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

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

Pancho’s Taqueria
7023 Michigan Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46268
http://www.panchosmexicantaqueria.com

If I had a list of my favorite foods that I like to eat, burritos would be firmly planted towards the top.  Even a bad burrito can be palatable.  When I talk about Mexican food in Indy, I always get recommendation to go to Pancho’s Taqueria.  Indianapolis Eater already gave the Allisonville location a try and gave it a WIBIA-Yes rating.  I tried it about three years ago and it didn’t leave any lasting memories, so I thought that I would take another swing at it.

What I Ate: Lunch Special #12 – Burrito with sour cream and lettuce.  Drink was included; $7.90 with tax.

Now, this was a little misleading.  A sign on the front said they had specials from $4.99, but I didn’t see any lunch specials for that amount.  Also, the sign said that all lunch specials were served with refried beans and rice.

As you can see, no beans and rice.  When I opened my burrito, there were beans and rice inside, so I would assume that is what the sign meant?  Kind of confusing.  Pancho’s has a salsa bar with seemingly freshly made pico and four different types of salsa.  I tried the pico and the “salsa for chips.”  Looking at my plate, I thought…what am I going to do with iceberg lettuce topped with sour cream and a nasty looking tomato?  I opened the burrito and dumped it all in and with a full scoops of the above mentioned salsa.  The burrito shell was slightly grilled and made it difficult to reassemble with the increased amount of ingredients.

Pancho’s gives you the ability to choose from about seven different meats.  Normal fare includes chicken, steak, ground beef, chorizo, carnitas, tripe, etc.  The carne asada (steak) was cooked well and cut into very small pieces.  I picked a few pieces out to taste them outside of the burrito and I found it to be a little bland.  However, the meat was gristle free and had very little fat.  The beans and rice were filler.  If you have had ‘em once, I guess.  The pico brightened it up a little and the salsa made the burrito a little too runny.

Would I Buy It Again?  No. This was a boring burrito.  $7.90 for a burrito and a drink is about as much as Chipotle and I am not sure if I would pick Pancho’s over Chipotle.  For burritos or tacos, I prefer neighboring El Pastorcito or even El Taco Torro.  It wasn’t a bad burrito and you should give it a try to see if you are with the masses.  I found Pancho’s to be a step above the El Rodeo’s of the world, but a step below the burrito elite in Indy.

-Wibia

Mexico City Grill
11653 Fishers Station Dr.
Fishers, IN 46038
http://www.mexicocitygrill.com (same menu as Fishers location)

Mexico City Grill recently opened its newest location in the recently renovated Fishers Station Plaza at 116^th St. and Allisonville Road.  Fishers has several other Mexican restaurants within a mile of this location makingthe long term success of Mexico City Grill dependent on setting higher standard than its competition.  Since I work nearby, I inquired about whether they plan to offer delivery at lunch and it is not currently part of their plan.

This location was previously a Mexican restaurant and the layout inside has change little from the previous owners. The décor is bright and busy in an attempt to create a festive environment but over the top for my taste.  Having just opened, it was not very busy and the large staff provided quick service to the point I was asked if everything was okay about every five minutes.  It will be interesting to see how the staff handles a full dining room and if the service remains top notch.

What I Got:

Chips/Salsa(free) and Guacamole ($4.99).  You can usually tell a lot about a place by these three staples. The golden colored chips were freshly made and were some of the best I have had anywhere.  The salsa was very runny to the point you could see water separating from the rest of the salsa making it a huge disappointment.  The guacamole can be ordered for $4.99 or you can have it freshly made table side for $8.00.  For $5.00, I was disappointed in the serving size, but the guacamole was the right mix of avocado chunks to its creaminess and is some of the best I have had anywhere.

Burrito del Campo ($9.50).  A fresh flour tortilla wrapped around a combination of steak, chicken, shrimp, cheese sauce and rice.  Topped with your choice of a green sauce or cheese sauce and fresh diced tomatoes.  The steak and chicken were marinated and tender and the burrito included six large shrimp that were just a bit overcooked.  I chose the green sauce and the combination of everything worked well together.  The beans on the plate were standard fare but the rice was very dry and overdone.  Overall, I enjoyed this burrito enough that I would order it again.

Enchiladas Con Crema ($8.99).  With this choice, you get two enchiladas and my wife got one with chicken and the other with ground beef.  They came topped with sour cream sauce and cheese, and were served with refried beans, rice, lettuce, avocado slices and sour cream.  The sauce was make or break, and in this case, my wife was disappointed.  Although I liked the seasoning combination in the sauce better than her, it did not work at all on the enchilada with ground beef but came off better with the chicken.  Between the sour cream sauce and all of the other sour cream, it was a gloppy mess and both my wife and I would pass on this menu item in the future.

Kids Chicken Chimichanga ($4.99). The server forgot to put this in with the original order but had it out to use within a couple of minutes of us receiving our meal.  The kid’s meal was large enough to feed both my three and four year old and came with a chimichanga that my wife liked more than her meal, beans and rice.  The seasoning was simple for kids but overall good value.  The kids menu had many other good options making Mexico City Grill a good family destination.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes. The service was excellent and the food was above average.  Whenever I visit a restaurant in its first couple of days after being opened, I am always interested in seeing if the quality of  food and service changes as they get busier or slower depending on first impressions.  Overall, if I am choosing between Mexico City Grill based on my first impression and the nearby Riviera Maya in the downtown area of Fishers on 116^th Street that I reviewed in May of 2010, Riviera Maya has a better environment inside, a full bar, equally good service, a better range of menu items and higher quality food with better flavor that make it the better choice of two Mexican Restaurants with similar menus and prices.

-EatHSE

El Pollo Tapatio
4112 N High School Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46254

I can say with a good amount of certainty that I have tried the majority of taquerias in Indianapolis.   El Pollo Tapatio has been on my list for a while, so I decided to cross it off on a rainy night, dining by myself.  I kind of chuckled at the name as it basically means “A Chicken from Guadalajara.”  Tapatio is also a brand of hot sauce as well.

I walked in about 35 minutes before closing, but they said they were open.  The waitress spent the majority of the time talking to her boyfriend which was the only other person in the restaurant at the time.  Chips and salsa were provided.  The chips were straight out of a bag and I found the salsa to be good for a taqueria as I usually dislike taqueria salsa.  This one had a hint of dried chile de arbol which I didn’t love, but overall it is better than the majority I have had.

The menu is straight forward.  A good amount of seafood which I wasn’t 100% trusting, so I decided to stick to what I know.

What I Ate: Super Burrito $4.00. Mixed meat, carnitas and carne asada, lettuce, pico, sour cream,

The waitress advised that I could combine up to three meats in a burrito.   I went for the above mentioned two.   I would think that they would split the burrito half and half, however they put the meats side by side in the burrito.   I can’t say that I enjoyed this and it was difficult to tell the difference between the meat.  Both meats were shredded, but they neglect to fry the carnitas before putting it in the burrito to achieve a little bark on the outside.  Basically, they were pulled out of a roasted pan, grease and all and sat the meat in the burrito.

The pico, sour cream and lettuce were really non-factors.  It was a very meaty burrito.

Would I Buy It Again?  No to the burrito. My problem is that this burrito was really greasy.  The grease made the shell transparent and when you squished the grease out of the meat, it just wasn’t that flavorful.   However, maybe to El Pollo Tapatio. Four tables after me ordered the same thing, Whole Chicken for $10.95.   It appeared there were two whole roasted chickens accompanied with tortillas and fixings.  I saw a few families eating just this and loving it.

All in all, it wasn’t a horrible meal, but I literally had to stop and get a few napkins to wipe off my steering wheel because or residual grease on my hands…and yes, I washed them after I was finished.

-wibia

El Meson
8920 Wesleyan Road
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Phone: (317) 872-6400
http://www.elmesonmexicanrestaurant.com/

Nestled in around Michigan Road and Interstate 465, El Meson has a very odd looking building.  The back of the building faces Michigan Road (the busier road) so I am never sure when they are open.  The place also looks a little sketchy right in between five chain restaurants.

The interior was a lot bigger than I thought it would be…and it was a lot nicer.  See:

Normal setup as a chips and salsa guy hooks you up right away and then a totally different guy comes and takes your order.  The chips were stale, but the salsa wasn’t that bad.

What I Ate: Burrito Gigante, Thursday Special = $4.99

When this burrito hit the table, it quickly proved that it was appropriately named.  It was packed with refried beans, rice, chicken and lettuce.  Overall, it was okay and satisfied my gluttonous lunch.  I wouldn’t consider this authentic and I can’t say there were any surprises here.

The guac that was plopped on top of the burrito was pretty bad and I removed that quickly.  It was too smooth and I didn’t taste a hint of cilantro.

I spent most of the meal thinking about how cheap this was instead of any standout flavors.  I was stuffed from this meal and I can only imagine the calorie count.

Would I Buy It Again?  Maybe, but probably not.  If I am looking for a cheap burrito fix without wanting to drive to my favorite taquerias, this might satisfy my craving.  I have had a lot worse…and a lot better.  If I worked on a number scale, I would give it a 6/10; slightly above average for a non-authentic “authentic Mexican restaurant.”  If you have been to El Rodeo, La Hacienda, Cancun, I can’t say that you will be surprised by El Meson, but it would not stand a chance against the real taquerias in town.

-wibia

Riviera Maya
8657 E. 116^th Street
Fishers, IN 46038

http://www.rivieramayamexicanrestaurant.com/menu.html

[Editor's Note:  There also appears to be a scanned copy of the menu at Coupons4Indy.com's site.  There are additional coupons for the restaurant there as well.]

This downtown Fishers location used to be the home of smoke-filled breakfast placed called Papa’s, a short lived night club and a failed tavern to name a few.  During the winter, a sign was posted that Riviera Maya was coming and I watched the place slowly transformed as workers gutted the place and cut stone for weeks.  Somebody was finally putting some money in here and I eagerly waited its opening about fifteen days ago.  This is the owner’s second location outside of the original Columbus, Indiana location.  The Fishers location does not yet have a menu online, but the Columbus one I linked in this review matched Fishers with the prices being higher in Fishers.  So how is the food?

Chips and Salsa

If you can’t do the chips and salsa right, you are in big trouble.  Fortunately, the chips were a darker corn color, warm and fresh but need some salt for my own taste.  The salsa is good and picks up a punch the more you eat even though it is not heavily spiced.  The salsa is a very basic smooth textured salsa, but not runny, which is my favorite kind.  I like a little cilantro in mine, but as I said, it is a good simple salsa.

What I Got:

Burrito Loco $9.99: A large 12 inch burrito stuffed with chicken, steak, shrimp and topped with a white melted cheese that never left a heavy feeling as I ate it.  The steak was so soft that it melted in my mouth and the shrimp was marinated and cooked to perfection which is rare as most places overcook shrimp for my taste.  This is quite frankly one of my favorite burritos I have ever had and the quality of all the meats was high and cooked to perfection.  My only complaint is that the burrito did not come with rice or beans which I may request next time.

Chimichanga Acapulco $8.99: My wife got this deep fried flour filled tortilla with chicken, steak, shrimp covered in cheese and served with typical sides like beans, Pico, rice and guacamole.  I do not eat deep fried food, but tried this chimichanga and begged my wife for a second bite.  It was so good that my wife ordered it again on our second visit three nights later to celebrate my birthday.

Quesadilla Rellena $6.99: A typical quesadilla with chicken and refried beans that is served with lettuce, tomato, sour cream and guacamole.  I tried a bit of my kids’ meal they happily shared and ate some themselves.  Any time I can find a menu item that a two and three year old love, it makes the whole experience better for everyone.  By the way, the guacamole is top notch and I ordered an extra bowl for $2.50.

Fajitas Especial: $11.99: On my second trip for my birthday, I decided to give the fajita a try.  There are many variations and combinations of fajitas you can order to meet your preferences.  Not only did my fajitas come with the same good chicken, steak and shrimp I mentioned previously, but they also came with a Mexican sausage similar to chorizo but better.  Along with this combination came all of the typical menu additions you find with fajita elsewhere including grilled onions, peppers, lettuce, tomato, guacamole, sour cream, Pico, rice and beans.  This was easily two meals for $11.99 and easily my favorite fajitas when comparing them to other area restaurants.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes.  I was shocked when I walked into the place as it has been completely transformed and we were quickly seated in a spacious booth.  The fast and efficient service would be the pattern throughout dinner.  Fishers finally has a winner filling what was once and often a vacant location.  In both of my visits to Riveria Maya, the food has been very good and the service kept up with keeping my drink full and fresh chips and salsa on the table.  Both of my experiences have been very positive in the fifteen days they have been open and the parking lot is packed nightly as Fishers takes its first taste of the Riveria Maya.  With dishes ranging for the typical $8 combos to $18 fish dishes, a large menu and a family friendly atmosphere, Riveria Maya has something to offer everyone and I highly recommend you stop in a give Fishers newest restaurant a try.  I will continue to follow-up this review of other menu items each time I visit.

-EatHSE

Friaco’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina
11680 Commercial Dr.
Fishers, IN 46037
317-578-7511
http://friacosrestaurant.com/

Yet another new restaurant has opened in Fishers, this time across from the Target on 116^th street .   Previously this location housed Stefano’s Pizzeria, which I was sad to see close.  I was surprised to see a Mexican restaurant going in there, as there seem to be so many others around, but was happy to have another to try out.  My wife is not a big fan of El Rodeo (though I like it pretty well) and neither of us wanted to drive to Castleton, so we thought we’d poke our heads in, check out the menu, and see how it looked.  Walking in, it was actually nicely decorated, with the typical Mexican music playing, and we even spotted some friends that looked happy with the meal they were wrapping up.  So we decided to try it out. Sitting down, we were pleased to see that Friaco’s is part of a small chain, with two locations in Illinois, as well as a location in Mexico.  We figured this means they must have some sort of proven formula and know what they’re doing.

What I Got:

We started out with a bean dip appetizer ($4.49), which consisted of a layer of white queso over refried beans.  It was very tasty with chips, but what was even tastier was the salsa they served with the chips.  It had a bit of bite, and was pureed to be smoothly chunky.  But both were very good.

Next, we moved onto entrees.  I love carnitas.  What is there to not love about them?  They’re chunks of fried pork, and hard to screw up.  They’re the chicken parmesan of Mexican restaurants.  So, I ordered the carnitas entrée ($10.99).  They came with rice, refried beans, lettuce and tomato topped with a slice of avocado, which was a very nice touch.  The carnitas were absolutely delicious – the only disappointment was that I could only make it through about half of them.  I might try the carnitas chimichunga next time as that also looks good.

My wife ordered the sour cream enchildas, which we both liked.  They were filled with shredded chicken with just the right amount of seasoning, and topped with a tasty sour cream sauce. They also had rice and beans on the side.  My entrée was not loaded with peppers and onions as per my request (I’m not a big fan of either), but both dishes tasted terrific and far from plain.  We also shared a 27 ounce blue margarita that was on special ($8.99) and which was quite good.  But really, is there such a thing as a bad margarita?

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, absolutely.  Everything we had was very good, and the atmosphere was pleasant enough to make it a nice location for a date night.  Some friends of ours also enjoyed their meal, and dropped off an extra “buy one get one half-off coupon” from coupons4indy.com.  They had signs up advertising that kids eat free on Mondays and $4.99 lunch specials during the week.  There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but Friaco’s hits a sweet spot for us as a great sit-down, slightly upscale Mexican restaurant.  It’s a big improvement over Don Pablo’s.  We’ll be going back there for sure, possibly with the kids in tow.

-BigRedEater