(I feel like I have to explain that I know "Mexican" food encompasses many very distinct styles. A few months ago I got into it with someone who linked to a Fort Worth restaurant review I did. They disliked the place and wondered on their own blog if I'd ever had "real" Mexican food. Well, yeah, I have. But why I'd look for "real" Mexican food in a self-proclaimed Tex-Mex eatery is a mystery. Meanwhile, should we then get into the zillion kinds of Tex-Mex? No. Not unless we've exhausted all possible discussion on religion and politics.)
The Entertainment book ($20, school fundraiser) has already paid for itself. And with our visit to Viva Michoacan last Saturday, we've achieved the added bonus of discovering tasty new vittles.
The restaurant is on the way to Sunset Station, where we had to pop in to get our LASER SCISSORS!
"Hey, this is pleasant." I think we were expecting something modest tucked into a strip mall. That happens a lot.
The other patrons were mostly quiet families enjoying a meal out. For most of the meal, we were the only gringos, but at no point did we feel out of place or unwelcome. The service was exemplary. "Wow, this is like eating Indian in Southern California!" (That's our yardstick for awesome waitstaffhoodnessington.)
The menu is extensive. My standby is to almost always get cheese enchiladas, but - oh, hands clasped to breast! - salsa verde? Instant fast track to a double thumbs-up! I love tomatillos.
Mike went for a spicy chicken dish where, if you can pronounce it, you get a free margarita. (He didn't try to pronounce it.)
Of course there were chips and salsa. This isn't some Yankee (because I'm too polite to rag on Aussies) joint where you order them separately. Sheesh.
Mike thinks this is the best salsa he's had in Nevada. And he really liked the chips. For me, the salsa was a little too hot, and the chips were just fine. But, I blended the salsa with a little of the (bland - we agreed) bean dip and that was okay. Nothing spectacular, but no complaints.
So, Mike was won over before the food arrived. I enjoyed the atmosphere, but how would the actual chow stand up?
Just like at Viva Mercado, your meal begins with a bowl of sopa de fideo. And just like at Viva Mercado, Mike ate his then we swapped bowls so he he could eat mine. And we did the bowl swapping really covertly because for some reason I didn't want the waiter to know I didn't eat my soup. Because I didn't want the waiter to know that I'm a vegetarian. Because I didn't want to be that "picky" dinner guest who creates the awkward moment.
Dinner guest? I guess these restaurants have greater powers of hospitality than I realized. Or I'm just as neurotic as everyone has guessed.
Wait - Viva Mercado? A restaurant we enjoy as much as Lindo Michoacan? And this is Viva Michoacan? That's spooky!
But to get back to the point, this empty cup of soup is a LIE:
(As always, when a photo is too blurry/yellow/sad for even me to post, I just throw on Pioneer Woman's "vintage" filter and pretend like these inadequacies are features.)
I didn't take any photos of the actual food. Everything was too NOM NOM NOM NOM to SNAP SNAP SNAP. ("NOM NOM NOM NOM" sort of translates to "MUNCH MUNCH YUM YUM" in that dialect of LOLspeak that is influenced by early 80s arcade games. Oh, and here's a geeky moment: the other day, on World of Warcraft, people were being silly on channels and I yelled out a line of very obvious LOLspeak. The fun stopped so the ringleader could give me a grammar lesson. That's right. Gamers who don't speak LOL. And they're calling from inside the house! The horror.)
NOM-NOM indeed. I loved the enchiladas. Nothing orange, nothing plasticky, nothing sloppy. And I'm not just saying that because my last Mexican dining experience was at Super Mex. (Don't go there, and don't go there.) Lovely Mexican cheeses inside and sprinkled on top of my gorgeous green enchiladas, with sour cream on the side. Sour cream! Do you know how few restaurants serve enchiladas with sour cream?
The beans, again, meh. The rice was flavorful. Probably full of chicken stock. Best not to ask. (Or, since this is now one of Mike's favourite places, best not to tell. He is still morose that because of me we can no longer eat at Chili's - although I do commend them for being upfront about possibly cooking their veggie burgers on the fat-laden grill. Seems a bit 'tard-y, but kudos all the same.)
Otherwise, terrific. And Mike's chicken breast? "Delicious. Mouth-watering. I really enjoyed it." (I did a one-person off-the-air vox pop just for that quote. This blog is professional like that.)
So, given the overall excellent experience and the pleasure of an unexpected find, I feel a bit cheap for taking the photo above. But, I promise it's not me making fun. I find it a little bit adorable, even.
Kind of like this turtle:
Hooray for school fundraisers and Entertainment books. I don't know where I got this idea that the books were really just large paperweights that always seemed like a good idea but never really paid off. Like, you'd save money, but only on meals you probably wouldn't want without a coupon. I guess it depends on where you live?
I just know we never would have tried Viva Michoacan without the 2-for-1 coupon. One, I'd never heard of VM. Two, there are just too many great places that we already know are a sure thing. So, I'm also happy for the restaurant, because their marketing decision worked. A positive experience for all.
And later - LASER SCISSORS!
***ahhhhhh*** nice to know you're ok.
And the cake book? Drool, drool....
Posted by: | 24 October 2008 at 04:38 AM