Going Back: La Palapa @ US E Hwy 290

After our last low TAVS rating visit, it was a little difficult to get back. However, here we were ALR was once again sitting at La Palapa. This was a little different since now were sited on the main restaurant area rather than the cantina.

The food was of the same quality, flavor and quantity which mean a middle of the table rating good. We had a pleasant lunch and all the food came promptly. If you had an opportunity to read last review, the main problem was the service at the end when we were waiting for our check. Unfortunately, this time we ran into something similar. At the end, we had to go to the cashier to pay in order to make things happened. It took several minutes for the check to be re-created since it was somehow no on the system.

In summary, for the second time on a row, La Palapa has been deficient with the check process. Their food is an average Tex-Mex food selection and their value is Ok. For these reasons, their TAVS has not change holding at 2.8.

Link to La Palapa web site

Morelia Mexican Grill @ Parmer and 620

ALR went to lunch on a special circumstance to Morelia Mexican Grill. Morelia has a fantastic decoration that immerses you inside an “Hacienda” somewhere in Mexico. At the entrance, a wonderful water fountain with an angel receives you and from there you can admire two tall sculptures known as “Atlante de Tula”. Once you are sited, you are surrounded by murals, paints and decorations.

 We were quickly sited on a table in the middle of the place. Chips and salsa were served immediately. I didn’t like the chips because they were oily, lacked crispiness and salty flavor. The red salsa was also bland and needed textured. Finally, the green salsa was simply Ok.

As always, the plate to order to measure how Mexican the cuisine is on a place is the “Enchiladas Verdes”. On this plate, you can taste the rice, beans, green sauce, tortilla and chicken. You can easily determine a Tex-Mex from a Mexican restaurant with this selection. In this case, the rice wasn’t good because it had more like a Tex-Mex flavor because of the spices added and dry consistency. The refried beans had good flavor. The enchilada had a great featured because the chicken was just grilled instead of cooked with tomato as many other places do. However, this requires having a lot more tomatillo sauce to avoid the enchilada to feel dry and with lack of flavor. I would expect a lot more sauce on the plate to allow the chicken to grab this flavor as well as a combination of cheese and sour cream.

Another friend asked for the Fajitas Texanas which they looked very good and were served with flour tortillas. I was intrigued by the different options on fajitas where different vegetables and sauces are offered to create very unique combinations. I would surely try again in the future but concentrating more on this selection rather than the more traditional Mexican plates.

The service was good and the server was always attentive with our drinks, plates, etc. Regarding the value, it was Ok since a plate and drink was a little over $10 (with tip) and considering the amount, quality and overall flavor, it deserves a middle of the table score.

In summary, Morelia has definitively a very unique ambiance that transports you to Mexico. However, their Enchiladas were not 100% Mexican Enchiladas as were expected. We definitively will try on the future some of the fajitas options since they present interesting options and combinations.

You can see more photos of the decoration on our Pinterest page.

 

Link to Morelia Mexican Grill web site

La Palapa @ E Hwy 290

La Palapa “Mexican” Restaurant and Cantina is a place close to work with good parking and normally not crowded during lunch. We have been going to lunch there on and off for many years due to the convenience of the location. However, today it was put to the test under Austin Lunch Review blog.

We arrived there around 11:45am and we were surprised that we were sited on the back room of the restaurant. This is technically the “cantina” side which at these hours of the day is empty. It is never a good sign when you go to a satellite location of the restaurant because it is always a recipe for bad service. Chips and salsa arrived to our table as we were taking our places so we started with the right foot. Chips are one of those elements on a lunch that are not always good. However, la Palapa delivered good chips with their usual salsa which in my consideration is not the best one due to their consistency and flavor. It is too liquid or diluted with lack of texture.

Our order consisted of beef burritos with queso salsa on the top, migas with fajitas and chicken enchiladas with tomatillo salsa. For me, a real Mexican restaurant should excel on basic plates such as enchiladas. It is not the first time I have the enchiladas here so I was not surprised to get a Tex-Mex style plate rather than a Mexican one. In the case of the burrito, it was rated as good value for the cost and the migas with fajitas was rated also mid-scale due to the meat been a little hard and dry. In summary, food is on a mid-scale compared with other options around the area. However, the price is a little lower so when you balance the taste, value, cost equation, it is a viable option.



Chicken Enciladas with Tomatillo Sauce

Beef Burrito with Queso Salsa



Unfortunately at the end, our server disappeared and it took a lot longer than average to get our check. It took about 15 minutes waiting for someone to even get close to our area. Finally, the fact that we were sitting on a satellite area of the restaurant had the effect that was expected. Finally, the check arrived and we were surprised with an automatic 15% tip already included after having to wait a long time to be able to get out. I have to admit that I am not a good “tipper” and to have 15% added for a slow service was not a good way to close. Also, it is important to note that this place do not includes any “neutralizer” (ice cream) that can be added or a location close by where to get it. Fortunately today, we had an ice cream social at work so this item was taken care of.

In summary (we are still working on a formal rating), food is mid-scale for a Tex-Mex restaurant. I will not consider it a Mexican restaurant. Service was fair with the big surprise of getting an automatic 15% tip even after waiting 15 minutes to get the check. The decoration is nice and colorful and the place has a good parking space with easy access to it. We’ll probably give it another chance on a future opportunity to at least measure the consistency at different days. Even though at this moment, it cannot be categorized a place that Austin Lunch Review will consider certified as a “top place”.

Link to La Palapa Web Site