Los Baez Mexican Restaurant
Los Baez Mexican Restaurant = EPIC FAIL
You already wasted an hour and a meal from my life. You will get no more explanation.
Los Baez Mexican Restaurant = EPIC FAIL
You already wasted an hour and a meal from my life. You will get no more explanation.
Metro-slapped.
Damn.
Make your tummy happy…go to Esparza’s. Okay, okay…it’s Tex-Mex, not Mex. But still. Gooooooood food. Tasty margaritas too.
http://www.realgoodfood.com/esparzas.html
Have to agree. I think my wife and I had our worst meal in years there shortly after they opened. It’s just terrible in every way.
Esparza’s?! Are you kidding? The margaritas there are not good. Well, they’re good if you like sweet and sour mix.
Ouch.. good to know.
I seem to be addicted to DF at the moment.
Esparzas is good. Especially if I have a movie to goto at Laurelhurst.
What is DF?
Don’t go to Esparza’s if you are a vegetarian, there very few options. Also, someone told me that the owner monitors the bartenders by webcam (!) to make sure they make the drinks as weak as legally possible. I lived a block away from there for years and have eaten there enough times to know. The place looks great inside and out, but is always disappointing.
DF – ie.. "de effe" or "district federale"
http://portland.citysearch.com/profile/41734942/
The drinks are a little weak at Esparza’s, but the food is awesome. Where else in town are you gonna find BBQ beef brisket tamales? It is vegetarian unfriendly (but there are plenty of places for our non-meat eating brethren to go), but as a carnivore, it’s pure bliss.
In North, check out Trebol on N. Mississippi. We had a great meal there last week.
Excellent news about Trebol!! That is on our list to try out.
Authentica, La Calaca Comelona, Nuestra Cocina, Taqueria Nueve, DF, and a large number of taquerias and taco trucks and tiendas in the greater metro Portland area.
Yeah, I’d had some good experiences with Los Baez when it first opened, and I had hopes of it being a shining light in Portland’s dismal sit-down Mexican restaurant scene, but my last few visits were less than exciting, and their hours make it a total pain for me to go to anyway…they’ve been closed the last few attempts at going.
Esparza’s is typically disappointing, Trebol (only been once) was an overpriced disaster. D.F. (it refers to Mexico City) and Taqueria Nueve are both really tasty, but they don’t work when want some chile verde. I’ve enjoyed the spot out around 80th and Glisan a few times, and El Palenque hits the spot. Don’t even bother with Iron Horse.
Best. Review. EVER.
(Not just because it is true beyond words. The one time I ate there, I was invisible to the waitstaff, which was kind of interesting seeing as I was the only person in there who wasn’t an employee.)
Also, what kind of person eats BBQ Beef Tamales? The same people who think Taco Bell is Mexican Food, methinks.
horrible restaurant. Waited an hour to take my order, another 45 minutes to get served a cold meal. worst excuse for a restaurant….
Since this has turned into a generic Mexican(ish)-themed discussion, here are my votes (feel free to take into consideration that I lived the first 21 years of my life in Texas):
Good at some level or other:
* Autentica (my current favorite, but it’s actual Mexican)
* La Calaca Comelona (also very good Mexican, slightly less pricey in some ways than Autentica)
* Nuestra Cocina (haven’t been in a while, but tasty and authentic)
* El Palenque (used to have pupusas and other Salvadoran fare, but haven’t been in a while; tends a bit border-Mex)
* La Bamba (on Powell; has some good stuff if you know what to order, though border-Mex as well).
Places I probably won’t be going back to:
* Esparza’s (meh)
* DF (tried too hard, did not succeed)
* Trebol (my whole party agrees it wasn’t good)
Best Mexican cart in downtown (my opinion):
* La Jarochita on SW 5th (Very tasty sopes and huaraches. Also good tacos.)
If you’re in Hillsboro, I also recommend Taqueria Ochoa in the downtown area. At least, I think it’s still called that.
I’m with ya on the Los Baez thing. It’s too bad the food is so sub-par, I kind of like the space. If you’re looking for other bad "Mexican" Ole Ole is just down the street. Had the worst burrito ever there today.
For my Valentine I choo choo choose La Calaca Comelona. Great atmosphere and damn good food (and drinks)!