2007.11.27
New nino in town
A new Mexican grill is open downtown in the former Green Dolphin Grille location, just in time to fill the gap left behind when Red Coyote packed up and moved out of the market building.
No word yet on whether the food at Alejandro's is as tasty as it sounds on the menu. But since I have always suspected that I was Mexican in a past life (due to my addiction to that cuisine) it won't be long before I'm heading there for lunch.
Alejandro's is clean and simply decorated inside. I stopped there for a to-go menu today and was accompanied by my friend Pete, who lived in Mexico for 10 months. His verdict: looks very authentic.
From the looks of the menu, the grill is going to serve a lot of the same dishes available in other Mexican restaurants around town. But they also have a salsa bar in the restaurant and nine different meat choices for tacos, burritos, tortas and tostadas.
Those choices include steak, grilled chicken, shredded pork, Mexican sausage, Mexican BBQ pork and steamed beef, which they say is a healthier option.
Lunch specials range from $4.50 for a crispy taco, enchilada and rice or beans to $6.99 for steak or chicken fajitas, but most of them are under $5.50, which seems pretty fair to me.
Entrees run from $6.99 for Supreme Enchiladas (4 enchiladas stuffed with different ingredients) to $12.99 for shrimp fajitas. The most expensive dishes involve steak or shrimp.
I'm itching to try their chile rellenos, nachos supreme and deluxe quesadilla stuffed with cheese, onions, mushrooms and beans-- a great option for the vegetarians in the crowd.
Their tortas, or Mexican sandwiches, also sound delicious. You can choose between a standard one with meat, cheese, beans, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes and salsa or go for a Torta Cubana with ham, salami, sausage, hot dog, cheese, mayo, tomato, onion, avocado and jalapenos. Wooooo-weeee! Bring on the Prilosec!
If anyone checks out Alejandro's before I get a chance, please let the rest of us know what you think.
Yep!
I got a menu off a lady passing them out in front of Orvis. Looks good!
Is La Finca still open down your way?
Comment by Rich — November 27, 2007 @ 12:51 pm
Yep, it is still open, Rich. So I guess that's one other option for Mexican downtown.
Comment by Lindsey — November 27, 2007 @ 12:57 pm
I used your family recipe for Thanksgiving stuffing. It was wonderful--best stuffing I ever made, and everybody at my table gobbled it up. Thank you for sharing.
Comment by Jill — November 27, 2007 @ 1:10 pm
I think a few of us here at work are gonna Alejandro it up on Friday.
Comment by Rich — November 27, 2007 @ 1:58 pm
Jill, I'm so glad you liked it! That makes me really happy!
Comment by Lindsey — November 27, 2007 @ 2:22 pm
I am so glad to find another great choice downtown. Dragging my husband there for lunch will be on my must-do list!!
Comment by Amy Hanek — November 27, 2007 @ 4:15 pm
Ate there today for lunch! The staff was very nice, the food was served promptly, and it was really good! The selection of meat they offer aside from the standard pulled chicken or ground beef was a really nice touch.
Best part though was the salsa bar -- some very nice selections on it!
Comment by John — November 28, 2007 @ 1:45 pm
I went today for lunch. I got the lunch special #4, with a chicken enchilada, cheese enchilada and beef taco. My dining companion got the special #3, with two chicken enchiladas, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and rice.
Her comments: "It was good. It wasn't terribly different than other Mexican restaurants, as far as that dish was concerned ... I think the quality of meat is a little better than the other places."
We then ordered a pair of fish tacos, which were excellent. They served those with cilantro and onion on the side.
The multiple salsas are pretty great. We tried the hot tomatillo sauce, which was OK, as well as the hot salsa verde, which was really good. That'll be the one I go back for.
Couple of random comments. Make sure you ask for something if you want it. The fish tacos came in flour tortillas, and my companion had to ask for a corn tortilla instead (she can't eat gluten). They were very helpful with providing those.
Also, when I paid, the guy forgot to give me my credit slip at first.
Comment by Mason — November 28, 2007 @ 2:52 pm
My friend Brian ate there on Sunday - yes, they are open Sundays! - and enjoyed it. He especially liked the salsa bar.
Comment by Rebecca Dillon — November 28, 2007 @ 2:59 pm
Went to Alejandro's last week for lunch. Liked it so much, went back tonight for dinner. Great, fresh food, the salsa bar rocks. I think what sets this place apart from the others in town is a true taste of freshness in their meals, especially their sauces. We will continue to eat there, and encourage others to do so as well.
Comment by Jay — January 6, 2008 @ 7:12 pm
I went to Alejandro's tonight for dinner. I got a grilled chicken and mushroom quesadilla.
Talk about delicious. The chicken was perfectly cooked in some kind of mildly spicy brown sauce. I'm not sure what kind of cheese they used, but it was perfectly gooey. The mushrooms were fresh and plentiful.
I don't remember the price -- but it was very affordable. Less than $7.00.
The service was great -- although they were a little late on refilling my water. But I'll certainly try them again.
Comment by Jordan — February 25, 2008 @ 8:50 pm
Thanks for the comment on Alejandro's, Jordan. I've been back several times since this blog entry and have been pleased every time. Although they try to serve you at the table during dinner instead of doing the more casual taqueria serve-yourself thing, I still like the idea that if your waiter is in the weeds, you can just walk right up to the soda machine and refill your drink or get napkins/utensils yourself.
Comment by Lindsey — February 26, 2008 @ 9:57 am
Finally tried it. Shredded pork burrito. Decent meal. Like the hot salsa verde. Inconsistent with what they put on their food though. One day, it didn't mention or have pico de gallo. Next day, it had pico de gallo, but still didn't mention it. I don't like Pico, and had to send it back. But now at least I know!
For lunch- the place suffers from serious space constraints and throughput issues. They need to replace the tables with high tops, ditch the chairs, and it'll help move folks out quicker. Like the Wiener Stand...not many folks hang out there.
For dinner, bar stools for the high tops.
Its good food, but nothing I'd break down the door to get to. Sure is much better than that joint it replaced, and is a welcome addition to the downtown food scene!
Comment by Rich — February 26, 2008 @ 10:26 am