Apparently La Playa Cancun used to be in Danville before it moved to the end of the strip of businesses on the edge of Bloomsburg on Route 11. Currently Danville has another Mexican restaurant that I'll get into in another review, but if history has anything to say about it, Danville seems to have a history of gaining and then losing Mexican restaurants.
It's Bloomsburg's gain. La Playa Cancun sits in a mini-mall strip next to a Loan Agency and a Rite Aid, and almost every time I've eaten there, it's not been exactly stuffed with clientele. In fact, there have been times where my wife and I have been the only two people in the restaurant.
Except this past Friday, that is. We were looking for a place to go on Valentine's Day, and wouldn't you know it, every restaurant was absolutely packed with people. We thought that we would drive to La Playa Cancun, because usually we've had no wait to get seated. This time, however, we would wait a loooooooong time.
It's not La Playa Cancun's fault that it happened to be the night where most couples go out to share in a nice meal. However, there were tables there that sat empty, and people weren't being seated at them. I though that maybe they were reserved, because the person at the front desk kept asking for reservations- but then I watched for the rest of the night, and THEY NEVER SAT ANYONE AT THESE TABLES.
At one point, a lady came up to the counter, visibly angry, and complained that they sat there a whole hour and still had not received their food. They apologized and explained that they were busy. I'm sorry, but an hour? Even a busy night is no excuse for that amount of time.
Okay, let me stop ranting about waiting. Part of that is my issue because, as my wife would tell you, waiting in line is not something I'm very good at. I get antsy. I make snide remarks. I do things to ease my frustration, such as turning all of the business cards backwards on the display on the front counter, and make sculptures with the toothpicks and peppermints that sat there.
La Playa Cancun usually boasts great food. I have had fajitas, an assortment of burritos, and seafood dishes, and they have all been 1.) quickly prepared and 2.) full of great Mexican flavor. La Playa Cancun is a pretty "by the numbers" Mexican restaurant, especially compared to La Casita de la Familia in Shenandoah, but they do "by the numbers" pretty well. They are always willing to refill your chips and salsa (their salsa is pretty good, too), and I have yet to have a subpar meal.
I can't say that my meal on Friday night was "subpar". I can say that there were little things that were "off" about it. I had the Burrito Texano, which was a steak burrito that had rice and beans mixed inside with a red sauce poured over the top. By the way, we did end up waiting about 45 minutes for our food to be served.
My steak was very, very tough. I tried "bringing it back to life" with the red sauce, but that didn't work very well. It was like eating a beef jerky burrito, which isn't bad because I like beef jerky, but that's also obviously not what they were going for.
My wife had the El Burro Chocho, which is a chicken burrito topped with a ranchero cheese sauce. She has had this dish practically every time we've eaten here, and again, it was a bit "off". The chicken was extremely well done, while it has usually been perfectly tender and juicy. The cheese sauce was dried on the top of the burrito, as if the whole thing had been cooked too long.
We've never eaten here before when the place has been crowded. Usually I've enjoyed what I've had, but on this night, I found myself disappointed. I will say this- if you have a pretty good menu, as I feel La Playa Cancun does, you need to be able to show it off on a night when you know your business is going to be more than the usual.
I would recommend that you would go there anytime BUT dinnertime on a Friday night. You'll have good food if you go on the off hours. They will take care of you, be concerned that you are enjoying your meal, and be willing to go the extra mile for you. On Friday night, it will all of a sudden turn into an experience where you are left waiting for your food for a while, and then when it does come, you'll be fairly disappointed.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
La Casita De Familia- Shenandoah, PA
There's simply no way to talk about Shenandoah in the 21st century without noting the racial divide that currently marks the town, and really, the entire coal region. I don't know exactly how to get into this without laying my personal feelings out on the table, so if I offend here, I really do apologize.
Sometime in the late 1990's, a large hispanic population became evident in the small town of Shenandoah. When I was a teenager, my perception was that it happened overnight, however I'm willing to bet that my perception was not reality. I have previously shared my issues with Shenandoah earlier on this blog, when I reviewed The Lyric. Growing up in Frackville, Shenandoah was like the elephant graveyard in the Lion King:
Shenandoah was a great place to go if you wanted to get into a fistfight. It was a place where people would yell at you randomly from their porch while driving through town, most of the time nonsensically, but you got the idea that they were not happy with your presence (and I can attest to that- it has happened to me more than once).
Anyway, like I said earlier, Shenandoah has had an influx of people of Hispanic descent. Many who live there don't like this, and racial tensions have been an issue for quite some time. It hit its peak surrounding the killing of an illegal immigrant by some boys who were underage drinking back in 2008, but that is a long story for another time. If you want to start an argument in Shenandoah, bringing up the incident is a good way to do it.
Regardless of your feelings on immigration or the presence of people from other countries, here's the deal: They are here now. They are people. They are us, more than we whites admit. I hate talking about this in a "them and us" way, but that is the way some look at it, and it is tragic. If we treat "them" with the respect "we" ourselves would like to get, things will be easier for us all. That doesn't mean getting taken advantage of. We are all children from the same source. Let's act like it. *end soapbox*
I noticed a little Mexican restaurant near the main intersection a few months ago when I was in town for a meeting. I remember thinking that it made sense given the population change in Shenandoah. I made a little mental note to myself to check it out, and a few Fridays ago, my wife and I did just that.
I hope if you read this and haven't checked out this little slice of heaven, you go ahead and give it a try.
The first thing that happens at La Casita is that the waitress comes up and offers you chips and salsa. I have been to plenty of Mexican restaurants before, in Harrisburg, Chambersburg, Philadelphia, Wilkes-Barre, Bloomsburg, Danville, and places in between. I have never, ever, EVER had chips and salsa like this. The chips are thicker than your normal tortilla chip, which makes them excellent for dipping. The salsa is a different texture than your normal restaurant salsa. It is less chunky, more soupy, which might sound like a bad thing, except it isn't. The salsa has a good smoky flavor to it, and combined with the thicker chips, you get a pretty good mix. Honestly, I would come here just for the chips and salsa, they're that good.
The menu is different than many Mexican restaurants. Like I said, I have been to quite a few in Pennsylvania, and there is a sameness to them. La Casita deviates from the norm in a good way. They have their menu broken up into sections based on their geographical origin, including a whole Tex-Mex part that I will get to on my next visit.
I had chorizo gorditas. In the spirit of full disclosure, let me say that previously, my only exposure to gorditas was as a menu item at Taco Bell:
That is not exactly what the gorditas at La Casita look like. Here is an image of gorditas online that look closer to the ones they actually serve:
Less taco-y, and more sandwich slider-y. So in a sense, I had ordered Mexican sausage sliders. There was probably about twice as much meat in the sandwich as in the above picture. There was a great amount of sour cream and lettuce, and it all mixed together to make a creamy and spicy dance on my tongue with some good crunch because of the veggie factor.
There were three on the plate, and they came with an order of refried beans and cheese. By the time I was done eating, I was stuffed.
My wife got something too, which she enjoyed, but I cannot remember what it was. I do remember, however, that our total meal was less than $20. In this day and age, that is a deal!
I didn't know what to expect when I went in. What I got was a great meal, friendly service, and a great overall experience. The food came pretty quickly, and it was delicious.
If you want a great meal, and something different than the other restaurants in the area, I wholeheartedly recommend giving this restaurant a try.
La Casita de Familia
8 E Centre St, Shenandoah, PA 17976
(570)462-1994
Sometime in the late 1990's, a large hispanic population became evident in the small town of Shenandoah. When I was a teenager, my perception was that it happened overnight, however I'm willing to bet that my perception was not reality. I have previously shared my issues with Shenandoah earlier on this blog, when I reviewed The Lyric. Growing up in Frackville, Shenandoah was like the elephant graveyard in the Lion King:
Shenandoah was a great place to go if you wanted to get into a fistfight. It was a place where people would yell at you randomly from their porch while driving through town, most of the time nonsensically, but you got the idea that they were not happy with your presence (and I can attest to that- it has happened to me more than once).
Anyway, like I said earlier, Shenandoah has had an influx of people of Hispanic descent. Many who live there don't like this, and racial tensions have been an issue for quite some time. It hit its peak surrounding the killing of an illegal immigrant by some boys who were underage drinking back in 2008, but that is a long story for another time. If you want to start an argument in Shenandoah, bringing up the incident is a good way to do it.
Regardless of your feelings on immigration or the presence of people from other countries, here's the deal: They are here now. They are people. They are us, more than we whites admit. I hate talking about this in a "them and us" way, but that is the way some look at it, and it is tragic. If we treat "them" with the respect "we" ourselves would like to get, things will be easier for us all. That doesn't mean getting taken advantage of. We are all children from the same source. Let's act like it. *end soapbox*
I noticed a little Mexican restaurant near the main intersection a few months ago when I was in town for a meeting. I remember thinking that it made sense given the population change in Shenandoah. I made a little mental note to myself to check it out, and a few Fridays ago, my wife and I did just that.
I hope if you read this and haven't checked out this little slice of heaven, you go ahead and give it a try.
The first thing that happens at La Casita is that the waitress comes up and offers you chips and salsa. I have been to plenty of Mexican restaurants before, in Harrisburg, Chambersburg, Philadelphia, Wilkes-Barre, Bloomsburg, Danville, and places in between. I have never, ever, EVER had chips and salsa like this. The chips are thicker than your normal tortilla chip, which makes them excellent for dipping. The salsa is a different texture than your normal restaurant salsa. It is less chunky, more soupy, which might sound like a bad thing, except it isn't. The salsa has a good smoky flavor to it, and combined with the thicker chips, you get a pretty good mix. Honestly, I would come here just for the chips and salsa, they're that good.
The menu is different than many Mexican restaurants. Like I said, I have been to quite a few in Pennsylvania, and there is a sameness to them. La Casita deviates from the norm in a good way. They have their menu broken up into sections based on their geographical origin, including a whole Tex-Mex part that I will get to on my next visit.
I had chorizo gorditas. In the spirit of full disclosure, let me say that previously, my only exposure to gorditas was as a menu item at Taco Bell:
Less taco-y, and more sandwich slider-y. So in a sense, I had ordered Mexican sausage sliders. There was probably about twice as much meat in the sandwich as in the above picture. There was a great amount of sour cream and lettuce, and it all mixed together to make a creamy and spicy dance on my tongue with some good crunch because of the veggie factor.
There were three on the plate, and they came with an order of refried beans and cheese. By the time I was done eating, I was stuffed.
My wife got something too, which she enjoyed, but I cannot remember what it was. I do remember, however, that our total meal was less than $20. In this day and age, that is a deal!
I didn't know what to expect when I went in. What I got was a great meal, friendly service, and a great overall experience. The food came pretty quickly, and it was delicious.
If you want a great meal, and something different than the other restaurants in the area, I wholeheartedly recommend giving this restaurant a try.
La Casita de Familia
8 E Centre St, Shenandoah, PA 17976
(570)462-1994
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