Mark T.
Yelp
I'm in a handful of local foodie groups on Facebook (surprise, surprise). Someone had asked about where in the area to find great, authentic, Mexican cuisine. Angela's came highly recommended, and I was recently able to try it out.
I have to admit, I am wrestling with this one. It is my opinion the food is as authentic as it gets. Thus, it is hard for me to criticize as this is not Americanized, nor is it something I grew up eating. I will proceed with caution, and try to remain as fair and balanced as I can.
I had the opportunity to try:
- Adobo Poblano: The chicken was very tender, and the portion was huge. Though, the dish does not lie in the chicken, it lies in the sauce (pun not intended, but it works, so I'll take it!)
This sauce is at the base of my quandary. As I understand, it is made from two kinds of [mild] chile, accented by garlic, oregano, and bay leaves. It had solid flavors, and was not overdone or overpowering by any means. The notes from the sauce were subtle, but lacking "oomph" for my taste. It felt somewhere between bland and flavorful - enough to elevate the chicken a little, but it still felt like something was missing, not necessarily heat.
- Guacamole: This was excellent. I did not feel there was anything I would have done differently if I were making it myself. The texture, proportions/balance, salt, and acid levels were all 100% on point.
- House Margarita: I will give Angela's points for making it boozy. However, the marg didn't work for me as it tasted a little harsh. I learned from a bartending YouTube channel that different kinds of tequila in an overall recipe can make a margarita go from amazing to awful. Thus, perhaps just a spirit choice led to some kind of conflict in the glass.
- Chips & salsa: These are some of the best homemade chips I've had in a Mexican restaurant anywhere. They were cooked to perfection, with just the right consistency, and just enough oil still remaining. While not salted, the oil helped salt from the shaker stick. I enjoyed the sauces for dipping as well. They were distinct and interesting. However, the ramekins they were served in, combined with a more watery consistency made dipping a large chip next to impossible.
Now, since I was (and still am) willing to give Angela's the benefit of the doubt, I would have awarded four stars. However, the service left much to be desired as I found it very inattentive. There was a longer than normal wait for our orders to be taken, and then for someone to come by when we were done eating. When we'd requested the check and some bags for the to-go containers, we found our request immediately forgotten and had to flag down a server and remind him we were waiting. If the restaurant was at capacity with one waiter, I would have been more understanding. Yet, this didn't seem to be the case, and is the reason for a lost star.
Thus, where it comes to the food, the experience wasn't mind-blowing. However, I think that's kind of the point - the dishes are meant to be authentic and homestyle. I do not believe this is a place where the chef hopes the Michelin guide would award them some stars. The service definitely needs some refining, as it threw a significant wrench in what would have otherwise been a four-star experience.