I was headed across town, and looked for a place I'd never tried before, and rolled the dice on…read moreAngie's. The space inside was large and open, and clean and bright.
I was pleased to see that they had my favorite fresh fruit drink, Tamarindo, so we were off to a good start
The chicken tortilla soup had a good flavor, but it had no tortilla strips in it, and I had to ask for them. It also had pieces of corn and other veg in too. I know every family has their own version, but I wondered if my new to the job server brought me the wrong soup. It was good, but it was an unusual departure from my experience with the many, many chicken tortilla soups I've had elsewhere.
The meal was more than taken to a new level with the main dish, which was by far, one of the best chili rellenos dishes I've had in the area. The chilies and cheese were good in themselves, but it was the red sauce that was the real star of the plate--not super spicy, but spicy enough and super flavorful. Chili rellenos have always been my litmus test for a Mexican place, and this one definitely passed the test. Along with the chilies, there was a choice of pinto or black beans, which is great, because most of the places around here seem more black bean centric, and I grew up on pintos. I would 100% return for this dish.
The next visit was for breakfast, and I had the famous Huevos Rancheros, and they lived up to expectations. The excellent pinto beans provided a base for perfectly cooked eggs and a very good house made sauce. If you're expecting the melted cheese covered mess seen in many places, then you're in for a treat. The dish came with a side of potatoes, and they gave me the option of deep fried home fries. I don't like home fries as a rule (they're boring, hash brown wannabes), but the deep fry gave them flavor and a crispy outer layer, something lacking in most home fries. There were a handful of burned ones, but they died for a good cause.
Our other dish was a very good California Benedict with a healthy serving of avocado, bacon, and two more correctly cooked eggs. I don't know, but getting an over-easy egg seems pretty hard to get right sometimes, so it's always a small victory when it actually happens.
Service was attentive on both visits, and the inexperienced server from my first trip was assisted by a more experienced one midway through the service.
Both breakfast plates and the main lunch dish I tried were absolute winners and worthy of repeating. The chicken tortilla soup didn't set my heart aflame, and I wouldn't get it again except to see if it's the same.