Islands Fresh Mex Grill- Wilmington, NC

Dollar tacos, got your attention? Well, it got mine when my daughter suggested we join her and her husband, and a few friends, at Islands for dinner. 

The deal is this. From five to nine, Monday to Friday, you can get tacos for a buck each. You do have to get a beverage with the order and you need one beverage per four tacos. There's also an up-charge for extra toppings and such so be careful. Teresa and I got eight tacos a soda and a Corona for thirteen bucks. 

Now the tacos aren't all that pretty. They lay down the shells and very quickly assemble them which means they miss the shell with some of the fixin's, but that's okay because you can use the chips that come with them to scoop up the stuff in the foil. They have a few salsas you can get at the salsa bar to add at no extra charge.

The tacos were good, quite good in fact. They also have burritos and enchiladas available, as well as a full bar. Check them out sometime.

Las Olas, Wlimington, NC

Las Olas Mexi-Q sits next to Boombalatti's Ice Cream in the space formerly occupied by Foster's. It is owned by the same folks as K38 Baja and a few other Mexican places, but the emphasis here is on bar-b-q with ribs, pulled pork and more. My main reason for going is that on Tuesday nights they have a fish taco special for $3 each and I have it on good word that they are good. There's two in the photo above and they were so good that I ordered another. I was full, but my son was once there and ordered, and ate, six of them.

Service was excellent, Hannah was friendly and helpful and at $3 each the prices were good. I looked over the menu and the rest of the prices looked okay, and there were some interesting selections. 

Panchos & Gringos, Brookfield, CT

Enchiladas Mole

I may have a new favorite Mexican restaurant, or at least one that is at least equal to my favorite which is the Cafe Maya in Fishkill. We first came in contact with Panchos and Gringos about a month ago when I heard on the radio that there was a restaurant tasting in Brookfield at the Raymour and Flanagan store. We stopped by and our favorite was Panchos and Gringos. They were sampling a pulled pork that was as good as ours and they gave us a gift certificate for a free appetizer. We put them on the short list of places to visit.

We were headed to Costco and decided to stop by and pay a visit. I only hoped it lived up to the hype we'd built up. Outside it looks kitschy and Mexican, with a life-sized fake horse in the doorway. Inside it is tastefully decorated, not over the top like some Mexican places, and there is Mexican music playing. There is also a Mexican wait staff and I'd certainly hope a Mexican cooking team. We were given water, menus and chips and salsa. The chips were warm and the salsa had just the right hint of heat to them. Oh, the water was cold.

Appetizer Sampler

Since we had the gift certificate, we decided on the appetizer sampler. Everything on it tasted fresh and good, the chicken wings being the best part. It was a nice start to the meal. 

The problem was in choosing the entrees as there were too many things that caught our eyes. I was going to go with a fish taco, but the enchiladas mole with beef won out. I'm glad it did as it was simply amazing. The Mole sauce was rich, but not overpowering, with multiple flavor notes coming through. Quite possibly my favorite Mexican dish, that is until I tasted the dish Teresa ordered.

Enchiladas Tomatillo

Teresa ordered the enchiladas Tomatillo with chicken and I tasted it. Actually I ate one of hers and she had one of mine. The tomatillos gave a delightful sour taste that made me want to lick the plate to get the last precious drops of that amazing sauce. This is why Panchos & Gringos may just be my new favorite Mexican place. Oh yeah, the refried beans were quite tasty and I even ate some of the rice.

Overall, nice ambiance, good service and amazing food at reasonable prices. We will certainly be headed back to try some of the other dishes that interested us and you should stop by too.  

Cascada Mexican Restaurant, Beacon, NY

Cascadas Mexican Restaurant is located at 424 Main Street in Beacon and we've been meaning to try them for some time now. Twice we went by and they were crowded and once we stopped on a night they were closed. Well, we finally got there and it was worth the effort.

Inside it is small, seating thirty or so including the bar, but there are tables outside. It is clean, uncluttered and has mexican music playing. After looking over the menu (not a huge menu) I got the shrimp tacos at $12.95 and Teresa had the enchiladas at $9.95. We stuck with water (there was no ice in it) and we were brought a bowl of nachos and salsa. The salsa was good with just the right amount of heat. You only get one round though, more costs extra.

My three shrimp tacos were quite good. The shrimp tasted fresh and there was ample fresh avocado on them. They were a bit dry until I added the delightful spicy avocado on the side (it might have been meant for the enchiladas) and that added just the right kick. 

The food was really good, the service so-so (our waitress seemed to be infected with a touch of ennui), the ambiance was okay and the prices were good. Overall quite nice and we will go back. They have a website for more information.

Hacienda, Goshen, NY

We've been here a few times before and liked it. One of those times was on May5th for Teresa's birthday, also Cinqo de Mayo which is the Mexican equivalent of Saint Patrick's Day. That would be the day to stay away as they are extremely crowded, unless you want to wait. Today at four in the afternoon wasn't a problem since even though the parking lot had quite a few cars, they weren't that crowded inside. I think there were a few people in a room upstairs for a private party.

Outside it looks like a large house that has been converted to a restaurant. Inside the decorations are bright and colorful with designs on the chairs. We were seated and given water and nachos with salsa, a salsa that started out medium and the more you eat the hotter it becomes. We looked over the menu and I ordered the Camarones diablo. Teresa got the enchiladas suizo. While we waited for our food the waiter brought us each a small quesadilla which was quite nice. 

My shrimp tasted fresh and the sauce was slightly spicy with some sautéed onions in it. The re-fried beans were okay and the rice not bad (I don't usually eat rice so it must have been okay for me to have finished half of it).

Overall, the service is good, prices average to a bit high, and the food is fairly good. As we ate we decided that we liked Cafe Maya in Fishkill better. I know that some people will disagree with that, but that's our opinion.

Cafe Mayo, Wappingers Falls, NY

Here's a place we've been driving past for a few years now and always say, "Hey we should stop there sometime." Well, we finally did today and I have to say it is good Mexican food. Now to start off, I'm not a huge Mexican food fan, which is surprising because I love cilantro, lemon juice and pico de gallo. Maybe its the meat I don't like because when we have Mexican lately I've been ordering seafood and I'm fast becoming a fan.

Tonight I had the Tacos de Camaron, shrimp tacos. Three tacos filled with grilled shrimp, black beans, lettuce and tomato covered in a nice sauce with fresh avocado slices. A couple pieces of grilled plantain, and some refried beans and rice on the side completed the meal. All for $16.95. Teresa had chicken enchilada for $13.95. My dinner was delicious and fresh tasting. There were many flavor notes that combined perfectly.

For desert I tried the fried ice cream. They take vanilla ice cream, coat it in frosted flakes and coconut, and fry it. Then they pour on caramel and chocolate, and add whipped cream. At $4.95, I had to try. It was okay, but not as fantastic as I thought it would be.

Give them a try sometime and you'll not be disappointed. They have another location in Fishkill and you can get more info from their website.