I had lunch here yesterday with my aunt, sister, my brother-in-law and two of their friends. It's rare that I make the drive down to Sonora to visit my sister but when I do, I like to go out to one of their local restaurants. I had been here once before, years ago. Long before I was a Yelper.
Again, the service here was OUTSTANDING! I was sure to ask our server's name to include it in my review. Emily has some of the best people-skills I have seen in a young server. She was witty, made us laugh and went out of her way to provide a great dine-in experience. She was attentive but didn't bother us. She and the atmosphere of the restaurant took this review to three stars from one or two stars.
We sat out on the patio. Our table was mostly shaded and the weather was perfect! I wanted so much to like the food but it was just NO BUENO!
I ordered a simple, Pork Tamale and Beef Enchilada combination. My tamale was horrible! It was severely dry and I could only eat what was in the middle, and I'm not sure if I should have. It was obviously microwaved because of varying temperatures within the tamale. Piping hot on the outside and somewhat cold on the inside. The texture of the cornmeal was rough and dry. Almost as if it had been cooked prior to our arrival...like maybe the day before. ? The same was with my enchilada. The beef inside was way overcooked. I'm pretty sure it had been microwaved too. I was scared to eat the beef and only ate the surrounding ingredients....exactly opposite of how I ate the tamale.
I looked around the table to take notice of everyone else's food. I thought it was quite comical that even though everyone ordered different dishes, it all looked pretty much the same with slight variations. I didn't complain as to not damper the mood. I couldn't tell if others were as unsatisfied as I was but their bill was taken care of for them, so I'm sure they wouldn't have said anything anyway, as to not offend the person paying for their meals.
Their water was yucky! Not sure what the deal is with that. Maybe they use tap water to maybe they just haven't cleaned out their ice machine? I don't know but my sister agreed and said, "Yeah, their water is gross and that's why I get iced tea."
I HAVE to reiterate how great Emily's service was to us. I may give this place another chance IF they work on their food. Maybe hire a chef who can cook authentic Mexican cuisine or invite Robert Irvine (from the Food Network's Restaurant Impossible) because I really don't understand how they will be able to stay in business since their food is so bad.
The reason I gave 3 stars was all because of Emily....ohh AND their chips & salsa was really good! I'm not sure which was better. The chips or the salsa. They were both great! read more