Over the weekend, Justin, his parents, and myself ventured off to try an unknown Mexican restaurant in the area. We had a coupon in our Entertainment book for the restaurant putting it on the top of our radar for cheap eats. When we pulled up to the restaurant, we were in for one heck of a surprise.
USUALLY when you see coupons in the Entertainment book they are for chain restaurants. You can imagine our surprise when we found ourselves in a restaurant next door to a dollar store, hispanic grocery store, and a cheap Chinese restaurant. (Cheap Chinese never seems to be that great in my experience.) Then we walked into the restaurant.
Honestly it was pretty hilarious. We were the only white, non-hispanic people in the restaurant. Justin's mom was immediately turned off by how dirty she deemed the place to be. Considering there were no rats, roaches, or visible dirt in the restaurant, plus we had a half off coupon, I was willing to take a risk. I didn't see dirt so much as plain restaurant decor and a general "used-ness" of the area (i.e. chipped paint). If I had seen a roach, I can guarantee you I would not have just turned around, I would have practically run out of the restaurant. I do have to mention that it looked like they couldn't decide on the season. We saw Christmas and Thanksgiving decorations up.
Now that I've told you all about the bad side of the restaurant, let me tell you all of the good things about said restaurant (Don Jose).
As I mentioned before, we were the only non-hispanic people in the restaurant. After we got there, the restaurant got CROWDED. There was only one empty table in the whole establishment by the time we left! Justin and his dad, unlike most people, took this as a good sign. They told me that it suggested the food was not just good, but that it was also more likely to be authentic. With terms like pollo and carnitas being tossed around, I had no doubt in the authenticity! The waitress even suggested a hot sauce to dress up the food we ordered.
While Justin's mom had issues with a sticky menu, the rest of us quickly decided upon looking at the menu to order fajitas to split among the table. Justin and his dad each got a taco a la carte. At $10 for the chicken fajitas, $11 for the steak fajitas, and $1.99 per a la carte taco, we were surprised to discover we had filled up our table with food. The waitress even joked that next time we should sit at the bigger table!
I always order a soda and cheese dip at new Mexican restaurants just in case I don't like the food, which does happen. When I went to order my soda, I was told it came in a can. There is NO WAY I'm paying a $1+ for soda in a can, so I drank water instead. (It's probably better for me anyway. I don't drink enough water.) We did order cheese dip without jalapeños though. (I don't like them, and Justin's mom can't eat them.) It was good, but not unlike any other Mexican restaurant.
Then our fajitas (and tacos) came. Justin's dad got a steak taco while Justin got a pork taco. Both men seemed to enjoy them. I can't speak for their quality since I didn't touch them. The fajitas on the other hand may have been some of the very best I have ever had (and I have had a lot over the years!). Justin and his dad ate their fajitas on corn tortillas while Justin's mom and I stuck with the regular flour tortillas. The fajitas each came with a plate of rice, refried beans, iceberg lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole. I don't like pico, so I ordered an extra bowl of diced tomatoes. They charge $1 for extras, but you definitely get your moneys worth.
Both the chicken and steak fajitas came on a plate sizzling with onions, peppers, and tomatoes. I found the chicken to be a bit spicy but not overly so. The steak on the other hand, with freshly squeezed lime over it was absolutely amazing. I may not have eaten my portion of chicken, but I definitely ate my portion of steak.
Too often, we as consumers (or maybe more specifically me) pass up hole-in-the-wall restaurants with superior food and service because of "decor" or location. This experience has definitely encouraged me to give these types of restaurants a chance.
As we left the restaurant, we made sure to shake the owner's hand and let him know that we would be back for more in the future. This definitely seemed to make his day. :)
If you find yourself in the Atlanta area with a hankering for authentic Mexican food, I definitely recommend checking out Don Jose. But even if you aren't in the Atlanta area, let this be a lesson to you: sometimes even the places you would least expect to have amazing food actually do!
Cheers!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
