Lalo’s Express

Words you will never hear on a Taco Bell commercial: “Try our new pork stomach tacos!” While most people would probably not jump at the chance to try a pork stomach, there is a place in Wichita that serves them along with other delicious Mexican fare. Lalo’s Express is located at the NW corner of Seneca and Harry in a small space that offers a wide variety of quick service Mexican food. It’s kind of like Taco Bell except that their food does not suck.

Behold: The Awe Inspiring Chimichanga

Inside Lalo’s there are a few tables for dine-in customers, but it seems most of their business is carryout. On the menu are all those typical Mexican dishes you have come to love, including burritos, tacos, enchiladas, and chimichangas. There are many other menu

Simple Yet Delicious: Barbacoa and Buche Tacos

options as well ensuring that anyone will be able to find something to enjoy.

On our visit I wanted to try several different items so I went with a shredded beef chimichanga, a barbacoa taco, and the intimidating pork stomach taco, called “buche”. Steph went with one of the combination plates that included a beef burrito, beef enchilada, and beans and rice. After ordering at the counter, we sat  down and prepared ourselves for a feast. Even with several other orders in front of ours, we only had to wait 5 or 10 minutes for our food to come.  The chimichanga was a sight to behold with its crispy golden tortilla covered in sour cream, guac, and cheese. Luckily it tasted as good as it looked. The shredded beef was tender and well seasoned and the peppers added additional flavor to the dish. It was one of the best chimichangas I have had in Wichita. The barbacoa and buche tacos were served the traditional way, open faced with cilantro, onion, and lime. The barbacoa was wonderfully tender and full of flavor. Looking at the buche taco I had my reservations, as the bits of grey meat did not look that appealing. Nonetheless I added a bit of salsa to the taco

The Burrito and Enchilada Meal

and dove in.  The buche was surprisingly tender and I enjoyed the earthy taste. Both of these tacos were rich and greasy so with a side of rice and beans you could have a cheap and tasty meal. Steph, being the enchilada connoisseur, rated hers as good, but nothing special. It must not have been that bad, because it was gone before I even had a chance to sample. We both took turns trying to finish the large beef burrito. The beef was well seasoned, but I would have liked more cheese, lettuce, or other fillings inside the burrito. The refried beans were fresh and flavourful, while the rice was just average. All of the food is served on styrofoam plates with plastic utensils, so eating something like a burrito can be a challenge especially when you have a squirming baby in one hand.
Lalo’s offers very good fast service Mexican food. Their tacos are especially worth trying, and at $1.95 each they are a good value. With dine-in, carryout, and drive thru options Lalo’s is also very convenient, especially late at night because they are open till 1 am during the week and 3 am on weekends.

Juarez Bakery

If you think that Wichita is lacking in good local bakeries, then you have not paid a visit to Jaurez Bakery. While it’s location at 1068 N. Waco may be a bit off most people’s beaten paths, it is certainly worth the trip if you are looking for some authentic Mexican pastries. Juarez also doubles as a small grocery store, which stocks a variety of Hispanic food.

So Many Sweets to Choose From…

Once inside you are immediately drawn to the large selection of exquisite looking baked goods nicely displayed along the front wall. The bakery is self serve luckily, so you can take as much time as you would like to make your selections without holding up the line. This also forces you to exercise some degree of self control or you may walk out of Juarez with several bags full of treats. To begin your shopping experience just grab some tongs and a tray from the cashier counter and get to work.

And Still More…

The selection of baked goods at Juarez includes: pan dulces, churros, croissants, several varieties of cookies, doughnuts, cake, and even something that appeared to be in the shape of a pig.  Some of the sweets are labelled, but if in doubt the cashiers can help you with any questions.

On our most recent visit we selected a churro, a Mexican wedding cookie, a scone looking treat covered in chocolate, and
a cream filled doughnut. The churro and unidentified scone-like treat were our favorites. The deep fried churro tube had a crispy exterior that gave way to a dulce de leche filling. Rolled in cinnamon and sugar it was great. The scone looking thing tasted similar to a cake doughnut and had a delicious chocolate topping as well. The Mexican wedding cookie was just at it should be, dense and crumbly with a dusting of powdered sugar. The creme filled doughnut was just as good as any that you would find at your typical doughnut shop.

If you are looking for some great homemade pastries, Juarez Bakery is the place to go. With prices ranging from $0.75 to $2 per item it is also a great value compared to other sweet shops in the area.

Our Selections Included a Churro(top) and a Mexican Wedding Cookie(bottom)

Fusa/Red 8 Chinese/Chill Gelato(Sushi and Gelato Under One Roof)

Lured in by a coupon offering free gelato with the purchase of a meal we tried the 3 in 1 eatery Fusa/Red 8 Chinese/Chill Gelato the other day. Fusa is located in a strip mall just north of Kellogg and Greenwich. Apparently its original location was in the Towne East Mall, but since I try to avoid that place at all costs, it’s new to me. The owner of Fusa is the same person who opened the iconic Kwan Court and luckily he brought back an old favorite to serve at Fusa. I speak of the honey crispy walnut shrimp, one of my all time favorite dishes.

The Famous Crispy Walnut Shrimp

Fusa is set up much like a mall food court, with several counters offering different cuisines. There is Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, sushi, pasta, burgers, and last but not least, Gelato to top it all off. If you have picky eaters in your group there should be something at Fusa that will satisfy their needs. Ordering was a no brainer for Steph and I, we went with the honey crispy walnut shrimp and the honey crispy walnut chicken. Both dishes came served atop a bed of steamed rice(fried rice available upon request), with plenty of shrimp/chicken. The honey walnut sauce, while not quite on par with the Kwan Court version, was still very good. Coupled with some decent fried shrimp and chicken it was a satisfying meal.

After finishing our lunch we walked to the back of the restaurant where the coolers of gelato( Italian ice cream) are located. Unfortunately there were many delicious flavors, so making a decision was rather difficult. I finally settled on pistachio and Steph was won over by the salted caramel. Our single serving cups were piled high with the creamy frozen treats. We were both pleased with our respective gelato, although it was not as good as Caffe Moderne’s.

A Heaping Cup of Caramel Gelato

If you are looking for a place where you can get your teriyaki chicken and quesadilla fix at the same time Fusa is a good option. Even if you’re not interested in multi-ethnic dining, the large gelato selection is worth checking out.

Mexico Cafe Delano

Cruising through Delano the other day in search of a satisfying lunch we decided to try Mexico Cafe Delano. I really like the name of this restaurant, it is self explanatory and leaves customers with no doubt as to the cuisine or location. It would be great if other restaurants would adopt this simple nomenclature, just imagine hopping into the car and heading to American Burger Cafe Rock Road or Quasi Italian Riverside. Anyway, Mexico Cafe is located in one of the old, elongated brick buildings that Delano is known for. There are about ten tables in the front, while a counter is all that separates the dining area from the kitchen and prep area. It is awkward looking, but provides for an interesting view. There is also some impressive Hispanic themed art on the walls that is for sale if you have several hundred dollars to spend.

This place is about as family as you can get, as our waitress happily pointed out. The father cooks, the mother wraps silverware and the daughter serves/cashiers/enters into strange conversations with customers. One review I read mentioned that the service can be” funny/awkward” and I think that summed up our experience nicely.  Mexico Cafe’s menu has no real surprises, just a small offering of tacos, enchiladas, burritos, tostadas, and monterreys. While we looked over our options two salsas and chips were placed on our table. Both salsas were good, especially the hot salsa. The chips on the other hand were quite salty and the not the best we have had. Steph ordered a combo platter with a taco, enchilada, and tostada. Beans and rice do not come with the combos, so we ordered a side of rice. I went with the Deluxe Burrito, how it differs from the regular burrito I cannot say.

A Wide Angle Lense Was Needed to Get This "Deluxe" Burrito

Both of us enjoyed our meals at Mexico Cafe. The taco, served in a fried flour tortilla was good while the enchilada, smothered in meat sauce and cheese was the highlight. We both liked the side of rice, unlike some rice you get, it did not taste like it had been sitting around for several hours. My Deluxe Burrito was certainly deluxe in proportion. It took up the entire plate and was rather imposing covered with a healthy portion of meat sauce and cheese. Inside was ever so tender pork along with chili beans and sauce.  While I typically like some veggies with my burrito, I thought this all meat and bean extravaganza was great.

Mexico Cafe, like many other small Mexican restaurants in Wichita, offers decent food at a reasonable price. While we were not totally blown away with their offerings, it was still a good meal. If you like supporting a real family operation this is definitely an excellent option.

Garcia’s Tacos

Another week and another hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint. It’s actually been awhile since we have reviewed a Mexican restaurant, so it worked out that Steph and I both had the hunger for south of the border fare. Garcia’s is a real small place located on Market, just south of 21st St. Luckily they had a nice yellow sign outside to draw your attention to what is mostly a stretch of run down buildings along the east side of the street.

The Yellow Sign Directs You to Tasty Goodness

Inside you will find a small, clean dining area with perhaps 8 tables available. The staff is small, consisting of two waitresses and one cook, but very friendly. Since it was our first time at Garcia’s our server offered several suggestions to us. The menu at Garcia’s is small, so small that it is actually just displayed on the wall. And just in case you are easily confused with Mexican cuisine several cartoonish-like pictures accompany the menu mural. What tasty selections are plastered on the wall you ask? Well, there are tacos of course, tostadas, burritos, enchiladas, tortas, as well as menudo soup. With each menu item you have your choice of several meats including  carne asada, barbacoa, chicken, and pork.

Chips and salsa were quickly placed on our table as we mulled over the menu board. The chips were fresh and warm and both salsas were good. The red salsa was the milder of the two and had a rather unique taste. It was pureed and had a vinegar taste to it. Although different from most salsas, we both liked it. The second salsa had a bit more kick to it and featured tomatillos and cilantro.  Steph decided to go with a basic carne asada taco meal and I went with the torta meal with pork. With only a few other patrons in the restaurant our food came out very quickly. My torta was large with plenty of pork and lettuce inside. Although I would have liked a little cheese on my torta, the abundance of delicious pork made me very happy. Steph’s tacos were of the authentic variety and consisted of flat corn tortillas with carne asada, lettuce, and tomatoes. Notice that they were not smothered in cheese like many places like to do. Both of us enjoyed these simple yet satisfying tacos. Our dishes were also served with ample portions of beans and rice which were good as well.

Tasty Pork Torta

Carne Asada Taco Sans Piles of Cheese

So what could top off this great lunch you ask? How about the fact that it only cost us about $14 and both of us left stuffed. Garcia’s is a friendly place where one can come to enjoy a simple and cheap good eat. Unfortunately Garcia’s has limited hours and is only open till 3 pm daily. But that still gives you plenty of time to drop by for an enjoyable lunch off the beaten path.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

El Agave – Wichita KS( A Good Place for Tequila and Salsa)

For once we wanted to be on the cutting edge of the Wichita dining scene and decided to try out the recently opened El Agave. El Agave is located on Rock Road just south of K-96 in what is one of the most transient restaurant buildings on the east side. I can think of at least 3 other restaurants that have been located here in the last ten years. After our experience at Agave I fear they might meet a similar end.

Typically I try to use a restaurant’s salsa quality to make a determination as to how the rest of the meal will go. Is it freshly made or something poured out of an On the Border jar? Is there sweet, delicious cilantro present? El Agave’s salsa proved itself to be rather tasty and paired with a solid $6 house margarita I had high hopes for the rest of the meal.

The menu at El Agave is nothing short of expansive and covers just about every Tex-Mex item you can think of  as well as some more traditional dishes like chicken mole.  I was torn between several choices, but ended up going with the chimichanga dinner. Steph ordered a beef taco and enchilada dinner. My parents joined us at El Agave and they ordered chicken fajitas and Camarones (Shrimp) Vallarta. Despite being fairly busy our food came out in short order. I enjoyed my chimichanga,  the beef was well seasoned, the tortilla crispy, and the cheese sauce tasty. Out of the four meals it seemed that mine was the best. Steph said that her enchilada was bland while the taco was nothing to get excited about. The chicken fajitas were alright, but again nothing that impressive. The most disappointing dish was the Camarones Vallarta. It looked like they had just thrown some pre-made popcorn shrimp onto a plate and served it with rice and a few garnishes.

Despite our experience at El Agave I am not ready to give them a thumbs down yet. With such a large menu to choose from there have to be some really good dishes hiding in there. Unfortunately on the flip side the size of the menu prohibits the diner from finding one of those good dishes. Hopefully as they progress with their business they will streamline the menu so that there is a consistent quality with each dish served.  On another note, if you are a big tequila person this you definitely your place. They have 20 to 30 different types of tequila and a really good house margarita. It would be a great place for drinks and salsa after long work week. Hopefully their food will come around and El Agave will thrive in a location where others have not.

Bagatelle Bakery- Wichita KS

One of Wichita’s dining/food weaknesses is the local bakery scene. There are only a handful of places that offer fresh baked delights and one of those is Bagatelle. Located on Harry just east of Woodlawn, Bagatelle has been turning out breads and pastries for a number of years as well as serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

After just one visit to this bakery/restaurant I am ready give it the award for “Most Eclectic Menu in Wichita” or “Most Likely Restaurant to serve Mexican, Lebanese, and French foods on the same day”.  Those are two categories that must be added to the Reader’s Choice Awards next year. We apparently visited on Mexican day, because the special was enchiladas, which complemented the quiches, soups, hummus, and ham sandwiches rather nicely. A bit taken back by the presence of enchiladas at a bakery I fell back on my old trusty friend, the ham and cheese croissant. I also got a cup of black bean soup for my side. Steph decided to go simple as well and ordered a turkey croissant with a side of hummus. Making our way to the decent sized seating area, we found a basket full of pita chips and well as some tasty ciabatta bread that was being offered to all customers. It looked like if we had gotten there earlier, there would have been some cake for dessert on the freebie table.

We enjoyed our generous bowl of hummus and as well as the cup of black bean soup and some ciabatta bread while waiting for the sandwiches to come out. The sandwiches eventually came out served with a simple pickle. Both the turkey and the ham sandwich came out the same with ample amounts of meat, several slices of cheese, and served on what was a very good croissant. Some people might have been taken aback by the lack of other ingredients, but it just reminded me of the way they serve sandwiches in France. When you have quality ingredients you don’t need a bunch of sauce and vegetables to get in the way.  Now I’m not saying the croissants at Bagatelle are as good as in Paris, but they are some of the better ones I have had stateside. We left Bagatelle full and satisfied with our experience. Steph was so full from lunch she actually passed up on some of the wonderful looking pastries behind the counter.

As far as the bread and pastry products go at Bagatelle, they had croissants, ciabatta bread, baguettes, and a wide variety other assorted pastries. If their baked goods menu is anything like the lunch and dinner menu I can only assume that it is rather dynamic and changes day-to-day. Similar to N and J’s, Bagatelle also offers bags of pita chips, cheeses, and seasonings. To sum it all up, Bagatelle offers a random assortment of good food, breads, and pastries at reasonable prices and they can even make you a wedding cake.

Baugatelle’s Daily Specials

<a href="http://“>

Paleteria La Reyna – Wichita KS ( The Perfect One-Two Punch)

What happens when you combine great Mexican food with homemade Mexican ice cream and fruit pops all under one roof? You get Paleteria La Reyna of course. I feel rather embarrassed that I had never heard of this magical place till just a few weeks ago. Somehow it had slipped below my radar, but luckily that has been remedied. La Reyna is located at 29th and Arkansas, just south of the intersection. First off let me break down the translation of Paleteria La Reyna, so we are all on the same page. A paleta is “a Latin American ice pop, usually made from fruit.” So a paleteria is a place where these frozen treats are sold. La reyna translates as “the queen”. Put it all together and you have, Latin American ice pop shop of the queen. Sounds pretty damn fantastic doesn’t it? Now after doing some internet research La Reyna, not surprisingly, is known for their frozen treats. With this knowledge I was curious as to how their savory food would fare.

The Amazing Adobo Burrito with Chile Verde

On first glance La Reyna checked out. Traditional Mexican restaurant exterior, vibrant decorations and paintings inside, clean and decently sized dining area, Hispanic soap opera on TV, and festive music blaring from speakers. From what I could tell the soap opera was set during the mid 1800s in Old Mexico and revolved around the love life of General Santa Anna. As we walked up to the counter it was hard to focus on the lunch menu due to the large amount of ice pops and ice cream located in the freezers. I managed to pull myself away to order a pork burrito, while Steph ordered beef enchiladas, and my mother went with the chicken tacos. Their food menu is not expansive, but all the popular Mexican dishes are well represented. All the food is picked up at the counter so make sure you have a good line of sight between your table and the counter.

Our food came with an ample serving of chips and salsa, both homemade. The tortilla chips are a bit thicker than most places, which means you can shovel even more delicious salsa into your mouth. The salsa had just the right amount of kick to it with some cilantro to balance it out. Our food came out quickly and I immediately regretted all the chips I polished off because the portion sizes were huge. My burrito was good sized and came with a side of beans and rice. This pork burrito is one of the best I have had in Wichita. It ranks up there with El Paisa’s burrito. Inside this big boy were tender chunks of pork, avocado, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. A lovely chili verde sauce put the finishing touches on the burrito. The beans and rice were fine, but nothing to get excited about. Steph’s enchiladas were finished with  chili verde as well and complimented the sweetness of the enchilada sauce nicely. My mom really enjoyed her chicken tacos which came with chunks of white meat chicken, lettuce, avocados, tomatoes, and sour cream. Although it was served in a fried shell it would be a lighter selection for those who find Mexican food too heavy.

Although all three of us were stuffed, there was no way we were leaving without trying their frozen delights. La Reyna makes all of their ice cream and paletas in-house and offers a wide variety of flavors. Each of us decided to go with a scoop of ice cream. I sampled tequila, Steph had pecan, and mom went with vanilla. All I have to say is that I have a new favorite ice cream place. The creaminess and distinct flavors are unrivaled by the likes of Cold Stone, Marble Slab, Spangles, and even Baskin Robbins. Their ice cream is also very affordable as three generous scoops only cost around $5.

Even if La Reyna did not serve ice cream I would still rank it as one of my top Mexican restaurants in Wichita. The fact that they also serve awesome frozen treats makes it very hard to compete with. If you are looking for some relief from this unrelenting heat swing by and check out La Reyna’s frozen treats after feasting on a burrito or two (just don’t go on Wednesday, as they are closed).

<a href=”http://“>

Los Compadres-Wichita KS (Get Your Cilantro On)

A few weeks ago Steph told me about a new Mexican restaurant that a parent at her school had just opened and I was instantly intrigued. We  finally made it down to 31st and Hillside to check out Los Compadres the other day. It was everything I had hoped it would be.

We were the only customers in the restaurant when we arrived at 1130 on a rainy April day. As it turns out we were just the first of the lunch time crowd. Inside, the restaurant is good sized with little in the way of interior decorating, which isn’t a big deal for me. I’m there for the food and don’t really care about the atmosphere, unless of course they are blaring some terrible music. That might be grounds for me to go into some type of wild public display of anger.

After being seated we asked what the kitchen would recommend to eat. We were told the barbacoa served at Los Compadres was their specialty as well as a shrimp dish with cream sauce. Since I was just recovering from a Lent induced seafood indulgence I went with the barbacoa tacos. Barbacoa, for those of you scratching your heads, is  basically traditional Mexican shredded beef.  I was feeling adventurous and ordered a lengua (beef tongue) taco as well. Steph went with a barbacoa quesadilla. We also ordered some guac and  frijoles charros. The minute we were served our salsa and chips I knew it was going to be awesome due to the presence of large slices of cilantro and it did not dissapoint. Our guac was tasty as well. The tacos were a nice change from the typical Tex-Mex you would normally get at a restaurant in Wichita. They were small masa tortillas served with the meat of your choice, cilantro, and onion. Simple yet delicious. I enjoyed both the barbacoa and lengue tacos. The frijoles charros were nearly a meal themselves and reminded me a spicy chili. Steph’s quesadilla was very good as well and also contained a fair amount of cilantro.

We were both very impressed with our experience at Los Compadres and will definitely go back when we need a cilantro fix. If you like reasonably priced, authentic, delicious food then this is the place for you. If that isn’t enough to get you down there how about the fact that this is a nice family run place?

Taqueria El Paisa-Wichita KS (Home of the Two Sided Burrito)

For a nice romantic post-Valentines dinner Steph and I went to Taqueria El Paisa, a great Mexican joint located at 21st and Arkansas. For those of you who don’t know this establishment it is located in the authentic part of town. The part of town where you go to get the real stuff (Mexican food that is). On an early Thursday night there were only two other tables in the mission style building. Once you are inside El Paisa you quickly realize they do no subscribe to the minimalist approach to decorating. There is a large mural on one wall, plenty of flair affixed to the other walls, and trendy clay pots which double as light fixtures over each table.

Once we sat down, immediately three jars of salsa and a basket of chips appeared before our eyes. There was the traditional tomato based red salsa, a hot green chili salsa, and a tomatillo salsa. I have never had tomatillo salsa in Wichita before and I am not sure how many places in town serve it, but I just have to say this salsa was amazing. It had a rich creaminess and wonderful flavor. Coupled with the fresh tortilla chips we both had our fill. For dinner I decided to go with a large roasted pork burrito. This one came stuffed with beans, rice, cilantro, cheese, and onions and cubed pork. On top of the stuffed flour tube were two types of salsa with a beautiful piped ribbon of sour cream serving as a dividing line between the two. When I first tasted the pork I was surprised to find that it had a subtle sweet taste.  I had never tasted pork seasoned in this manner at a Mexican joint and it rocked my world. One last twist to this delicious burrito was the fact that one side contained rice and the other beans. Yeah, sit back and let that sink in.

Steph ordered three corn enchiladas with beans and rice. She ordered one beef, one cheese, and one chicken. The chicken and beef were shredded inside of the enchiladas, which made for a good texture when coupled with the tasty enchilada sauce.

I would highly recommend El Paisa to anyone looking to try some new Mexican flavors, whether it is the tomatillo salsa or the giant burrito that brings tears to my eyes. So get out there and check out one of the better places to get Mexican food in Wichita.