Spike S.
Yelp
If you eat a lot of Mexican food, don't eat here you will be disappointed. You're not going to like it. End of review.
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Spike's Inessential Scholarly Discourse:
This is authentic Mexican food. So, don't go there. Everyone working in the restaurant is Hispanic, from the dishwasher to the owner. Their recipes for "their version of traditional Mexican food" didn't come from a Betty Crocker cook book.
What is that white sauce served with the salsa and chips here? I have encountered the same at several other small-town Mexican restaurants. No, it is NOT queso. It has no cheese taste. Here is the best description I can come up with; have you ever opened a can of Campbell's cream of chicken soup. That is what this stuff looks like; concentrated cream of chicken soup. It is a thick gelatinous, semi translucent liquid. It tastes almost like cream of chicken concentrate. When I have run across it in other restaurants, I have been mistakenly calling it bad watery queso. It has no resemblance to queso other than color. It is most commonly served in these traditional style restaurants. It does nothing for the meal other than make you wonder what you are eating. What is it???
As I usually do, I asked for salsa picante. Pepino's was a very different version. It was a warm bowl of tomatoes, with onions and smokey jalapenos simmered to a thick chunky stew. Very little heat or spice. Disappointing.
The relleno I had was authentic and traditional, a poblano filled with lightly seasoned ground beef cooked on the flat top in a puddle of egg, then rolled up with the egg like a blanket. I am not a big fan of this traditional style relleno. My meal also came with diced potatoes grilled with onions and green peppers. Different.
The tamales my wife had were good. The beef was lightly seasoned. The tamales weren't just big logs of masa with a small amount of filling. There was plenty of beef in them.
Conclusion. Pepino's is not recommended.