Mexican restaurants in South Bay

Bill G. wrote:

>I live in Sunnyvale and I _love_ Mexican food, but I've been
>disappointed with the Mexican restaurants in the area (Sunnyvale,
>Mountain View, Santa Clara, etc).  The best food I've had I can only
>describe as "Enh, nothing special."  Service ranges from terrible
>to adequate, and prices range from fair to outrageous (eg, $10 for
>two small enchiladas).  Where can I find a place that has at least
>two of: good food, good service, good prices?  I'm slightly more
>interested in full-service restaurants than fast-food-ish places
>(eg, Pollo Rey, Rock'n'Taco), but I welcome any suggestions.

My favorite is Palo Alto Sol, on California Ave. in Palo Alto. I've noticed that the prices have gone up recently (now around $10 for an average entree), but the service is excellent, the portions are large, and the food is outstanding.  I am especially fond of the enchaladas mole and the enchaladas neuvas.  The latter is a smokey cream sauce that's very tasty.

Fiesta Del Mar (two places in Mountain View) is also very good. The food is similar to Palo Alto Sol, and I think I heard that they were run by members of the same family.

Jon

i've had mixed experiences at Estrellita on San Antonio in Los Altos. the good time have been very good and the other times have been so-so.

the same family owns senor taco on el camino in palo alto.  they have gone downhill since moving into their new building a few years ago. but for a veggie burrito they calabaza is hard to top.

one more place a bit further north is rosita's on woodside road in woodside.  i especially like their chilaquiles (sp) and their burritos with sauted veggies.

sydney

Allan S. wrote:
> Melissa L. wrote:
>>Am I just a hopeless gringa, or am I the only person in the South Bay who
>>*likes* Taqueria Una Mas?
>
> Melissa, it's got to be said, and I may be required to perform some
> act of ba.food.penance for it, but I agree.  I *really* like Una Mas.
>
> I typically order their "la chica" Chicken Burrito with no beans &
> extra rice.  That undoubtedly makes the 'authentic burrito' crowd go
> crazy but it's good, especially if you ask the person preparing it to
> put in a bit of the medium-hot salsa instead of picco de gallo.
> Their quesadillas are wonderful, too.
>
> Another poster mentioned La Costena, for which I have two comments:
> I feel they've gone downhill over the last 4-6 months, and (IMHO)
> their burritos are just too *wet*.  I like my burritos to be dry.
> And I like the chicken to taste like it's been grilled, not the
> (seemingly) boiled stuff that a lot of places serve.
>
> To the purists:  please note that authenticity is the least of my
> concerns, I go for personal preferences.
>
> Allan "just another ba.gringo"
>
Well, just sticking to the "gringo(a) tacqueria" chains:  I've found Una Mas okay, but nothing very special.  Andale's does the same sorts of thing better, I think.  And better still is the southern CA chain (which I vaguely recall seeing somewhere in the Bay area) called La Salsa.  (However, La Salsa tends to have poor seating arrangements compared to the other two, which somewhat detracts from the overall experience.)  Top of this particular list: La Tortola in the Stonestown Galleria food mall, in SF - their burritos well meet the requirements Allan outlines above; and one can feel a lot less guilty eating them (please, don't disillusion me!) than with the La Costena style (which I also like).
                                     Al Eisner
                                     ([email removed])
                                     San Mateo County, CA

David H. wrote:
>Someone wrote:
>
>: Another poster mentioned La Costena, for which I have two comments:
>: I feel they've gone downhill over the last 4-6 months, and (IMHO)
>: their burritos are just too *wet*.  I like my burritos to be dry.
>: And I like the chicken to taste like it's been grilled, not the
>: (seemingly) boiled stuff that a lot of places serve.
>
>I haven't been to La Costena in the past few months, but at Burrito
>Real (owned by the same people and in most respects very similar), one
>of the chicken burrito variations is a sort of "barbequed" chicken
>that they grill for you on the spot, and I think it's pretty good.

I visit La Costena religiously at least once a week.  I've tried Burrito Real as well.  I don't see how either place can be compared to Una Mas.  Both these places have grilled chicken and a variety of fresh salsas, but their food has so much more flavor than anything I've tried at Una Mas.  Also the variety of ingredients they offer is so great that I don't see what anyone can complain about.  As for the burritos being "wet" - I like them that way, juicy.  I prefer deleting the rice which tends to dry them out.

JW

Mitch S. wrote:
>
> Someone wrote:
> : Haven't been to Rosita's, because if we want Mexican, we go to La Milpa
> : in Milpitas.  Good, plentiful food, friendly, brisk service and great
> : prices.  It can be crowded on weekend nights, and lunches, though.
>
> Not bad, I forgot at that place.  It's not spectacular but the
> food is pretty good and the prices are reasonable.  There's
> another place near the railroad tracks, I can't remember the
> name but it's next to a tire place, it's not too bad, either.
> --
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> Mitch Sako                                [email removed]

If you go a *little* further south bay, you'll run across very authentic Mexican food at Los Siete Mares (The Seven Seas) in Gilroy. Take the first exit as you head south. Right on the offramp and left at the traffic light on the first major street that runs parallel to the freeway. Go down a block or two, and it's on the lefthand side of the street. Seafood is very popular in Mexico, but not often seen here in your average burrito parlor. Los Siete Mares makes great fish, shrimp or crab tacos and burritos, as well as ceviche, salads and larger seafood plates. Of course, their carnitas and tacos al pastor are as good as I've had elsewhere. Worth a stop on your way to the coast.

Frank Soler