The Clackamas print., May 04, 2016, Page 5, Image 5

Photos by Victoria Tinker
Muchas Gracias
Don Chico
12330 SE 82nd Ave, Happy Valley
1692 Molalla Ave, Oregon City
I noticed first that Muchas Gracias had
a drive through, so I decided to try that
out. From when they took my order, it
took about five minutes until they gave
me the food. They used aluminum foil
to cover the plates, which was bad since
I was taking the food to go.
In general, the presentation of the
food was terrible. I noticed that on one
plate, the chicken was halfway rolled
with a tortilla and it was drenched in a
nasty looking sauce, assumably it was
the enchilada de polio. As I took my first
bite, the enchilada was bland and the
sauce tasted like the mild sauce from Taco
Bell. It was disgusting. Next, the tamale
also had that same sauce as well as some
cream and lettuce on top, again, terrible.
The tacos de came asada were alright, but
they were difficult to bite into because
they had too much meat for the tortilla.
I was hoping to enjoy the rice and beans
next; unfortunately, the beans tasted off
and the rice was hard.
I ordered the food over the phone so I
could just pick up and take it to go. The
person on the other line was really kind,
patient and helpful since I didn’ t have
a menu to look at. Going to pick up the
food, this restaurant is hard to miss since
it’s the only green and red building on
the street. Once inside, the purple walls
and television made it a w elcoming
place. When I opened the boxes, I was
impressed with the presentation of the
food. Everything looked nice and neat.
First, the texture of the beans felt
smooth and the rice, which came with
small vegetables, was good. Then, the
enchiladas de polio looked great, but the
taste did fall short of the presentation.
The tamale was warm and soft; it was
delicious. The tacos were also really good,
they were a good balance of the tortilla
and meat. The salsa and guacamole were
great spicy additions to the food.
David Patrick gets his grub on at Don Chico. At top right is a tamale and
enchilada combo, also from Don Chico.
“ When the food came, its beautiful smell took over
a ll m y senses.”
Nuevo Vallarta
Luis’s Taqueria
1385 SE 1st Ave #104, Canby
523 N Front St, Woodburn
The decor in the restaurant was
breathtaking. It was really elegant and
there were so many decorations hanging
on and from the walls, like the sun and
moon; it made you feel a part of Mexico.
The details in the booth where the waiter
sat me made all the difference from any
other restaurant. The waiter was friendly
and right away he served me salsa and
chips. In the salsa it had cubed pieces of
tomato, onion and it had cilantro; it was
delicious with the warm chips.
When the food came, its beautiful smell
took over all my senses, maybe because
the plates are pretty large. The waiter told
me to be careful because it was hot and he
wasn’t kidding, even the plate was really
hot. I kept burning my mouth because I
couldn’t stop eating the rice and beans.
The beans had melted cheese on top, but
it gave it a good flavor. The enchilada -
three for $9.25 with rice and beans - also
had melted cheese as a topping and it
was a good combination. The tacos were
good and the meat was cooked just right,
nothing was burnt. The food at Nuevo
Vallarta is slightly more expensive than
other places, but they do have a daily
special and it’ s a place that I would go
to again.
Just walking into the building reminded
me of my childhood. The piñatas hanging
from the ceiling, the bright orange walls
and random beautiful decorations make
this restaurant unique. There was about
a 15 minute line to order and from there
it was the same amount of time to get my
food served.
The way the food was placed on the
plate was like art, nothing was out of
place. I fell in love as soon as I took the
first bite of the enchilada de polio - two
for$io.25 with rice and beans. It was a
combination of the chicken, sauce, lettuce
and cream that created a harmonious
taste. The rice and beans were a great
satisfaction, visually as well as tastefully.
The tamale also had the right texture, it
was soft and the chicken wasn’t dry. I
was really looking forward to eating the
taco de carne asada, unfortunately my
dad got his hands on it first so I assume
it tasted good since he didn’t want to give
me a bite. The horchata was just right, it
wasn’t too watery nor too thick. Although
the prices for these dishes may be a little
higher than in other places, it’s a really
good place to go when you’re looking for
authentic Mexican food.
Qadamas tort MAY 4,2016 thedadamaspf intœm 5