Mexico City Grill
11653 Fishers Station Drive
Fishers, IN 46038
http://www.mexicocitygrill.com

Saturday night brought me to a restaurant location that EatHSE has reviewed on this blog before, Mexico City Grill.  I have been to this restaurant several times before and always ordered the same thing, so I figured I would mix it up a bit this time and order something different and do a review.  I reiterate the chips and salsa part of his review, so I’ll just stick to what I got as my entree and here we go…

What I Got:  Pollo Loco; ~$9.50 (can’t remember the exact price and the menu is not posted online for me to verify).

My outstanding three years of Spanish in high school tells me that Pollo Loco loosely translates in English to “crazy chicken” so I was handed a seasoned and grilled chicken breast served with Mexican rice, lettuce, two avocado slices and pico de gallo.  Served on the side were three warm flour tortillas (not in the photo).  If you can’t tell in the picture, this chicken breast was pounded thin and when I say thin, I mean extremely thin.  Frankly, it was so thin that it was borderline comical and I’ve got to say that I was disappointed in how absurd it was.  I guess the thinness of this chicken breast was the loco part because no one in their right mind should pound a chicken breast that thin unless they are telling a joke.

I was disappointed in the flavor as well because while the seasoning was nice, the chicken breast was pounded so thin that it probably took about 7.3 seconds to grill and that was about 2.5 seconds too long because they dried this one out quickly.  When I was able to mix the chicken with the rest of the plate in a flour tortilla it was palatable, but once I ran out of tortillas and had to start eating just the chicken breast, I was pretty disappointed because not only was it dry, but it was also tough.  What a major, hardcore disappointment.

The remainder of the dish was pretty much standard stuff.  The avocado slices were nice and I always appreciate that and the rice, while fluffy did taste as if it was made in a big batch and then kept in a warmer tray for a long period of time.  Thankfully, it hadn’t dried out yet and was still flavorful with a bit of spice too it, but it was nothing to write home about.  The pico de gallo had a slight tang, but again, nothing to write home about.  All of this stuff wasn’t good, but it wasn’t bad either.  It just existed.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes to Mexico City Grill, but no specifically to the Pollo Loco dish.  I have had good meals at Mexico City Grill (the dish with seasoned pork chunks is my go-to dish, but I can’t remember the name and the lack of menu stops me from looking it up), so I’ll just stick to the stuff that I know well and like and not venture out again next time.  I know that there is a large seafood tortilla that my mom and her husband swear by too, so they do have good dishes here.  Unfortunately, I chose one of the dishes that is not one of those good ones.  Oh well, you live and learn.

-IndianapolisEater

De Cero Taqueria
814 West Randolph Street
Chicago, Illinois  60607
http://decerotaqueria.com/

I was in Chicago on business and I wanted to try something new.  As much as I would like to say that the expense account is a blank check for prime steakhouses, I like to fly under the radar a bit and not seem too eccentric.

Eater 38 is usually a dependable list.  Sometimes I think that it should be called, If I were a hipster, where would I like to eat.   The big names are on the other lists and I always think of it as an insiders guide.  I was in a mood where I didn’t want a ton of food (patting myself on the back for that rhyme) and Indianapolis is without a fancy taco place, so I thought that I would give it a try.

What I Ate:  Duck Confit, Chipotle Chicken and Tilapia tacos; $3.95 each.  Chips and Pico; $2.95.

The duck confit was served with corn salsa and that is it.  The duck desperately needed salt and I thought that this was a great idea, but poorly executed.   The Chipotle Chicken was grilled chicken, lettuce, crema, cilantro and pinto beans with bacon.  I liked this on a lot better, but it had a strange smell to it.  It had a smoky smell to it, like you just light a firework.  The beans were a non-factor.   The tilapia was topped with a Mexican slaw.  I love a good fish taco (no jokes please), but this was not one of them.  The tilapia was tasted more like smelt fries and it didn’t taste freshly fried.

Chips and pico were the standard adaptation.   A little spicy than normal, but again, nothing special.

Would I Buy It Again?  No, definitely not.   What a wasted dinner in one of our best culinary cities in the US of A.  Maybe the bar was set too high.  After all, did I really expected tortillas, meat and beans to taste that differently than what I can get in Indy?  My bad.

I think that I am done with fancy tacos.  I have tried a few different takes on tacos and I am always happiest with the simple ones done well.  I’d rather replace duck confit with slightly chewy, cheap carne asada and call it a day.

Long story short, it might be best to leave tacos alone – they are perfect how they are.

-wibia

The Roost
7371 East 116th Street
Fishers, Indiana  46038
http://www.sahms.com/index.php?cID=74

Some of my friends and I have started a tradition within the past couple years where we take it easy on New Year’s Eve and do our partying on New Year’s Day while watching football.  This past New Year’s Day was the second year that we have done that, so naturally after a day of adult beverages, I was feeling the need for a nice, greasy breakfast and that led me to meet my mom and her husband at The Roost in Fishers (part of the local Sahm’s restaurant group).  EatHSE has previously reviewed The Roost, so I felt that I should order something different from what he got so that we can get some blog review variety and that led me to…

What I Got:  Jose Salsa Skillet; $7.69.  ”Two poached eggs served over chorizo sausage, hash browns, fresh salsa, and topped with mozzarella and cheddar cheese.  Served with warm flour tortillas.”

You can’t really tell in my picture because of my expert photography skills and also the way the dish was constructed with everything piled in a skillet (I would estimate it was roughly eight inches in diameter), but I can confirm that all the ingredients listed in the menu description were in fact present.

In terms of taste, a lot of the ingredients were difficult to distinguish (the two different types of cheese, for example), but when all added together this was a tasty dish.  With my tortillas (think one large tortilla cut in half to make two), I made two breakfast “burritos” by scooping the contents of my skillet into each one.  When I bit into my homemade burrito, I immediately tasted the spice of the chorizo and being that spicy food does not affect me in the slightest bit most of the time, I rather enjoyed this little kick.  My next immediate taste was the salsa and I can’t confirm for sure, but I do believe The Roost’s claims that it was fresh because the tomatoes had a nice firmness to them and it felt like they added a little onion and cilantro into the salsa to add a little extra zing.  This was all topped off by the mix of eggs and potatoes and then topped by two gluttonous melted cheeses.  Basically, this was a comfort food classic treat with a hint of Mexican flair and after a long night of consumption, this is a nice mix.  My only complaint is that somehow this dish lacked a bit of salt (I’ve come to like my potato products to be extra salty), but a few shakes of the salt shaker quickly solved that problem.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, I would.  A lot of times breakfast can just be a compilation of bland foods thrown together and without the chorizo and salsa, I think this skillet would have fallen victim to that.  But, when you add in those two key components to bring an extra spice and zing to the dish, you really end up with a winner that I would recommend to anyone that can handle a little spice in their life.

-IndianapolisEater

El Fenix
1620 E. Copeland Road
Arlington, Texas 76011
http://www.elfenix.com

This place bills itself as “the original Tex-Mex,” claiming to have started the so-called Tex-Mex movement back in 1918 and that their style has “been copied, but never duplicated.” Considering this high (self) billing, I was a bit surprised to see that lunch hour on a Sunday — with a home Cowboys game at 3:15 and a home Rangers World Series game that night, mind you — was pretty light. Both of those teams I mentioned play in venues that are within walking distance of the restaurant. I sat right down at the bar but noticed there was no wait for regular seating either. A bad omen, perhaps? Or just a haphazard coincidence? Either was possible. The atmosphere was basically exactly as you’d expect from a Tex-Mex place, and props to them for having three flat screen TVs hanging inside the bar (it was a U-shape, so each side of the bar was provided its own view of an HD NFL game).

What I Got: El Fenix Dinner; $13.99. It has: Guacamole, one cheese enchilada, one meat taco (I went ground beef; a decidedly boring choice, I know, but I like it), one soft cheese taco and two tamales topped with chili con carne. Rice and refried beans come as sides.

The problem most certainly wasn’t the quantity, as that was a pretty big portion of food for that price. It was the quality that was lacking.

Look, it wasn’t horrible. As WIBIA might say, I wasn’t offended by anything. I just…man, for saying it’s never been “duplicated” I felt an awful lot like I’ve had this meal dozens of times in the Indianapolis area. The cheese (queso, basically) that was melted over the enchilada was actually pretty good, but the chili con carne was bland and had no spice. The beef taco was a run-of-the-mill taco and the shell didn’t even have a decent crunch. I could have made it myself, except I’d at the very least actually fill the shell with a decent helping of meat instead of a minuscule spoonful. I feel like the tamales might have been done pretty well, but the chili con carne had already ruined them. Same thing for the soft cheese taco, which was also buried below the lackluster con carne (that taco is at the top of the plate, going horizontally, under the sauce). But, really, what’s the point of having a cheese soft taco unless what covers it makes it worthwhile?

Would I Buy It Again? No, I wouldn’t. As I said above, nothing was offensive or worthy of being sent back, but it was average at best. Considering I’m an Indiana resident saying that about a Tex-Mex place in freaking Texas, that’s pretty bad. I also didn’t care for the non-flexibility of the combinations. A lot of the stuff I wanted was listed on different dishes, and I couldn’t go a la carte. For example, I’m not a huge fan of guacamole, but chose this one because the offerings with sour cream (which I prefer) didn’t have enough items I really wanted. I don’t understand what the point is of having like twenty different combinations if you can’t be sure that all of them will cater to every customer. If I’m a boring Midwesterner who only wants some combination of burritos, enchiladas and tacos with sour cream and not guac, why can’t I do that? I wouldn’t even be picky on the meats in that case. Why not just assign prices to an a la carte menu with all these items? It saves menu space and each customer can happily choose an item. But it’s cool, I won’t have the issue again, because I’m not going back. I should have found it a bit curious that it was the closest Tex-Mex place to my hotel but my concierge — who knew I was going on foot — didn’t say a word about it when I asked for Tex-Mex restaurants (I ended up going anyway because I was pressed for time that day).

-Show

Pappasito’s
321 W. Road to Six Flags
Arlington, TX 76011
Menu: http://pappaspizza.net/images/dyn/menus/menu_208.pdf

Pappasito’s came very highly recommended by my boy Sammy (aka the concierge, who I bothered all four days I was in Arlington).

It’s interesting here to note that Pappasito’s is under the same umbrella of Pappadeaux, which I’ve already reviewed. In fact, Pappas Restaurants appears to be a power down in Texas that I’d never heard of (imagine that, coming from someone who has never lived outside Indiana, huh?). Pappadeaux is their “seafood kitchen” and this one is their “cantina.” So it was Tex-Mex. Just like Pappadeaux, the atmosphere was great. TVs all around; good, friendly service and patrons just having a good time. It might be cliche, but people were most certainly a lot nicer in Texas than in the northeast, for example.

What I Got: Ribeye and Diablo Shrimp, $25.95: “Ribeye topped with grilled peppers & onions with Diablo shrimp & choice of enchilada.”

I went with a ground beef enchilada, and thankfully it was worlds better than the El Fenix variety. Really good flavor and cheesiness, the ground beef was juicy, the enchilada sauce was fresh, etc. I was a big fan of this.

Everything — including, most importantly, the steak — was cooked properly. I went medium rare on the steak and they did it to perfection.

The ribeye was really good, but I’ve had a really good ribeye many times. The onions and peppers didn’t really add much “Mex” to it for me. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly enjoyed it. I’m just saying that my steak wasn’t really enhanced at all by the toppings. It was a ribeye and I’m admittedly a sucker for those, but this one wasn’t special.

On the shrimp, I’m not sure if the presentation was lazy or if it was really meant to be like this for a specific reason. I actually googled “diablo shrimp” to find out and didn’t find anything like this. They simply took each shrimp with the shell and legs still intact and split it down the middle. You actually should be able to see a few of the legs in the picture (look lower left, over the enchilada … the legs are burnt black). Also, since they cooked the shrimp on the grill in a split shell, the meat stuck to the shell and I couldn’t really get all of it out without eating leg/shell, too, which I really didn’t want to do. What meat I did get out was seasoned well and tasted really good. I just wish it was easier to eat.

Refried beans and Mexican rice were the sides and they were good. They tasted freshly made and were a nice complement.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes to the restaurant, no to what I got. I’m a big accountability guy and so I’m going to prove it by blaming myself here. This was a good meal. A damn good one, in fact. I didn’t really have any huge complaints, as the ribeye was good and the shrimp were fine (again, logistical issues, but that didn’t ruin the meal). But I was at a cantina. My mea culpa is that I hadn’t had a steak on the trip yet and if you straight up asked me what my favorite food is, I’d say a medium rare ribeye. It was like day six of the trip and I caved. I shouldn’t have, but I did. Not only that, but the other option for shrimp with the ribeye was brochette and I’d already had that just two days earlier. Considering it’s also under the “Pappas” umbrella, I assumed it was the same one I’d already had and passed for the sake of variety. But knowing what I know now, man, the brochette was so much better than what I got this time around.

I scroll through the menu now and wonder why I didn’t have enough foresight (or fortitude?) to try something like the gordita trio or filet fajitas with crabcake-stuffed shrimp. Or, really, any of the fajitas or combinations. Those all sound so enticing now and I’m beating myself up over the fact that I passed on them. This one was on me, so do not punish Pappasito’s for my transgression. I’m very confident the food is awesome here and I just didn’t serve myself well. Hell, as I said, I messed up and still had a good meal. That’s pretty tough to do in lots of places.

- Show

In what is now seemingly an annual tradition, Chipotle will be offering discounted food to customers that come in on Halloween dressed in a costume.  According to this website, customers will be able to get a $2 burrito if they come in wearing a costume inspired by the family farm (?!) between 6:00 p.m. and closing.  Here’s the text from their site:

“A Bigger Celebration for the Smaller Farms

So, if you have no self respect and/or want to make people laugh, head out to your local Chipotle dressed in your family farm costume and get some discounted burritos!

-IndianapolisEater

Cancun Mexican Restaurant
6714 East 82nd Street
Indianapolis, Indiana  46250
http://cancun-indy.com/

It seems like I’m always on a quest to find a decent Mexican restaurant right near my house.  There are some up in Fishers and there are some farther south toward Broad Ripple, but I seemingly live in the dead zone of “authentic” Mexican restaurants.  Sure, there are plenty of the strip mall variety places that all have the same menu, but none of them are particularly understanding.  Continuing my quest recently, I decided to stop in at Cancun on a Sunday afternoon to check it out.  There was a Colts game that day, so I understand the lack of customers, but I was the ONLY person in the restaurant for my entire meal and I was there after 12:00 p.m.  Odd.

As with any Mexican restaurant, your meal starts with chips and salsa and it’s sometimes a good gauge of how your meal is going to turn out.  After eating these, I was not encouraged.  Sure the salsa had a little zing to it, but it didn’t taste fresh at all.  Honestly, this tasted straight out of a jar or at least like something that was made well in advance.  The chips tasted straight out of the bag too.  So, after the disappointing start, it was time for my meal.

What I Got:  Sonora Shredded Beef Burrito; $8.65.  Burrito consisting of shredded beef, cheese, refried beans and rice topped with cheese and salsa rachera.  Served with a side of refried beans (I had them substitute Spanish rice).

The menu said this was a giant burrito and it certainly was that.  Outside of its size, that’s about all it had going for it.  The shredded beef was slightly overcooked and chewy, the salsa ranchera was flavorless, the rice was obviously made well in advance and everything else was pretty much standard stuff that would would expect to see in a burrito.  To top it all off, it was served to me only lukewarm as well, so I had to eat fast before it turned ice cold.  Granted, I should have had them re-heat it for me, but I know that would have just consisted of them throwing it in a microwave and I wasn’t interested in that.

Would I Buy It Again?  Absolutely not.  Despite Cancun being a free-standing building on its own, this place is nothing more than standard strip mall Mexican food and as I said, I am not looking for that.  I want authenticity and more importantly, flavor. I guess I should just learn my lesson and drive up to Fishers and go to Riviera Maya or Mexico City Grill to fulfill my cravings.

-IndianapolisEater

Qdoba
http://www.qdoba.com/

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and I find if I eat a more substantial breakfast, I am less likely to snack throughout the day.  The breakfast burrito at Qdoba has always been one of my favorites, so I decided to give their quesadilla a try.

What I Had:  Spicy Chorizo Breakfast Quesadilla; $7.00.

With the breakfast quesadilla, you can go small with a  ten inch shell or larger with the 12.5″ shell, which is what you see in the photo. I went with the chorizo but you can also choose to go with grilled chicken or meatless with cheese only.  As much as I enjoy Qdoba’s grilled chicken, it just doesn’t seem right for breakfast.  You can add extra meat for a small feel but that makes this menu item and even worse health option.  Eggs and potatoes are both optional and I went with just the eggs.  All of Qdoba’s salsa options are available for breakfast and I went with the Pico and their Salsa Roja.  I liked how even the quesadilla was even though it was loaded and the evenly distributed ingredients including egg, salsa, cheese and chorizo made this work.   The quesadilla never got sloppy and held up making it easy to eat.  Even when I re-warmed a piece the next day, it maintained its consistency and the spice from the chorizo and salsa really worked well for me.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, on occasion.   If the breakfast quesadilla was not so bad for you, I would get it frequently, but the high fat and sodium content makes this go into the category of a rare treat.  I split this over two days and I think it tasted even better re-warmed the next day.  I still like Qdoba’s breakfast burrito better as long as you get there when they first open in the morning and everything is fresh.  If you don’t the potatoes in the burrito are like rubber and that is when I would pass on the burrito and go for the quesadilla.

Note: Not all Qdoba locations are open for breakfast.

-EatHSE

Nutritional Facts

Total serving size (oz): 18.58 oz

Selected Items**

Shredded Cheese, 12.5in Flour Tortilla”, Pork Sausage, Eggs, Pico de Gallo, Salsa Roja,