I'll admit it: I'm more of a lurker here at Yelp. But after reading review after review of how awesome this place is, I have to say: I DON'T GET IT. We (three of us) entered Rey Azteca around 7pm, not knowing what to expect. After putting our name in the till, we waited for about 15 minutes for a seat--not too bad.
Once seated, we all started with water, as we usually do. (My group usually orders cocktails or unusual house specialities. Since there's neither a liquor license nor homemade horchata, we stuck to the di-hydro.) First impression: the menu is reasonably large and well formatted. [Note: since my cohorts are also Yelpers, I'll only focus on my own observations for this review.]
After declining "refrescos", we were offered chips and salsa... and were quite eager to try them! (Honestly, it's one of the primary ways to judge a Mexican restaurant. For Americanized Chinese, the test is either eggrolls or wonton soup; for Mexican, it's chips and salsa. And if they're not good, you may as well cash in your chips, pay for your drinks and get outta Dodge! Rey Azteca's chips were probably the best I've ever had in any restaurant: light, crispy, homemade and not too salty. Salsa, on the other hand, was probably the worst I've ever had--EVER. It tasted of tomato paste. There was no discernible onion, garlic or fresh cilantro flavor at all. No detectable hint of lime either. The story so far: amazing tortilla chips, but horrible salsa. This should have been noted as a harbinger of what was to come. (Rey Azteca, what are you doing?!)
For a main course, I was hoping to order the combo plate of Tamales and Beef Enchiladas. (Both are corn-based dishes and should have no problem for someone who is gluten-intolerant like me.) After explaining my situation--both verbally and in writing--they practically flipped out. Suddenly they're saying that the chef could easily prepare a vegetarian dish for me. (I'm not vegetarian; I'm gluten-intolerant: I cannot have barley, rye or wheat related grains... nor non-distilled grain vinegar, grain-based sweeteners [maltodextrin] and yeast extracts. Granted, it's a bit more complicated than that, but I can have rice and beans and all manner of meats provided they're not prepared concurrently or cross-contaminated with what's on the no-fly list.) I try to re-explain myself, but I'm not sure they're hearing me. I assure them that beef and chicken are fine, as well as rice and beans. They're still dissuading me from the beef but not explaining why. I decide to risk it and go for the beef enchiladas.
(Apparently, the tamales are off-limits because not only do they serve them with a flour-thickened sauce over top, but they also simmer the tamales in that sauce--which I can't eat. Maybe it's a regional variation, but my experience with tamales is that they're a masa-based confection that often includes pork, peppers and other seasonings, steamed--AND SERVED--inside a corn-husk wrapper. Essentially, tamales are on-the-go food. There should be no sauce. Still, the modern Americanized establishments serve them that way and Rey Azteca is following suit. But the fact that they SIMMER THEM in this gravy is not only disappointing on a culinary level, but also silly in an entrepreneurial sense: there's no way Celiacs can eat them. (And why complicate such a elegantly simple thing anyway?)
When the enchiladas arrived, they were slathered in what appeared to be the same type of sauce that most restaurants use on their tamales. (I decided to try it anyway... and DIDN'T get a gluten reaction!) The shell was a steamed/baked corn tortilla and the stuffing was made from ground beef, onion, garlic and spices. The problem with this dish was the complete lack of flavor and character... as well as the ground beef itself. (Most restaurante menus specify "ground beef", reserving the "beef" nomenclature for the shredded/steak variety. Rey Azteca's menu merely said beef but appeared as a finely ground meat product--blandly seasoned, stuffed inside the tortilla, draped with sauce and melted cheese... and poorly presented on the plate. (A plate full of brown, brown and off-white can easily be dressed with tomato, lettuce, guacamole--ANYTHING--to make it look good. These guys aren't even trying!)
Additionally, the serving size is nearly half that of El Campesino in Altoona. I might've ordered more, but didn't feel like it would be worth it.
Granted, my Celiac request may have thrown them for a loop. And I'm always willing to give a place a second try. But for now, I'd easily drive the 50 miles to El Campesino!
Overall:
~ Best tortilla chips I've ever had in a restaurant.
~ Worst salsa I've ever had in a restaurant.
~ Friendly service.
~ Incredibly bland food--even after ordering it extra-spicy.
ONE MORE TRY, guys. read more