips fries. We also had the remains of Bonnie's Queso sauce which was the most amazing cheese sauce and I would cheerfully go to that restaurant and have that sauce and tortilla chips on their own anytime. I'd also cheerfully accompany them with the chips fries on their own too, and maybe the chicken Chalupa - also quite, quite on it's own.

Chicken Chalupa - a revelation

But I digress. The chicken Chalupa was incredible. Like a mini-meal all in itself. Corn tortillas, smoked chicken and beautiful crisp salad with fresh grated cheese. I would cheerfully go to that restaurant and eat this dish on it's own...etc.

The beef taco was almost a disappointment. Just plain ground beef and cheese and a taco shell - "Well, what did you expect?" I here you yell at me loudly, and slightly annoyed. I'm sorry - it's just that this place is so good that I expected another little piece of magic.

The Chile Releno was a big Chilli pepper stuffed with really thick melted cheese. Not spicy, and actually very very filling although pretty bland. Again, I expected more spiciness, but Bonnie explained to me that real Mexican food is actually quite bland. I was shocked, to say the least, by this news. Mexican food has a chilli-based reputation as being very spicy indeed. Fascinating.

Next up, a Beef Enchildada. Very tasty indeed. Lots of beef and some onion too, and some tastier cheese on top along with a tomato sauce. I'd go for this again, although I may not come to this restaurant solely to eat this. To bastardise a phrase "Worth eating - not worth coming to eat."

All in all it was an exceptional meal because of:

The Queso Sauce - Remarkable smooth and very cheesy.

The Chips - Battered fries, amazingly crispy and yet fluffy on the inside.

The Salsa - As garlic'y as I have ever tasted salsa and the better for it.

The Chalupa - Never had one before, but a revelation.