Kim S.
Yelp
There were many dishes displayed behind the glass in food warmers that I had a hard time deciding which menu offerings to order.
The employees spoke limited English and brought me over to the manager. He was young and friendly and appeared to be the only one allowed to manage the register. We were frequently interrupted with customers trying to pay for their meal. We ordered dishes from their warmers in addition to "Made to order" items from their extensive menu. I learned that they also serve breakfast, which my husband and I will definitely be back to try the huevos rancheros!
We ordered 2 pounds of chicarron de cerdo (fried pork), 2 large stews, 1 small tray of arroz y gandules, 1 order of paella seafood rice, 1 order of pernil slow roasted pork, 20 pieces of fried chicken, mofongo, sweet plantains, and 12 assorted empanadas.
I kept asking the worker if we had enough food and he responded, "You have more than enough!" The young man was very accommodating and gave us a a few extras. He threw in about 8 empanadas, a salad and a drink. He also upgraded a few of the dishes to "large" when we ordered a small.
My friend noticed that they delivered so we asked if they could deliver our order at 7:30 PM to his house instead of us coming back to pick it up. The total with delivery came out to about $130.00. THEY ACCEPT DEBIT/CREDIT CARDS!
We sipped on homemade sangria as we waited for the food to arrive. The delivery man was very nice and arrived on time. The food was well packed and there was minimal spillage. We laid the containers on the table, buffet style so our friends could decide what they wanted to eat.
The meat fillings in the empanadas were dry and lacked excitement. I wished there was a tomato paste to keep it moist and flavorful.
I preferred the regular Spanish rice and beans over the paella. The paella was a bit on the salty side and it was hard to eat other saltier items along with it. The seafood used was prepackaged.
The pernil slow roasted pork was good but the flavors were inconsistent. You either had a really salty piece or a chunk that lacked flavor. I am also biased because I really love my sister's pernil (even though she's Cambodian and not Hispanic)
The winner of the evening was the Chicharro de cerdo, which was recommended by one her Puerto Rican friends. The pork was salty and crispy and fried to perfection. The fresh lime added a perfect contrast to the crispy pork rinds.
We ordered 20 pcs of fried chicken. The chicken was actually pieces of a large chicken. The seasoning and batter was good but the packaging made it a bit soggy before it arrived..
We got two red stews, one with chicken (pollo guisado estilo) and one with ox tail (rabo guisado). Although they were a tad bit salty, they were rich in flavor and included large chunks of meat.
Overall, I think the meal was good. Although we probably won't be regulars, the Mo and I will definitely be back to try the rest of their menu offerings.
For foods pics,
http://www.mami-eggroll.com/2014/10/rancho-tipico-hispanic-cuisine-food-in.html