Amy K.
Yelp
Yelp found us this place for dinner on a Saturday evening. A bit unusual for either a Mexican or Spanish restaurant, kind of a mashup, seemed to us, but good!
They start you off with a bowl of tortilla chips and a small dish of cooked, warm, salsa, that the menu says is their non-vegetarian recipe from 1959! Waiter said there's chicken broth in it, hence the not vegetarian. There are raw salsas available for an up charge, but we stuck with the original, different but tasty! We ordered a half pitcher of sangria, which was a light red, filled with chunks of lemon, lime, & orange, and went down easy! Mmmm.
I couldn't resist the gazpacho, not always on the menu, and I loved it. Mostly puréed but with some tiny chunks of veggies and a thick texture. Very very good! My husband asked if they'd make a paella without chorizo, and that was no problem - plenty of seafood on that lovely yellow rice; of course I tasted (ate 2 of the mussels and some of the rice) and it was a good paella. My entree, the black bean and spinach enchiladas, was okay, underwhelming. Two enchiladas with just a dusting of queso fresco. Usually enchiladas are buried in too much melted cheese; these erred in the opposite direction! But the spinach tasted fresh, and it was overall enough with an excellent tomato sauce and a side of slaw.
We were full, so we passed on dessert. We'll definitely go again, covid-permitting! We sat outside because even though we're fully vaxed, no longer comfortable going indoors. that this will eventually go away!
Anyway, do try El Parador!