For this weekís review we journeyed to one of the hottest College locations for Mexican fare. El Campesino may be north of campus, but our taste buds traveled south of the border.
KK: My first thought was of apprehension; the restaurant was packed on a Saturday night and the prospects of getting a good table ó let alone a fast and speedy meal ó were not fantastic.
KC: Luckily, this was not the case. We were seated very quickly, and were immediately given our complimentary chips and salsa.
KK: The restaurant design wasnít anything spectacular; visitors can expect the standard booths, tables and a faux brick wall. The only visible concern was that on a night as busy as this, people looked to be pushed together.
KC: This is a fair observation, although I would take being seated quickly over being spread out. I personally am a fan of the generic Mexican restaurant atmosphere, with the autumnal orange and beige walls adorned by sombreros, ponchos and glowing neon beer advertisements.
KK: Letís not forget the big mural covering basically the whole wall.
KC: True, but weíre not here to judge Mexican art, so letís move on to the service.
KK: Let me just say, I was very impressed with our waiter. Even on a night as busy as Saturday was, he was on top of his game. Our supply of chips and salsa was never below our demand. At points, he seemed like a guardian angel looking over us ready to sweep in whenever they ran low.
KC: The same could be said for drinks. We did not ask for a recommendation like we normally did, but ordered the food that caught our eyes on the menu. The menu itself was pretty typical for a Mexican restaurant. Separate sections for quesadillas, enchiladas, vegetarian, a la carte, fajitas and combinations covered the menu as readily as Kipaya covered his chips with salsa.
KK: I found the menu to be convoluted ó it was somewhat hard to follow. The only thing separating one dish from another were the differently colored backgrounds. Given the number of food options, it would have been nice to see a better organized menu.
KC: I donít know what else they could have done, personally, but letís not let our menu preferences get between us. I ordered the Enchiladas Campesinos (out of the clearly labeled combinations section, by the way) which came with a side of rice for the standard price of $7.25.
KK: After much combing though the menu, I found what I thought might be one of the best values available. For only $0.75 more than a regular fajita ó which only comes with chicken, shrimp or beef ó I got the El Campesino Fajitas which included all three options for a reasonable $10.50.
KC: While we waited for our food, I ate more chips than I probably should have, which was both good and bad. The salsa was actually pretty tasty for the normal ìauthentic Mexican” experience, while the chips were somewhat below par.
KK: Sure, if by ìpretty tasty” you mean that it was bland, homogeneous, and felt like something out of a vat. Iím accustomed to more textured salsa with nice chunks of tomato, onion or maybe cilantro.
KC: Itís good compared to some other salsas you can get for free, in my opinion.
KK: You always have to have the last word, donít you?
KC: Yes. Moving on, I found the food to be quite good, but again, nothing more than the usual Midwest Mexican restaurant. Now, you should not read this as if I am saying I did not enjoy it. I absolutely, positively, wholeheartedly love Mexican food. And because this was good Mexican food, I loved it as well. However, one should not go to El Campesino looking for a circus of flavor in your mouth: it is good, but does not stand out next to† other tasty ó yet standard ó authentic sit-down Mexican restaurants in the Midwest.
KK: A circus of flavor is exactly what I got: I was so satisfied with my choice of dish, I even enjoyed burping it up later.
KC: Disgusting, but true.
KK: The El Campesino Fajita was a brilliant medley of chicken, beef and shrimp cooked up with sweet caramelized onions, delicious mushrooms and smorgasbord of green and red peppers. Though it was difficult to discern the specific ingredients of the dish because everything had been cooked and put together so well, the flavors were mingling, touching and producing many flavorful children. The shrimp was bigger and juicer than expected. And because the dish was so well cooked, you got the flavors of the vegetables and the other meat cooked right into the shrimp. The flavor was exploding from every part of this meal. The caramelized onions were a special treat, adding a nice sweet tone to the entire dish. The only portion of the meal I was disappointed in was having only three small tortillas on which to pile on a mountain of vegetables and meat.
KC: Wow. Although my chicken was certainly well seasoned and the enchiladas were bathed in sauce and topped with fresh, silky guacamole along with lettuce and sour cream, I simply was not as impressed as you. The rice was scrumptious, but again, scrumptious rice is the norm for this type of place. It easily filled me up and left me happy for its price, but perhaps next time I will be getting the fajitas.
KK: I certainly will be. Itís time to rank it!
Atmosphere:
KC: 8/10
KK: 7/10
Service:
KC: 8/10
KK: 10/10
Food:
KC: 7/10
KK: 10/10
Price:
KC: 8/10
KK: 9/10
Overall:
KC: 7.75/10
KK: 9/10
Think they got the wrong impression? Have a restaurant you want reviewed? Want to ask a question or express an opinion? Email the authors at voicestaff@gmail.com or drop a letter in Box C-3187. To find out more about the authors and the column, visit www.thewoostervoice.com/category/about-the-town/.