Thanks to everyone who responded to my request for the name of the new mexican restaurant in Monroeville (El Compasinos in the Jonnet Plaza). My wife, Pegi, and I went to lunch there last week and we thought we'd give you our impressions. On the plus side, the people who worked there were very nice and seemed extremely eager to please. We requested several "customizations" to our orders and these were pleasantly granted and fulfilled. They gave us free refills of chips and salsa and offered us a free (I think) refill on our cokes. The place seemed clean. On the minus side, the food wasn't very good. I thought the salsa was pretty bland (although not the worst that I've had). We ordered nachos with beans before the meal. They came smothered in this wierd kind of cheese sauce which wasn't very good. We asked what was in it and they said that it contained Monterey Jack cheese, milk, and jalepeno peppers. We couldn't taste the jalepeno. It reminded me of the sauce for creamed chipped beef on toast. For the main dish, Pegi ordered a chalupa (sp?) and chile relleno lunch platter. She is quite fond of chile relleno and usually orders it when we go to Fajita Grill. Unfortunately, this particular incarnation was extremely small and smothered in the creamed chipped beef sauce. Horrible. I ordered chili colorado, which is a dish containing chunks of beef cooked in a colorado pepper sauce. It's supposed to be very hot and flavorful. Unfortunately, this version was, again, extremely bland. In addition, the meat was tough and the whole thing just didn't have much taste. I doused it in the habenero picante they have on each table just to give it some flavor. We each also got frijoles and rice with our meals. The beans weren't bad (I mean not Franklin Inn bad, anyhow), but they were nothing to write home about. All in all, it was a pretty disappointing experience. The Fajita Grill is still the only place in town worth going to as far as I can tell (although we are going to try Cozumel in Greensburg over the holiday vacation because we're told it's better than the one in Shadyside). Thanks again for the responses. If we go to Cozumel, I'll try to post our impressions. Bob and Pegi Cunningham [email removed]
Pittsburgh, PA
El Compasinos
The Cozumel in Greensburg is the best Mexican restaurant I have ever eaten at. The salsa isn't really good, but everything else is.
I happen to like El Campesinos. The chips are the best. The overall food experience is not as good as the Fajita Grill, but the tacos are much better. For those of us on the East end of town, the shlep to FG is not always possible. As to Cozumel, I found it the one in Greensburg barely edible. But it was far better than the one in Shadyside. Sam
Swahiliwit wrote: > I happen to like El Campesinos. The chips are the best. The overall food > experience is not as good as the Fajita Grill, but the tacos are much > better. For those of us on the East end of town, the shlep to FG is not > always possible. > As to Cozumel, I found it the one in Greensburg barely edible. But it was > far better than the one in Shadyside. > Sam I tried El Campesino last week. I thought the food was mediocre. It's pretty authentic but poorly prepared and presented. I had a combination plate with a beef enchilada (the best item of the meal, edible but not great), a chalupa (a pathetic excuse for a chalupa, made with a very thin corn tortilla - instead of a "real" chalupa - topped with runny refried beans, shredded lettuce, and a small, hard, unripe slice of tomato), and a quesadilla (made with a flour tortilla). I also ordered a tamale. It was the weirdest tasting thing I've ever had. The cornmeal coating was dark brown, had a very coarse texture, and a very odd flavor (sort of bitter tasting). I don't know what they made it out of but it wasn't masa. The chips were mediocre and the salse was just like tomato puree with some chilis in it to spice it up. Kate
Someone wrote: >Swahiliwit wrote: >> I happen to like El Campesinos. The chips are the best. The overall food >> experience is not as good as the Fajita Grill, but ... > >I tried El Campesino last week. I thought the food was mediocre. It's pretty >authentic but poorly prepared and presented. ... These comments sound like my own experiences there. It seems to be "hit and miss" as to quality, though it's still worth the trip for me (remember, in the east our other alternatives are Chi Chi's and Taco Bell)... -- Paul
After reading the relatively glowing review in Pittsburgh magazine about El Compasino's, I was eager to try this place, despite the lukewarm reviews in this newsgroup. Well, add my opinion to the lukewarm crowd's. My basic impression is that El Compasino's is the Mexican equivalent of Green Front Inn on the South Side (a unassuming place where food is cheap, plentiful, and sticks to your ribs). However, I wouldn't drive 15 miles to go to Green Front Inn. El Compasino's seems to be family run. However, although service is prompt, the servers we had did not seem to know what to do with questions. One of the items on the menu was a "tostaguac." I asked what this was, and our waitress mumbled something about being new, intercepted another waitress and exchanged a few words in spanish, and then responded with the information on the menu ("you can get it in beef, or mixed, or special"). Their menu has a glossary on the back for those who are new to Mexican food, but "tostaguac" wasn't on it. After ordering it, my guess is that it is essentially a tostada with guacamole on the top. Too bad their guacamole was thin and watery. If my choice was between Chi-Chi's and El Compasino's, I'd probably go to the latter and support a family business. But if the choice was between Fajita Grill and El Compasino's, it wouldn't even be close. Beth Mazur | "Tufte likes to point out that there are only two MAYA Design | industries that call their customers users -- those Pittsburgh PA | selling technology and those selling drugs." -- Eric Justin Gould, http://www.maya.com/Local/mazur/ InterActivity, Sep/Oct '95