Long Beach, WA: Una Absoluta Disappointment ... Understand Compadre?

El Compadre Restaurant
1900 Pacific Avenue North
Long Beach, WA 98631
Phone number (360) 642-8280
Website: elcompadre.com
Prices: $$$$

Having spent a few days at Cape Disappointment State Park just 15 minutes up the road, this was one of the few modern, semi-upscale (not a dive) restaurants on the peninsula as far as I could tell. A bit of a dive, inside and out, the place could use a complete remodel or a deep cleaning at the very least. The prices are a bit on the high side for Mexican, but the service was decent.

Fortunately, the chips and salsa were free because the chips were of the cheap, store-bought variety and, likely, the salsa was as well. We also added a side of guacamole ($5.25), probably the best value on the menu and not bad, having been properly seasoned and with hardly any of the less expensive tomato filler most places use.

I had the #2 Combo, a taco, enchilada, and tostada with rice and beans ($11.95). The taco came with picadillo (shredded beef) on a store-bought, pre-fab taco shell that fell apart upon first bite because of the not-so-well drained meat and the cheap shell. If you know me, my biggest pet peeve at a Mexican restaurant is store bought chips and pre-fab taco shells, a sure sign of mediocre quality. The cheese and onion enchilada was actually quite good and the sauce tasty, I will give them that. But the tostada was a nightmare, coming on a, you guessed it, pre-fab tostada shell that was so soggy by the time I got to it that I could only eat it with a fork. I asked for “all beans, no rice”, but I got the rice anyway. The refried beans were actually quite tasty.

My wife ordered a Cheese Quesadilla ($8.95), coming with a large dollup of guacamole, sour cream and diced tomatoes. A bit pricey for a tortilla filled with cheese, but this was one of the biggest quesadillas I have ever seen with loads o’ melted cheese inside a huge flour tortilla. Still not worth anything near $9, it was not a horrible value in contrast to the other menu items.

This rather expensive, mediocre Mexican food in a less than stellar environment left me "Disappointed" once again.

CombatCritic Gives El Compadre 4 Bombs Out Of 10 … More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

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Title: Long Beach, WA: Una Absoluta Disappointment ... Understand Compadre?

Key Words: Long Beach, Washington, Cape Disappointment, El Compadre, el, compadre, Mexican, taco, Portland, Oregon, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Google

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Lawrence, KS: UPDATE - El Mezcal Open Again ... Same Location, Similar Menu, Upscale Decor, But No Margarita Specials

El Mezcal

1819 W. 23rd Street
Lawrence, KS 66046
Phone number: (785) 832-8775
Website: elmezcal.com
Prices: $$$$

Old information and reviews do not apply to "new and improved(?)" El Mezcal. There is a new menu and no great margarita specials like they had before they closed ... "We're still deciding" I was told ... Well, I am still deciding whether or not I want to come back! We used to eat at El Mezcal 3-4 times a month, now we eat there 1-2 times max.

Deep fried tacos (3 - $9.99) with shredded beef new on the menu, are a welcome addition, although they are much smaller and skimpier on meat than Mi Ranchito down the street. Unlike Mi Ranchito's deep fried tacos, El Mezcal's fall apart by the time you get to taco #2 and #3 and I do not like having to eat my tacos with a knife and fork. Otherwise, the food is pretty much the same and the decor more upscale after the infamous Italian/Mexican fiasco and expensive building renovation.

Cheese Quesadillas ala Carte

Taco "Plater" (Platter)

Cheese and Onion Enchiladas ala Carte

KU students cannot afford $7+ margaritas, so they should add some margarita specials soon or we and many others will be eating at Mi Ranchito where the food is better. If El Mezcal is trying to make up losses for the expensive renovation, they are going about it the wrong way. I have heard from many friends that the lack of reasonably priced margaritas (like before) is one thing keeping them away and I am sure that is the case with KU students. Cheap, strong margaritas was one of the few things that made the "old" El Mezcal stand out from the other mediocre Mexican restaurants in Lawrence, so they are losing customers and revenue by trying to recuperate losses by charging more for drinks. They could also offer daily specials like $1 tacos (e.g. El Potro) on Monday night ... their place is packed, El Mezcal is not.

CombatCritic Gives The "New And Improved" El Mezcal 4 Bombs Out Of 10 With A 2 Bomb Deduction For Overpriced Margaritas ... More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Read Chris S.'s review of El Mezcal on Yelp

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





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Title: Lawrence, KS: UPDATE - El Mezcal Open Again ... Same Location, Similar Menu, Upscale Decor, But No Margarita Specials

Translation for Civilians: BOHICA = "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

Key Words: 66044, burrito, CombatCritic, eat, El Mezcal, el, enchilada, food, guacamole, Kansas, Lawrence, margarita, Mexican, mezcal, restaurant, taco, travel, TravelValue, value

Castle Rock, CO: "El Korita" Stands For Good Food And Reasonable Prices ... "From The Heart"

El Korita

106 S. Wilcox Street

Castle Rock, CO 80104

Phone: (303) 814-0622

Website: Facebook Page

Prices: $$$$

Good, authentic Mexican food ... reasonable prices. This strip mall restaurant used to be a Mexican food market, transforming a year ago into a restaurant with a small grocery area in the front.

I had the crispy tacos with machaca ($8.99) and rice and beans. The tortillas were handmade and fried on site, not store-bought and heated in the oven. A side of guacamole cost only $1 although we did have to pay for the chips and salsa which were also fresh and made in house. My son had the beef enchiladas with homemade green tomatillo sauce ($9.99) which were were delicious and filling.

At under $25 for dinner for two, El Korita is a CombatCritic BEST VALUE and should not be missed if craving Mexican food and in or passing through the Castle Rock area.

CombatCritic Gives El Korita 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Title: Castle Rock, CO: "El Korita" Stands For Good Food And Reasonable Prices ... "From The Heart"

Key Words: El Korita, el, korita, Castle Rock, castle, rock, Colorado, CO, Mexican, authentic, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog, 

Translation for Civilians: WTFO! ="What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

Topeka, KS: Full Parking Lot, Open Arms, Good Food ... So-So Guacamole

El Centenario

1306 South Kansas Ave

Topeka, KS 66612

Phone: (785) 783-8968

After driving 30 miles to visit another highly touted Mexican restaurant nearby where we were turned away because they were closed during business hours "for routine maintenance", we drove to El Centenario. The parking lot was nearly full on a Tuesday night ... normally, a good sign.

We were quickly seated because the place is pretty big and chips and salsa soon arrived. They had a 99 Cent margarita special going, so I ordered one ... OLE! We also ordered their famous white cheese dip ($3.50) and, being my birthday, a large guacamole ($6.50). The chips were good and hot, but the salsa was nothing special, so I asked for the "hot" version which was a little better. The cheese dip was good, nothing special and the guacamole was terrible. Beside the tomato, onion, and jalapeños, there was something strange about it, like they added Imo or sour cream to increase yield. Either that or they used inferior (Hass avocados should be used) or unripe avocados. Whatever they did, it was one of the worst guacamoles I have ever had.

My wife had the torta (sandwich) Milanesa ($7.50), a thin breaded and pan-fried beef cutlet on a Mexican bread roll with mayo, lettuce, avocado and onion (tomato on the side because my wife is allergic) with French fries. It was pretty good, one of the better tortas I have had and the fries were hot and crispy.

I ordered the usual on my first visit, tacos and enchiladas. I ordered one hard shell taco ($1.75) and two traditional Mexican tacos (served on two soft corn tortillas), one with carne asada (they spell it "azada") and one with carnitas, and a side order of cheese and onion enchiladas. The hard taco was not bad, coming on the usual pre-fab shell with nicely flavored ground beef and lettuce and Mexican white cheese. Not bad. The soft shell tacos were excellent, coming on two large corn tortillas each and piled high with meat, some onion, cilantro and accompanied by sliced, fresh lime just as they should. Bueno! Finally, the enchiladas had just the right amount of deliciously seasoned red chili sauce and cheese and were baked to perfection. I have to say, these were the best enchiladas I have had in a very long time ... OLE!

It was too bad that the guacamole ruined what would have been an outstanding meal and I told the manager about the guacamole problem when were paying our bill, but all he said was "i'll check it out", not "I'm sorry, let me take that off your check". Otherwise, we were very happy with our meal and will likely return to see if the guacamole problem was a one off deal because it it was not, I will send it back to the kitchen.

CombatCritic Gives El Centenario 7 Bombs Out Of 10 (And An "S&G!" For You Military Types) ... With A Two Bomb Deduction For The Guac (One For The Guacamole And One For The Manager Who Shrugged His Shoulders) ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "#1 Ranked Foodie"



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El Centenario

Title: Topeka, KS: Full Parking Lot, Open Arms, Good Food ... So-So Guacamole

Key Words: El Centenario, el, centenario, Topeka, Kansas, KS, Mexican, Mexico, taco, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Tabelog, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: "S&G" = Shits and Grins

Kansas City, KS: El Camino Real: Real Tacos, Real Mexican Food, Real Good ... HOOAH!

El Camino Real

903 N 7th Street

Kansas City, KS 66101

Phone: (913) 342-4333

Website: elcaminorealkck.com

Prices: $$$$

If you want authentic Mexican food, handmade tortillas, cheap prices and fast, friendly service, El Camino Real in Kansas City, Kansas is the place for you.

I grew up in California where El Camino Real, the royal road, runs the length of the state with Spanish missions founded by Father Junipero Serra strategically placed every 50 to 100 miles. This El Camino Real provides sanctuary, very much like those 21 California missions, but in the form of excellent food rather than shelter. Unfortunately, it just happens to be about 50 miles from my home.

A small place with 15-20 tables, the little kitchen sits in open view as you walk in the door where a lady was making fresh tortillas for each order. I grabbed the last table in the place and the server quickly brought chips, salsa and small cups of pico de gallo, cilantro, and diced white onions to add to the tacos. The chips were obviously made in-house and were thick, warm, and crispy just the way I like them. I asked if they had a small or side order of guacamole so I could try it, but the server told me they only sell one size and it was $3.99. I told her "thanks, but no thanks".

The tacos are in the traditional Mexican-style, with only the meat of your choice (pastor, asada, carnitas, picadillo, pollo, pescado) piled on two hot, grilled, handmade tortillas, not the crispy American variety you get at Taco Bell and most Mexican restaurants. I had one taco al pastor ($1.50 - sliced pork with pineapple), one carne asada ($1.50 - sliced steak) taco, one picadillo ($1.50 - ground beef) taco and a chicken enchilada à la carte ($1.50). Adding diced white onion, pico de gallo, fresh cilantro and salsa to the tacos, the only thing missing was some guacamole, but they were delicious nonetheless. I would have preferred a cheese and onion enchilada, but I failed to specify, so what I got was a chicken enchilada. My least favorite variety, it was still pretty good, although not very hot, and the red (chili) enchilada sauce was dark, rich and superb.

My only gripes are that you cannot get a side order of guacamole and the fact that they used a microwave oven to heat my enchilada, resulting in inconsistent melting of the cheese (see photo above) and a lukewarm enchilada. But hey, compared to the sad excuses for what they call Mexican food in Lawrence, these flaws are minuscule. 

My bill came to a little over $7 including tax, so with tip I paid just $10 for a great lunch. A value meal at a fast food joint costs nearly that, so this filling lunch was a tremendous value. I tried to talk the owner into opening an El Camino Real in Lawrence. He seemed interested, but alas, it will not likely happen in my lifetime. Too bad.

CombatCritic Gives El Camino Real 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... Bombs Are Good!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: El Camino Real: Real Tacos, Real Mexican Food, Real Good ... HOOAH!

Key Words: El Camino Real, el, camino, real, Mexican, taco, Kansas City, Kansas, city, 7th, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

El Camino Real

Menu

El Camino Real