After a long drive from California heading toward Pinetop AZ, my cousin called me to tell me I needed to give this place a try. So, once I arrived I pulled into the parking lot and strolled in with my family.
This place gives off a "hole in the wall" vibe, with no frills. We walked in and were seated promptly. A lot of people were here so we thought that was a good sign. We were given two baskets of chips and two bowls of salsa. Our drink orders were taken, and we started right away on the chips and salsa. The chips and salsa always make the first impression with me, so if they start bad, I know the food will suck.
The chips and salsa passed the test. No complaints. We perused the menu and your typical items were in on the menu. We did see at the bottom of a page that the first bowl of chips was on the house. Subsequent refills were $1 a pop. What the hell? Eh, ok whatever. We looked on the menu to see if queso was an option. The only thing they had was queso with meat inside. We asked the waitress if just queso by itself was an option, to which she replied "no, we don't have anything like nacho cheese." She gave us a weird look like the request was far fetched. We told her that we were from Texas, so that was why we asked. She gave a condescending smirk, and walked off. The wife and I were still undecided of what we wanted.
The waitress came back and we ordered fajitas for dos. Beef and chicken. The entree on the menu specifically listed 6 tortillas. No more, unless you want to pay for extras. Again, what the hell? Eh, ok.
In good time the fajitas came. We heard them coming from the kitchen all the way to us just a sizzling and rolling smoke. A good sign. They were placed in front of us with the fixin's to accompany them. Beans, rice, guacamole, and sour cream. All of it looked yummy, minus the brown guacamole.
We got right to making our fajita tacos to our liking. The beef was leaving a weird orange stain on the tortilla, to which I realized was the seasoning on the fajitas. Strange.. ok...
Took the first bite, and was instantly turned off. The fajitas were seasoned with taco meat. What the hell? What kind of place is this? I've never seen fajitas seasoned with taco meat.
I finished the first taco, and threw in the towel. I at the beans, rice, and my two other tortillas, with no complaints there.
I really wanted to give this place a good review. I am usually a "give me Tex-mex, or give me death," kinda guy, but I was going out of my comfort zone to give this place a shot. Next time I will just stay in my lane and stay with what I know.
I do not recommend this place, and suggest you keep driving by. Other good alternatives are not too far down the road.
I am going to call my grandmother and make sure my cousin is actually related to the family. Horrible recommendation. Haha.
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