Review: Mexicali Rose
Every Rose Has Its Thorn (but you still like ‘em)
Mexicali Rose is the little Tex-Mex restaurant in Montclair you’ve probably heard nothing but good things about. In its heyday, Mexicali Rose always received rave reviews, had a packed dining room, and never disappointed.
The BYOB spot, located on Park St, (right across from the YMCA Stephen Colbert is rumored to work out in – FYI) has a small dining room and an extensive menu packed with typical items like fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas and nachos. If you remember to bring your own tequila, they’ll whip up some delicious frozen lime or strawberry margaritas for only $9.95. (If you forget to bring the booze, there’s a liquor store on Park Ave.)
I’ve directed several friends over to Mexicali Rose over the last year or so and even though I remain a die-hard fan, they’ve actually come back to me with less-than-favorable reviews. Bland food, shoddy service, weak drinks (particularly disheartening when you’re supplying the alcohol) and a dirty dining room are the complaints I hear the most.
But in returning to the restaurant recently, I noticed that although business is a bit slower than it used to be, the restaurant still serves-up a good meal.
I took my parents and sister out on a Sunday evening. It wasn’t busy – there were only about three or four other occupied tables in the brightly colored dining room. The server was polite, personable, and always made sure our basket of free chips and salsa was refilled. The pitchers of strawberry margaritas were both delicious and strong enough to give our whole table a good buzz (including my sister who is only 20 - a benefit of the BYOB). Our hot, overstuffed, mushroom-quesadilla appetizer came to us quickly. Its crispy edges barely contained the gooey-cheesy center.
We each got the Mexicali Rose Combo Platter consisting of a chicken burrito, a cheese enchilada and a beef taco, served with rice and beans for only $13.95. As much as we enjoyed it, the only one who could finish it was my father who admittedly stuffed himself; the rest of us had leftovers to take home.
Adding to the ambiance was a wandering minstrel duo who performed at our table as we ate. Perhaps some people would enjoy this. We prefer to eat our meals as if we are partaking in a silent race, so my father paid them to go away – well played, Dad.
Mexicali Rose
10 Park Street
Montclair
(973) 746-9005
— by Ali Hanford
Ali is managing editor and a co-founder of GoOutJersey and lives in Essex County. She has lived in NJ her whole life.
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June 22nd, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Shockingly abusive manager!
After a dispute over an order that was not delivered after 1-1/2 hours, in which I asked for a discount or other compensation for the food they confirmed would be delivered cold, I spoke with Mike - the manager on Thursday night. Mike launched into a tirade when I asked for the cheese items that would certainly be ruined to be discounted. He insulted me and offered NOTHING, not even an apology, which the hostess had given me twice already admitting fault. I have 10 years experience in the restaurant industry and have never even heard of such aggressiveness. Had he offered me 10% or anything at all I would have been happy. His tone and abusive language led me to cancel the order entirely and hang up. He called me right back and screamed “THANKS FOR THE FREE FOOD, FAGGOT!” Do yourself and your family a favor and never set foot in or order from this place again. This is unacceptable behavior from any human being let alone a manager of a public establishment who was completely unprovoked. The B B Bureau has been notified…I only wish I could do more.
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:40 am
Sorry to say, I am one of those folks who was disappointed. The place was promising. I loved the exposed brick, high ceilings and sunny atrium with ceiling fans and lots of plants in the back. The service was fine, however, while Chris’ meal was okay, my entree was awful.
Though I forgot tequila, our gracious server, Shaun, offered to run across the street to pick up some tequila to make my margarita, but I decided to stick with an iced tea instead. The chips and salsa were tasty and we actually ate two baskets, while sampling the three types of bottled hot sauce on the table.
I chose the “tradicional fajitas, vegetariano” without cheese. What I was served was a cast iron dish of overcooked steamed cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms and a couple slices of carrots, onions and peppers sitting in liquid. This was not a “sizzling skillet.” The tortillas were nice and soft, the guacamole was good (though the onion could have been diced smaller) and with the salsa, the mushy tasteless vegetables were somewhat palatable. Chris ordered the chicken enchiladas, which came with rice and beans on the side. I think I would have been happier with his side dishes than I was with my entire meal. I was so disappointed and a little put out that my plate of steamed vegetables was twelve bucks. Perhaps if I had sucked down a margarita before dinner, I wouldn’t have noticed as much.