PhillyLunchBox

Mexican Post

Mexican Post
104 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Phone: (215) 923-5233

I went to the Mexican Post in Old City the other Friday night. No offense, but I find the place kind of tired. Not sure why, just seems kind of the same-old scene to me, like the place is just punching the clock. It’s not the staff – they’re very nice.

Maybe it’s the food. They have the usual lineup of burritos, enchiladas, refried beans or whatever that pile of stuff is called. But my taco and burrito didn’t come out hot at all, in fact it was barely luke warm, like it had been sitting back there for an hour. It was just bland. Aussie’s fajitas were kind of OK, but where was the sour cream? The guacamole? You’re kidding me, right?

The margaritas at the Mexican Post are good, no question. I’m sure that’s what keeps people coming back. I guess it can be a really laid-back, fun place to drink. There are a couple of tv’s that always seem to have ESPN on, so there's something to do during sips.

We've had more than a few 'happy' happy hours here over the years. Mr. Lunchbox and I have stumbled out of here several times. But hey, we still prefer to get trashed and laid for cheap at Tiki Bob's. Sniffing those beer caps just gets me bombed big-time.

Actually though, for really good Mexican food, I prefer some other places in Philadelphia – even the new chain in town Qdoba has much better food than at the Mexican Post – it’s just fresher and more tasty at Qdoba’s.

Oh – I didn’t see the waiter guy who has tattoos all over his arms. Is he still working there? He's nice, and the tats are neat to look at.

El Azteca IV - Reducks (and the chicken was good too!!)

Mr. Box and I stopped by yesterday for lunch at this spunky little Mexican
concern on 19th St. between Market and Chestnut, the same place we
reviewed last summer.

As with El Vez, we had another unusual seating experience, but this time it was quite pleasant. As we walked in, a cute Spanish waitress asked if we wanted the table for two near the door, but we declined, citing our freezing hands! So, she took us towards the back of the place, then, as if entering another dimension, we made a left-turn into another room. Turned out to be the dining room of the bar next door called Togo's (we think).

The room was a little Austin Powers-ish, with oversized green olives for seats and curvy colored seat-back cushions against the walls. We were the only ones in there, so we just sat back and enjoyed the atmosphere of solitude and silence, quickly broken by our usual inane chatter about co-workers.

(Oh - someone needs to put signs on the bathroom doors - no less than 10 people came to use them during our meal, and all of them had trouble finding them, they even had to ask the distracted bartender at the empty bar, who - to our amusement - was wholly absorbed in his cigs and reading material, enveloped in a swirling cloud of smoke.)

My chicken quesadilla was really good, nice and cheesy and hot, but the black beans were cold (although tasty). Mr. Box's Burrito Blanco (that's "white burrito" for you gringos out there) was "very good", but
he maintains that the refried beans are "watery," as before. Watch out for the hot plates too, ouch!

Oops - our waitress (the one who seated us) forgot my iced tea, brought me water instead, no biggie, I think I mumbled that part of the order anyway. She was a little pouty too during the meal, but we understood - this place is busy as hell at lunch. Oh - check out the neck tattoo on the Asian-guy waiter's neck, it looks Chinese writing (not that we would know!), very neat.

More on Qboda...

Everybody loves Mexican food... Citipaper reviews Qboda:

"Juliet ordered the chicken mole burrito ($5.99), its rich sauce made with bitter chocolate or coco. The mole, she said, is "a coveted dish indeed, as good mole is a sad rarity at quick-service burrito counters 'round these parts." But the entire package was "thick with sauce," she said. "I'd have preferred a more discerning application of sauce, really -- spread through parts of the burrito."

Helen's grilled chicken quesadilla ($5.99) "tasted homemade," she said. Apparently we all thought so too, since the whole thing was gone in under 20 minutes. The soft tacos (three for $4.59 to $5.29) were good but overfilled. "Qdoba certainly doesn't skimp on the amount of ingredients," Helen said. We had to eat the rest of the tacos with a fork, but the tender bits of ground sirloin and chicken tasted just as good."

Berkserker also ordered the quesadilla and loved them... read our review here... more...

"We tried to share our meals, but the bustle and rush inside Qdoba was too cacophonous. Howard tried to offer us some of his classica burrito, but I thought he was telling me to give him some meat from the taco. Juliet thought the commotion was a bit overwhelming, too. "I'd recommend their hefty, piquant dishes to anyone with the nerve to eat amid a mob scene," she said.

By the time we cleared off our own table, taking our trays to the garbage area, the line of customers extended beyond the door and into the rain. That didn't surprise me -- in my dozens of trips to Qdoba around the country, I've never not waited in line. But in retrospect, we thought it was worth the bustle and the noise."

LAS CAZUELAS TAM-BIEN

Laz Cazuelas Tam-Bien
2nd and Bainbridge

Is it just me or is the Philadelphia area becoming little Mexico? Well, I love it... Philadelphia Weekly reviews "Laz Cazuelas Tam-Bien":

"The sampler platter contains narrow rolls of fried tortillas filled with chicken and topped with stripes of green tomatillo and cilantro salsa and sour cream--a satisfying combo of crunchy, tender and smooth. There's also a plain quesadilla, and hearty cumin-spiced and refried black beans topped with unadulterated fresh Oaxaca cheese. The Best on Plate award goes to the sopes, two round corn patties topped with more of those beans, chopped onions, salsa verde and crumbled bits of salty white cotija cheese."

more...

"The list of entrees is Las Cazuelas' greatest hits collection. There's a classic chile relleno: a mild poblano, battered, fried, served in a mild tomato broth, topped with sauteed onions and oozing soft white cheese. Three mole enchiladas, corn tortillas stuffed with tender chicken and swathed in the earthily sweet, rich brown dressing that's made of a complex combination of nuts, herbs, spices and a hint of unsweetened chocolate, show off the kitchen's hard work. Enjococado, tender chicken breast covered in an orange-colored, roasted guajillo chili sour cream plays the straightforward white meat against the dueling richness and fire of its sauce."

I had to include the desert description...

"This kind of down-home cooking can be filling. Still, Las Cazuelas' desserts are worth making room for. Dense vanilla-infused flan is rich enough to be cheesecake, garnished simply with light caramel and whipped cream. The hefty wedge of tres leches benefits from a generous--but not overgenerous--infusion of sweetened milk. The soupy rice pudding flavored with cloves, and warm crepes with caramel and pecans are good, too."

El Vez reviewed...

El Vez
121-123 S. 13th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-928-9800

Mr. Lunchbox and I wandered into El Vez the other night, which turned out to be
opening night for the place. A nice time overall. Definitely the most lasting
impressions of the place were the seating fiasco and the nice food itself.

Please Be Seated
Now, we knew it was opening night, and there were bound to be some kinks,
but the process to seat us was so just too bizarre. We walked in with no
reservations, and the gals at the hostess stand were very nice - they told us
to wait at the bar for a bit then they'd come get us soon. Ten minutes later,
someone did, and he took us to the back area which was empty except for
a few couples.

Then, for the next 10 minutes or so, he went bouncing around the entire
place, leaving us standing there with our beers, as he consulted with 3-4
different groups of people who all gave us a major stink-eye. I thought it
was just me, until Mr. Lunchbox wondered out-loud why we were getting
such dirty looks from all of these cats. Ah, who knows? We just laughed it
off until we finally got a seat near the window (nearly bumping into Starr
himself as we walked) which gave us a better view to pork-chop the ladies
out on the street.

The Good Part
We liked the food a lot! We started with the spicy nuts already on the table,
then ordered the salsa appetizer. The chips apparently don't come with the
salsa, they didn't just plunk them down like other places do. We had ordered
from a choice of 5 different salsas. Then we ordered an appetizer (whose
name escapes me), but it had 3 small round thingy's, each with a different
meat, all tasting great with varying degrees of spiciness.

My taco entree was served open-faced, and the chicken was luke-warm at
best, but it was tender and spiced just enough. The Lunchbox's enchiladas
were tasty and filling, although when they first arrived Mr. Lunchbox was
disappointed at the seemingly-small portion. The margaritas weren't bad,
but we still prefer the Mexican Post for those. Oh - they don't have Michelob
Ultra low-carb beer, which will be a disappointment for low-carb dieters
(like me).

The noise-level in the place was very high, making it difficult to talk to
each other, but the waitress was really nice and attentive (her name starts
with an L, I think). The $15,000 low-rider motorcycle that sits atop the center
of the bar at El Vez is neat to look at.

The Scoop That Wasn't
As we sat there enjoying our salsa, we met a Lunchbox 'Insider' who gave us
what we thought would be a nice scoop. Ms. Insider said that Starr was putting
a bid on the bankrupt Striped Bass eatery. Turns out though that Action News
beat us to the punch! They ran the story the same day we ate at El Vez.
(You can't get anything by the local newsies - unless you're Captain Janks
calling NBC 10 !!).

Update:

A Lunchbox reader has informed us that the Inquirer actually broke the story first...

I'll keep you guy's posted on the fate of Striped Bass...

Qdoba Mexican Grill

Qdoba Mexican Grill
1587 Walnut Street

I have always thought that the Tri-State area lacked good Mexican restaurants. Sure we always had Taco Bell and Chi Chi's, but if you were looking for something more authentic, you would be hard pressed to find it in the burbs. It wasn't until I moved to Philly that I discovered decent Mexican food, such as Mexican Post, El Azteca and El Fuego... Well, I think it's safe to say that the Mexican food onslaught has begun. The latest arrival is the national franchise Qdoba Mexican Grill. It seemed to spring up out of nowhere, with a colorful cactus tree sign. I noticed the sign last week, and made a mental note to check it out. We showed up yesterday for lunch. I'm not sure if it was the grand opening or not, but the line was out the door. Once inside, the decor was nice, but just a tad bit too "turnkey franchise" atmosphere for my tastes.

We grabbed a couple of laminated menus that looked almost to nice to keep. The menus have ordering instructions to expedite things once you get to the counter. I decided on the Chicken Burrito and my bud went with Chicken Quesadilla... Simple enough? Well, once we got to the counter things got a little shaky. Qdoa's kitchen is designed like a burrito assembly line (much like Subway). The problem was that there were so many people in line, somewhere along the line our orders got mixed up. The assembly line lost sync with the customer line. My friend and I were paying together, so that added another layer of complexity. By the time I got to the register my buddy's Quesadilla was ready, but the Burrito I ordered was lost. It turns out one of the line cooks threw my burrito in the trash because he thought it was an extra. However the staff was very friendly and the cashier even gave me my soda free for having to wait. We chose the window bar seats, which are prime for people watching. In fact, be prepared to get awkward stares from passersby's watching you woof down your burrito.

So what did I think of the food? Well, it was good. Not the best, but definitely very good. There something about choosing the ingredients myself that I just don't like (not very democratic), sometimes I prefer the cooks to put the burrito together for me. Anyway, the earlier assembly line debacle caused the ingredients in my burrito to be somewhat different than I originally ordered. But nonetheless, it was quite tasty. It was packed with rice, chicken, guacamole and various unidentifiable sauces. My buddies chicken quesadilla was clearly the better choice. I plucked a little bite of it and it was great. Overall I think for a nationwide franchise, it is very good. Too bad they don't have beer on the menu - nothing like a taco and a beer!

My favorites are still El Fuego and the Mexican Post, but I will be back Qdoba - no doubt.

More El Fuego Reviews

EL FUEGO
723 Walnut St. 215.592.1901
Cuisine: Mex-American
Prices: $3.50-$5.50
Hours: 11am-10pm Mon.-Fri.

PhiladelphiaWeekly reviews El Fuego:

"El Fuego ("the Fire" in English) does bastard food right. Three burrito builders contribute to the effort. One heats flour tortillas in the panini-maker-looking grill. Another spoons out hot fillers: spicy shredded beef, chorizo chunks, sirloin bits, chicken morsels, cooked peppers and onions, black and pinto beans, and rice. And another adds cold fixins like shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, guac and Romaine lettuce."

El Fuego - Review

El Fuego
723 Walnut St., 215-592-1901

I finally went to El Fuego Friday night for a quick meal before the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert. If you don't know by now, I am a big fan of Mexican food, even Taco Bell. El Fuego replaced my old favorite sandwich shop, Mezzafico. Much of the interior of El Fuego looks like the old Mezzafico interior, except they have new seating. They also hung some nice new modern blinds. Anyway, I ordered the chicken soft tacos, and my wife had the chicken quesadillas. We also ordered some salsa and chips, and I had a $2 Corona. I have to say overall, I thought the food was very good. The soft shells of the quesadillas and the tacos were excellent. The lettuce in the tacos was real fresh. The only gripe I have is that some of the tortilla chips were a little stale (I was pretty shocked, considering how fresh the tacos were), and the Salsa was nothing special. Mexican Post salsa is my personal favorite. My wife was not impressed at all (she will post in comments).

For a quick bite, and a drink, I highly recommend El Fuego.

New Burrito Place Alert!!

El Fuego
723 Walnut St., 215-592-1901

Citi Paper loves El Fuego

That last one seems to be the most popular, at least among City Paper staffers, who tend to make at least one trip per week to El Fuego. (While the place does have takeout menus, they do not accept orders over the phone, not even for pickup.) "The spicy beef is perfectly seasoned, it's delicious and has just the right amount of kick to it," sings Debra Auspitz. "When matched with the salsa fresca and a touch of melting shredded cheese, the freshness of the tomatoes and the succulent, never-tough beef combine to make possibly the world's finest soft taco."

I might check this place out tonight.

El Azteca IV

Well, it was a wild and crazy night at El Azteca IV (on 19th between Market and Chestnut). We brought a bottle of tequila with us, which the wait staff was more than happy to mix into two pitchers of margaritas. There was a running debate whether a full bottle of tequila actually went into those pitchers (I thought you could make more than 2 pitches with one bottle). From the buzz we had going I would guess it was a full bottle. The state store was only 1 block away, so we made a liquor run midway. The food was mouth watering. To say the portions were huge would be an understatement. A coworker of mine had the Mexican version of the "Pu Pu platter." The entree was served on two dishes. That's right, two FULL dishes. Had I ordered that dish, I would have probably been able to finish only one of those plates. As for myself, I had the "burrito supreme." Also very tasty. As for my gripes, the service left something to be desired. It took about 15 minutes before everyone got their silverware. Only half of our table got their napkins and I personally had to return some of the paper menus because they were not collected. For Mexican food, it was kind of pricey at an average of about $12-$15 an entree. Oh yeah, one last gripe, the ambience was kind of strange. When we came in they had some sort of chanting music on. Since we there to celebrate, we asked them to change to something a little more upbeat, and they were more than accommodating.

Overall, we had a great time.