El Tio - New Rochelle - November 2nd

So, Mexican Friday resumed after quite some time. We decided to go to El Tio, across from New Roc City. Don't let the size of the place fool you, it was very impressive! The ambiance is great, that is, if you're not sitting facing outward looking at the neon lights & crowds of New Roc, but there were nice linens on the tables, wall hangings, a very cantina style atmosphere. The chips and salsa came in a cute lil clay bowl, and they were warm and fresh and the salsa wasn't too sweet or too hot. I ate the whole thing before Gina came - and then once she ordered another batch, she could see why! The margaritas were STRONG and Cheap! ($6.00) and came in a cute lil Cactus stemmed glass. And the chicken fajitas - well, you definitely got your moneys worth! Unlike some places where you only get a spattering of chicken, the whole plate was FULL of chicken pieces - i made 4 very full fajitas and STILL had chicken left over! I should've asked for more sour cream though.

Rating:

4 out of 5 sombreros.
Food was Great! I'm often skeptical of the $12+ price of Fajitas, but this place definitely gave me my moneys worth! Strong drinks, cute commodities - the cups, the linens, the chip & salsa holders. If it wasn't for the giant windows looking out at New Roc, it would've been perfect.

El Tio is located at 25 Anderson St at the corner of LeCount Place, directly across from New Roc City.

Friday September 21st - Mama Mexico, NYC

Ok, so we FINALLY resumed Mexican Friday for Lorraine's Birthday and it was an AMAZING time! The staff was very friendly, warm & courteous. The chips were warm and fresh, the salsa was great & not sweet tasting. The Nachos with sausage were out of this world - so good we ordered another plate! The Quesadillas with sliced chicken on the side were also good! And the Margaritas were STRONGGGGGGGG! The mariachi band played songs at your request, and it was Lori & her cousin's bdays & the staff catered to them each individually and made them feel important and special on their special days!

Rating:

Food was AMAZING! Ambiance was great, very cozy, music was soothing and not overbearing and fun! Strong Drinks, Wonderful service, NO COMPLAINTS! Well worth the trip & the price wasn't too overbearing, even for being in the City.


Mama Mexico is located at 214 East 49th Street and 3rd Ave.
www.mamamexico.com

Friday Sept 21st MAMA MEXICO - NYC

Lorraine's 23rd b-day is that night, so come celebrate with us! :)

It will be at
Mama Mexico
214 East 49th Street. (b/w 1st & 2nd ave)

So all you NYC'ers can meet us down there, people getting outta work, whatever!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! RSVP by September 18th! I need to make reservations for this!

http://www.mamamexico.com/

Blue Moon Cafe - Bronxville, NY - Friday August 31st

So from the outside, the Blue Moon Cafe looks like a lil spanish stucco style cantina. Inside, the restaurant is beautiful and cozy with southwestern style decor and huge mirrors and brass banisters. We started off with a cheese quesadilla which was a 2 layer tortilla style rather than the one big tortilla folded over. So it was slim and not packed full of cheese, which was pretty good. Me and Gina ordered the Moon Margarita, which tasted kinda minty almost like a mojito, but it didnt really impress me. Lorraine got a Vodka lemonade which was well, basically almost all vodka lol! As we moved on to dinner, everyone was surprised at the large portions we received - definitely more bang for your buck! Lorraines Buffalo Moon Burrito was GIGANTIC! filling her entire plate - she couldnt even finish it. So she shared with us and it was sooo good! Made with buffalo flavored chicken and blue cheese. Gina ordered the lime chicken which had a perfect flavor even after being grilled. And I ordered the Mexican stir fry - my only complaint was that there had been more rice because the rice was sooo good! the chicken and veggies were laid out on the rice, and lots of slices of zucchini. The menu was definitely very eccletic - with a lot of their own specialities items aside from the ordinary generic items. We got very excited once we found out they served Blue Moon Beer there (it would have been disappointing if it didn't go with the name of the restaurant) So we enjoyed those more than the margaritas.

Rating:


5 out of 5 Sombreros
Food was AMAZING!!!, service was great, ambiance was great! The chips and salsa were great too, definitely freshly made with a great taste! You definitely get your money's worth!



Blue Moon Cafe is located at 7-27 Pondfield Rd, Bronxville, NY - across from the Bronxville Train Station train tracks. See website for directions.
http://bluemoonmexicancafe.com/locations_bronxville.php

RSVP NOW!: Friday September 21st - Mama Mexico, NYC

I am posting this one 3 weeks in advance because we need to make reservations and I need to get a head count before I call and make the reservation.

Lorraine's 23rd b-day is that night, so come celebrate with us! :)

It will be at
Mama Mexico
214 East 49th Street. (b/w 1st & 2nd ave)

So all you NYC'ers can meet us down there, people getting outta work, people coming in from the island, whatever!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! RSVP by September 14th!

http://www.mamamexico.com/

Coyote Flaco - Port Chester - THURSDAY August 23

So we went to Coyote Flaco and sat in their cozy outdoor area. The chips were bleh - kinda stale and tasteless. The salsa was too sweet and watery. The $30 pitcher of frozen margaritas was SOOOO worth it! nice and strong and good flavored. We ordered chicken fajitas with cheese on the side (which, once again, we had to ask for - but at least we got sour cream this time), and OMG, BEST. FAJITAS. EVER! they were amazing - they come out on a lil sterno with all the fixins in lil cups attached to this metal holder. It came with a small thing of rice, which I wish there had been more of, because it was soooooooo good!

Rating:

4 out of 5 Sombreros
Food was great. chips were bleh. service was fast but slightly discourteous. Margs were great. The outdoor ambiance was great, very cute and mexican cantina style. The whole place from the outside looks just like a little road side food stand. The menu didn't really have a wide selection except for the basics, but a very nice full drink menu! They also have a take out window.

Coyote Flaco is located at 115 Midland Ave, Port Chester NY
Off Exit 22 on I-95 North & South.

http://www.mycoyoteflaco.com/locations/portchesterny.html

Gusano Loco - Mamaroneck NY - August 17

Another co-worker suggestion. I've probably driven past it a million times and never noticed it. It's easy to miss. You go inside and there's not really anything special - stucco walls styled to look like a traditional mexican style restaurant. There was a more spacious area with glass windows that looked like it had been added on to expand the restaurant in the back. The menu was typical, We ordered chicken fajitas and had to ask for them to add cheese as they did not come with them. We also had to ask for sour cream. The service was good, the staff were observant and helpful. The chips were warm and freshly made, as were the margaritas (There were stacks of crates of limes in the kitchen area, which unfortunately, we could see from our seats. The best part was that they offered margaritas by the PITCHER! There was a guy playing a harp for a while, but then kind of gave it up. There were TVs over by the bar showing the Yankee game, so maybe it was interfering.

Rating:

3 Sombreros out of 5

Food was predictable. Setting wasn't anything special or inviting. Margs & Chips were awesome. Staff was attentive, frequently refilling our margaritas & waters as needed.

No website - even though there was one listed on their menu.
Gusano Loco is located at 1137 W Boston Post Rd, Mamaroneck NY (Next to McDonalds) Take Hutchinson River Parkway to Exit 21 Weaver St - Follow Weaver St all the way down until it hits Boston Post Road. Make a Left, and follow about 1/2 a mile. It's right across the street from Starbucks, next to McDonalds. You can park in the Equinox Parking lot.

MaryAnn's - Port Chester NY - August 8th (yes i know its a Wednesday we had to do it early)

I've been hearing about MaryAnn's for years. My mom and her co-workers used to get taken out to lunch there once a month. She would bring me home big paper bags full of their chips & plastic containers with their freshly made salsa. They make their own chips and they're quite honestly the best I've had yet! They have a small but reasonable menu full of the usual favorites, plus there are nightly dinner specials as well. (Thursday nights are $5 margaritas!) They also do take out, lunch, and vegetarian specials. They also have a selection of speciality quesadillas - I got a shrimp & snow crab meat one that was out of this world! We split a cheese quesadilla that was briming with cheese & very filling. Margaritas were good and adequately priced. The decor is very intimate and, if you couldn't see the bright lights of Boston Post Road/Route 1 outside with Wendy's right next door & Burger King across the street, you'd swear you were in a lil hole in the wall in Cabo or somewhere in Baja. The staff were very pleasant and down to earth - we had a 10 minute conversation with our pregnant waitress! And there's a cantina-esque bar off to the side as well. The outside of the restaurant looks just like a little shack on the side of the road, and fake cactuses add to the decor.

Rating:

4 Sombreros out of 5

Great food, great service, great setting. A must try if you're into the basics, but might not be up to par for those who are into some of the more complicated, traditional entrees.

No website - Mary Ann's is located at 275 Post Road/Route 1, Port Chester, NY off of Exit 21 on I-95 North, and Exit 11 off I-287 East

Tequila Sunrise - Larchmont NY - August 3rd

Tequila Sunrise has long been a staple of Mexican fare in Larchmont - Many a night, my friends and I wandered in there simply for drinks and chips in the late hours, since the bar area is separate and they play music on the weekends, but I had never actually eaten a meal there. The Menu is very extensive, with a long list of traditional food items. You sit in beautifully crafted tall back wooden chairs, with a simple white tablecloth covering your table. I ordered a Shrimp Quesadilla and it was AMAZING! The Strawberry Margarita I got tasted like plastic, so I traded it in for their signature drink, a Tequila Sunrise - VERY STRONG! but subpar. As were the chips & salsa. Their bar offers fun slammer shots. A Mariachi band will come to your table, christen you with a Sombrero and sing Felice Compleanos. The decor is very Mayan - if it weren't for the college partying going on on the other side of the Bar (complete with TVs showing sports & Current music), it's a very intimate, traditional, exciting & entertaining atmosphere. The dining room is very spread out, so it's probably a better setting for big groups and birthday outings.

Rating:

3 Sombreros out of 5

Food was great, Menu selection was great, Drinks were subpar, strong but nothing special, but the overall experience for me wasn't inviting. Too rowdy a crowd for the 3 of us who went to eat. Maybe next time in a bigger group it will be a more enjoyable experience.

www.tequilasunrisenewyork.com

Box Car Cantina - Greenwich CT - July 27th

So we went here after a suggestion from a co-worker of mine. It's definitely a "blink and you'll miss it" off the beaten path restaurants in Greenwich, but once inside, it's a very cozy atmosphere. Metal decorative card tables and Wooden chairs greet you, along with dim lighting and an inviting bar. The wait staff is friendly and pleasant. The Menu has the usual traditional fare, along with some select specialty items, but emphasize on the SELECT part; There isn't really much to choose from. You get welcomed with chips and freshly made salsa, and their margaritas are to die for! $12 for Frozen, and $11 for on the rocks - Make sure you have a designated driver because despite the high price, its definitely 99% Tequila & 1% Marg mix! The Cheese Quesadillas was HUGE and filling, I couldn't even finish mine! We had split an order of nachos as an appetizer, which were deliciously prepared and stayed crispy & crunchy & did not take on that soggy feel like some nachos do once they get hot and cheese & bean covered. Basically, 2 margs each later added up to half our bill haha! We waited it out with some more chips and finally left, slightly inebriated and our bellies full.

Overall Rating:

4 Somberos out of 5

Food was great, Margs were EXCELLENT, Staff was friendly & fast, but a broader menu selection could have made it better.

www.boxcarcantina.com

how it all began...

So my friend Gina and I have a very intense love for Mexican Food (and margaritas!). So one day, a co-worker suggested a restaurant to me, and Gina and I decided to go that Friday. And that began the tradition of Mexican Fridays.

Each Friday we will visit a different Mexican Restaurant, and I will report back here as to how our experience was.

These outings are not simply limited to Gina and Myself, but are open to all those who consider themselves to be Mexican Food Enthusiasts! So please feel free to join us! The address of each restaurant will be posted here weekly.

So far we have visited the following Restaurants:

-Box Car Cantina, Greenwich CT
-Tequila Sunrise, Larchmont NY
-MaryAnn's, Port Chester NY
-Gusano Loco, Mamaroneck NY

(Blogs to be posted about the already visited resaurants shortly)