I had seen several friends on FB rave about Las Mananitas recently, so decided we definitely needed to add it to the tour list. We also understood that Wednesdays are $1 taco days - so that was enough motivation to bump them to the top of the list!
Shon had a late client so I waited a little before heading over. No reason to go sit and wait on doofus. Chris was impatiently waiting on us (irony) - but Shon and I arrived about 11:45. This place is actually a small grocery store and diner. Quaint and no frills - I walked in and went straight to the diner. The chips were already there since Christopher was chomping at the bit. I spied the dollar taco menu and liked what I saw. I was getting excited for sure!
The waitress arrived quickly took our drink order and taco order after a few of my questions. The chips are fluffy-crunchy! I like! They appear to be homemade but have a sort of puffiness to them but were very good. The salsa had a good flavor also. Then the green chile salsa came out - it's flavor was exactly what I expected. A small kick and definitely a good compliment to the chips. The hot salsa was solid with a strong kick. It takes a moment but doesn't sneak up on you. Make sure you get some seeds in there for the best heat. I recommend it if you're not a weenie like Chris or if you're trying to clear your sinuses. You won't be in pain afterwards either so I'd definitely give it a try!
So for my taco selection, I was feeling hungry: I ordered a Carne Asada, Al Pastor, Pollo, A La Mexicana, Barbacoa, Desebrada. I had to ask what a few of these were since I don't know all the lingo yet. The plate arrived quickly and was arranged with very obviously traditional, street-style tacos with 2 soft corn tortillas on each and protected with a small bit of wax paper between them.
I went for the Carne Asada first. Tasty! Tender meat with a hint of crunch on the edges. Excellent flavor on the meat and Shon and I both agreed that they must have seasoned their grill well. However, I've come to the conclusion that carne asada tacos are a little too plain for my taste. They're good but I need more flavor personally. Next time I think I'll go for a little salsa.
Al Pastor is next - this was my favorite taco when we went to Chico's last week. They are really good here also. The seasoning in the meat is very good. Cooked very well, the meat is tender and juicy. This is definitely a taco to get again on the next visit - and will probably be on my list to try at nearly every place we go (if they have one).
Pollo (chicken) was next. I'd give it a strong "not bad". The taste was good, but not as much flavor as other chicken tacos I've had. The chicken wasn't overly dry, but I think it could have been a little juicier for my taste. That doesn't mean this one is bad - but I think it just needed a little something more. Probably needed some salsa to give a little more flavor or possibly a fried shell might have been what it needed (for me). I wasn't disappointed, but I was hoping it would be a little better.
The Barbacoa was my least favorite - but I'm going to give them a pass this time. It was definitely an "eh" today. To be fair, I think I got a bad piece of meat - it had a very fatty chunk in my first bite and I pulled off a gristly section that was still in the taco. I think it was just my taco because the other guys liked theirs. I didn't finish it because the meat had some bad parts to it. I'd like to come back sometime and try it again because I think I'd like it - but this time it was a no.
A la Mexicana was pretty tasty but the meat was a little chewy. The meat is cooked with tomato and jalepeno and that definitely gave this one a nice flavor. The meat was not dry and the mix of flavors was really good. If the meat was slightly less chewy, this would probably be higher on my list of favorites so far.
Desebrada. The other guys called it pot roast on a taco. I have to confess, they're not wrong. That's not a bad thing by the way. That flavor of "pot roast" meat on a tortilla is a new twist and it's worth getting one. Having said that, it does seem like it could use one more flavor. Not sure what exactly. Salsa? Something. But it was still a decent taco with a unique flavor.
Overall the service was excellent - she helped us decide on tacos, kept our chips filled, brought us plenty of salsa and was very courteous and polite. Las Mananitas is going to rank HIGH on the value scale. I'm out the door for $8 with tip and I had 6 tacos with chips and salsa!
The restaurant itself wasn't dirty, but it's definitely just an average looking place. No frills. However they have the most uncomfortable chairs ever. Definitely not going to sit around and chat on these chunks of metal. Since I don't have a "comfort" rating below, I'm going to dock a half taco on the cleanliness - don't really have any other place to put it. Overall, this is absolutely a place to return to - especially on Wednesdays!
Out of 5 tacos, here's my ratings:
| Food Taste: |   |
| Value: | |
| Cleanliness: | |
| Service: | |
| Overall: | |
| Likelihood to return: | |
No comments:
Post a Comment