There's a new Mexican restaurant in Somerset, PA, run by (gasp!) Mexicans. If you're out there for an afternoon of shopping or skiing, I really recommend: Casa Chapala 373 E. Main Street Somerset, PA 15501 (814) 445-3312 They have an extensive (and as far as I could tell, authentic) menu with lots more suggestions than your usual combo plates. Atmosphere: Pleasant, airy with white walls, plants, soft lighting and light woods. Service: Our waitress got a VERY BIG tip- She was friendly, patient, cheerful, attentive and managed to do this without being overbearing or obnoxious. Food: Yummy! Chips and salsa are complimentary starters though refills cost $.75 extra. The chips are home-made and and fresh-fried, with a light, crisp, just-right-salty texture and taste. The picante sauce (too thin to be called salsa) was richly flavored with a deep, sneaky heat. I had chicken mole, boneless chicken breast in a smoky-sweet mole sauce. My husband had mole ranchero, pork roast and cactus strips in a dark, spicy-hot mole. The beans and rice that came with were just perfect- flavorful enough to have made a meal by themselves with the soft warm, just-made flour tortillas. My one small complaint is I would've like more of the r&b. For dessert, we had fried ice-cream, mine with honey, his with strawberries. It was good (crowned with freshly whipped cream) but the coating could've been crisper. The waitress raved about some bananas and chocolate concoction that's a house specialty, but I don't like bananas so didn't try it. We split a carafe of home-made sangria. It was light and tart, with the fruit juices complementing the wine rather than overcoming it. Value: Excellent! Our entire meal was about $25. The entrees were in the $7-10 range, the desserts $2-4. We were so taken with our chips, we didn't check out the appetizers. They print the prices for everything (including drinks) on the menu, so there are no surprises at the end of the evening.
Pennsylvania
Casa Chapala
Wow! Somerset restaurants in Pittsburgh? My girlfriend just moved up the street from Casa Chappala. The service is friendly, the food is quite good (especially considering you're in the Laurel Highlands, where if it ain't meat and potatoes, they haven't heard of it), and the drinks are large. The mole ranchero was really interesting. Check it out if you're in the area.
Joseph M. wrote: >Mary J. wrote: >> There's a new Mexican restaurant in Somerset, PA,... > >is it close to the turnpike exit? Umm. Its on 31 east, about 5 minutes from the exit. When you get off at the turnpike, go straight to the traffic light. Cross the street. Go through the next light, and make a left at the one after that (so a left at the third light after the exit). Casa Chappala is the pink building on your left about a quarter of a mile down the road.
> Omar G. wrote: > > Has anyone been to Casa Chapala lately? Still worth the drive > out to Somerset? It's been a couple of weeks, but I still like stopping by there occasionally. It's an hour from Penn Hills, so I usually try to combine this w/ other errands. The Georgian Place (some other name now) outlet mall is also in Somerset; or when you're really desperate for Mexican food you can convince yourself that Somerset is on the way back from Ohiopyle. One of my favorite meals there is the goat (cabrito?). Locally, a small Mexican restaurant has opened in Monroeville. El (La?) Campesina is located on Wm. Penn in the same shopping center as Lone Star. Their fare is simpler than the Fajita Grill's...typical enchilada/burrito/taco combinations. They do have an excellent tomatilla salsa that you can request... it's not on the menu, but is worth asking about. todd
My wife and I had dinner at Casa Chapala in Somerset two months ago. We thought it was excellent (and went back for lunch the next day). Huge menu. Highly recommended.
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Todd M. wrote: > > Omar G. wrote: > > > > Has anyone been to Casa Chapala lately? Still worth the drive > > out to Somerset? > > It's been a couple of weeks, but I still like stopping by there > occasionally. If you're going to hike all the way out to Somerset, I highly recommend "Cafe Fratelli", one of the better Italian restaurants in the region. I can't rave about them enough. They always have excellent specials: last time we were there, we had "angry ravioli", ravioli (unremarkable) in a red sauce made from tomatoes, hot banana peppers, hot sausage, and fontinella cheese (very remarkable). My companion had veal canneloni in a delicate gorgonzola sauce. You can't lose. and the coffee is great, too. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 Comment: Processed by Mailcrypt 3.3, an Emacs/PGP interface iQCVAwUBMG0v1hY1vlCaZ9uNAQH+NAQAg27SXZP3JZJyz/swr2XUqaYZY1Rb84TB 5MFL+D4YADdQEeuvPiV80xF3LIrwMTCG4FLDcaP6LOa3iM4ZgA8yd7+yvEK+5Fs0 GBY5vfmt/77054PVtuy93Mlbv6A9oAy6l4uF47MbbleS5fkZ5aWnOKC1a36S64az AwbMh3gn7dA= =lm3t -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
Kimberly B. wrote: >I'm a transplanted Texan, and I miss the more "authentic" Mexican food. Any >other suggestions? >Thanks! As former longtime California residents, my wife and I also missed authentic Mexican food (I won't repeat the inverted commas). We have finally come to terms with this problem by accepting the fact that there isn't any. There are some restaurants that serve decent food that is related to Mexican. Mad Mex is the best example. It has an innovative menu, reasonable prices, and excellent preparation and presentation. Cozumel's food is fine if you're in the mood for taqueria fare. I haven't tried most of the rest of the Mexican places, including the one under discussion here, but it's hard for me to imagine that a restaurant in the Laurel Mountains could compare to anything serious in Texas or California. That is not to say Casa Chapala is not a fine place on its own terms. But the problem with Mexican food here, as with Chinese, or Thai, is the lack of a community of native eaters. The simple fact is you're not going to get great Mexican food without a lot of Mexicans, like you're not going to get great Chinese food without a lot of Chinese (although the Chinese food situation seems to be changing, at least in my neighborhood of South Oakland. I'm very hopeful). Arnold
Excerpts from netnews.pgh.food: 3-Oct-95 Re: Casa Chapala by Arnold [email removed] > taqueria fare. I haven't tried most of the rest of the Mexican places, > including the one under discussion here, but it's hard for me to imagine that a > restaurant in the Laurel Mountains could compare to anything serious in Texas > or California. That is not to say Casa Chapala is not a fine place on its own > terms. But the problem with Mexican food here, as with Chinese, or Thai, is > the lack of a community of native eaters. The simple fact is you're not going > to get great Mexican food without a lot of Mexicans, Now, now, now, let's not dismiss a place we haven't even tried, okay? Since apparently one has to present one's credentials to merit a place in this discussion, I lived for four years in Dallas and am married to a San Antonio native of Mexican-American descent. And we have actually EATEN at Casa Chapala and Fajita Grill, both of which serve perfectly delightful Mexican food off of a surprisingly large and varied menu. The last time we were at Casa Chapala, I had chicken mole with black beans and perfectly done rice on the side. My husband had a spicy pork and cactus stew. The chips were crisp and hot, the salsa freshly made, and the sangria nicely balanced. I must admit, we were slightly disappointed in the dessert. I think I actually prefer CC to Fajita Grill - the menu seems more interesting (to me) and the restaurant is much larger and less cramped, allowing for more privacy. No, it's probably not up to gourmet Mexican standards, but the food is really good, and goes well beyond tacos and burritos. The only drawback is location, but this time of year is perfect for a drive up into the mountains. Try following Route 30 straight out past Ligonier, then drop down (on Route 7?) to Somerset, do a little shopping at the outlet mall, have dinner at Casa Chapala, and take the turnpike home. A nearly perfect Saturday. Have fun! -Mary Jensen
Mary J. wrote: |> Excerpts from netnews.pgh.food: 3-Oct-95 Re: Casa Chapala by Arnold |> [email removed] |> > taqueria fare. I haven't tried most of the rest of the Mexican places, |> > including the one under discussion here, but it's hard for me to |> imagine that a |> > restaurant in the Laurel Mountains could compare to anything serious in Texas |> > or California. That is not to say Casa Chapala is not a fine place on |> its own |> > terms. But the problem with Mexican food here, as with Chinese, or Thai, is |> > the lack of a community of native eaters. The simple fact is you're |> not going |> > to get great Mexican food without a lot of Mexicans, |> I agree totally. And I have been to Fajita Grill. I went expecting a more authentic Mexican place, but I was very disappointed. The chorizo tasted like ground beef and tasted more like meatloaf than any chorizo I've ever had. And, although I admit my expectations were a bit high, FJ failed my other test of real Mexican food: salsa made with *fresh* (instead of canned) tomatoes. Although FJ looked like the Mexican places I frequent when I'm in Texas, the likeness stopped there. I must admit, though, that the service was great and the manager? was very concerned that I did not make a dent in my meal.