We did our “Cinco de Mayo” thing last week (take-out molcajete from El Rinconcito de Mama). Pretty good, though the chicken was a little dried out. They are apparently doing indoor dining–there was one couple when I was there about 1PM.
The prices have gone up since last year. Most prices have gone up by a dollar, a few by two dollars, and some by more. The molcajete went from $20.95 to $25.95, the weekend lamb special from $20.95 to $26.95. Given that we get four servings out of a molcajete, it is still a good deal.
Also note that their hours have changed. On Mondays they close at 3PM.
Picked up a Meat Molcajete from La Valentina tonight. This has to be one of the better values around. If I was a starving student I could stretch this thing to 6 meals easy. Plated it to try and get a better photo but you simply have to mound it higher unless you get a huge plate. Beef, chicken, pork, chorizo and 4 large shrimp too. Delicious.
La Valentina on Broadway in LB. The chorizo tends to spread the heat a little bit but not overpowering. Comes with a split roasted jalapeno, cheese, avocado, green onions, rice, tortillas. Alum round to go container filled to top. GF thought we had gotten somebody else’s bag as it was so heavy.
Other Mexican restaurants have similar molcajetes (e.g., El Rinconcito de Mama in Matawan). If the grilled jalapeno is really hot, it can spread to whatever it is resting on.
For reasons passing understanding, I have been keeping old menus from a few restaurants. In particular, I have five from Tino’s (the oldest when it was Lino’s), about one a year. And every year the prices have gone up. The Parillada Mexicana went from $18.25 to $21.99 to $25 to $27 to $30–and most of that was pre-COVID. Tacos went from $7.50 to $7.99 to $10 to $12, and then stayed there this year, although the higher priced tacos went up another dollar. I like their food, but when a burrito, four tacos, and a couple of cans of soda plus tax and tip are $40, they are pricing themselves out of the (well, my) market for Mexican food in Red Bank. Not a big deal–we go only twice a year, after our dentist appointments–but I think next time we will go back to either IMF or North of the Border. (Oh, and the sound level is way too high as well.)
More Galindo’s…
Settled on some favorites here. Shrimp with Garlic. Pork Posole with Red Chile. Shrimp Cocktail (to which I add a bit of Melinda’s Extra Hot). Very tasty with leftovers. Hard to not order too much here.
Queso in Lincroft has closed. This is not immediately obvious, because the name is still up on the outside wall above four windows with Queso posters in them. But when you realize that the door to the left is for Luigi’s, and the door to the right is for Ahi, you also realize that there is no door for Queso!
(I took a picture but can’t figure out how to upload it on my tablet.)
Well, that was totally obscure. We spent at least five minutes trying to figure out where the door had vanished to, and ended up eating at Ahi.
(The whole day was fahitzed: Our first plan was International Mexican Food, but their taco plates were four tacos each–more than we wanted, and we realized we could split a Tino’s Trio for the same orice. But there was no parking near enough to Tino’s (Mark has a pinched nerve and walking is painful). So we decided to do Queso, which obviously didn’t happen either.) And Ahi was a bit of a disappointment; Wasabi 34 is better.
I’m sorry–I researched the first two places on my list, but Queso didn’t even come up until we had struck out on Tino’s, and really, are people supposed to do major searches before going to a restaurant they have been to many times before, just in case it closed or re-named or merged or got transported to the planet Zarg?
We will be vacationing on the planet Zarg this summer. Does anyone have any recommendations or places not to miss? I did try using the search function, but nothing came up.
I’m sorry I was teasing @seal for using the link/website instead of a link to his own announcement on here.
I literally was responding to you myself and saying; “I could swear I read somewhere………” {{lightbulb admittedly dimly lit}} Hey wasn’t it on here I read it???
So I searched and saw that seal had posted it, (but I’m assuming) he had forgotten his previous announcement! I like reminding him of his forgetfulness!
They say the mind is the second thing that goes………I forgot the first.
Tried out Pancho at Colt Neck today before visiting Delicious Orchards.
Ordered Birria and Al Pastore Tacos. Not a taco connoisseur myself but I do enjoy it.
