Camarones Mi Casita from Casa Mendoza

It’s always hard reviewing Mexican Food restaurants. I feel like I’m spitting in my mother’s face.

Onward!

I've got an eye on this ribeye...

Casa Mendoza is this new Mexican Restaurant that opened up in our neck of the woods out here in the Desert. It’s located at the University Village in Palm Desert off of Cook Street. I had no idea “University Village” existed. While driving there, I was convinced that I was going to get raped and murdered. I was told about this place by my buddy’s girlfriend, whose brother was opening up the restaurant. Her brother had heard about my site, and asked me to check it out. Upon arrival, though, I made it very clear that I wasn’t in the “doin’ favors” business, I was in the “eating delicious food” business, and if his place’s food wasn’t up to snuff, I wouldn’t tell white lies about it.

Business is boomin’…

The first thing you’ll notice about this place is the atmosphere. The name of the place literally translates to “House of Mendoza”, or “Mendoza Residence”, and it certainly feels homely. There’s a nice china hutch to the side. Beautiful Spanish wall art hung neatly around the room. The bar looks like a gorgeous well-kept bar in someone’s private home, with a LCD screen mounted nearby, playing the current game. Gorgeous place. You feel as if you’re over at someone’s house for a nice dinner. It’s a lot more intimate.

We got started with some complimentary chips and salsa. Sadly, the salsa was a cold salsa. I’m a sucker for warm salsa. Cold salsa goes very well with guacamole though, so I ordered a batch of the creamy Kryptonite. The guac is very fresh and tasty. Afterwards, the food came out. I ordered the House Special: Camarones Mi Casita, or “The House Shrimp”. Rene, the owner, told me that they worked hard to get the shrimp to be as close to the amazing seafood he remembered as a child during trips to different parts of Mexico. They achieve this by importing Mexican shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico

Where the magic happens...

The shrimp are big on taste. They marinade the shrimp in a chipotle-based marinade, stuff them with chipotle, then wrap bacon around them and cook ‘em up. As everyone knows, once bacon is involved, you almost definitely have a winner on your hands. After cooking, they melt a combination of cheeses over the hot shrimp and place them in a boat, where a creamy chipotle sauce is poured over the sinful seafood. The spiciness of chipotle is balanced with the cheese. A light fire starts in your mouth, but is quickly put out by a blanket of cheese. The smoke of the exhausted flame billows in your mouth afterwards; a reminder that you are, in fact, at a Mexican restaurant.

Beans and rice are good. With this combo, it’s usually a make or break when it comes to Mexican food. I can’t count how many times I’ve been to Mexican restaurants that have had horrid, bland rice and beans. If I had a nickel for every time, I’d have enough scratch to do this as a living for a good year or two. Alas, the world does not reward subjugation to failure. But I digress! The beans and rice at Casa Mendoza have a great home-cooked flavor. The beans taste fresh and the rice taste almost jalapeño-kissed. I was impressed.

We were stuffed, but our waitress had to come and entice us with their fairly large dessert menu. Typical Mexican desserts like flan were present, but more exciting treats like Banana Chimichanga and Upside-Down Pineapple Cake jumped from the menu, screaming for attention, and making deals with my taste buds. I slapped my taste buds back in line and settled for a flan.

Excellent flan! A rich vanilla flavor, velvety and creamy texture, and a presentation that almost makes you not want to eat it. Another member of the LTT crew went with the cheesecake, and I was too tempted not to sneak a bite. Delicious! Creamy is an understatement for this cheesecake. A delicious crust. The desserts were amazing. Even nicer to know: the family’s grandmother makes all the desserts from scratch. That’s how you know it’s good! If grandma’s in there bakin’ up a storm, you’re in for a treat!

Check out the restaurant. They have a FaceBook page, and a Twitter page that I’m told will be put to use soon. I also have it on good authority that these will be outlets for coupons and daily deals, so make sure to follow/fan them.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to call my mommy and apologize for turning my back on her cooking…

Stay Tasty!

Full Slab Of Beef Ribs from The Cowboy Way

With my mother and grandfather being Texan, I ate a lot of BBQ growin’ up. Lots of spare ribs. The house would be filled

Outside The Cowboy Way.

with the wonderful aroma of cooked meat and the sweet and tangy smell of Mom’s BBQ sauce was something I would go to bed dreaming about. When I started dating my current girlfriend, I would get invited over for some “authentic” Texan BBQ. Mr. Pavia, a native of Texas, had an old black smoker outside his place he would use. The ribs would be in the smoker for hours, using different types of wood to give it a different flavor. Can you believe that smoking ribs with burning mesquite as opposed to applewood produces different results? Once you taste smoked ribs, everything else is obsolete.

Meat. It’s what makes me look at vegetarians in utter disgust. Meat’s amazing! Steaks, tri-tip, brisket, ribs, chops! There’s plenty of ways to cook meat, but to achieve that true Texan flavor, your barbecued meat has to be smoked. This involves getting a smoker and building a fire on one side of it, and placing the meat as far away from said fire as possible. That’s because smoking meat is all about cooking it low and slow, as opposed to grilling where meat is seared at high temperatures. Good things come to those who wait.

The smoker, parked on the side of the building.

Being that LOLthatsTasty Headquarters is not based in Austin, Texas, we have a bit more trouble lookin’ for good BBQ out here in the Desert. Back in the day, there was a place called “Big Willy’s” out here that served up some good BBQ, but they’ve been closed forever. Today, most Desert Rats’ BBQ knowledge goes as far as Rancho Mirage’s “Babe’s B-B-Que Grill” and that’s a cryin’ shame. For I’ve been to the land of bronze pigs, and while the food was good, it’s nowhere near the magic and wonder that is housed at The Cowboy Way in Palm Springs.

Driving out to Palm Springs from Indio might as well be a pilgrimage. Considering what we’re dealing with, though, the trip is well worth it. After getting lost due to Palm Springs’ one-way streets, we parked in a very sketchy lot behind the restaurant. I was beginning to worry, until I saw a familiar and comforting sight on the side of the building: a smoker. I knew I was in store for something special.

This place can give two shits about their decor. There’s not hostess at the front. No pretty tables with fancy Western centerpieces. No freakin’ bronze pigs. Instead, it’s simply an L-shaped bar with one waitress running it, while two men work in a prep area nearby. Country music fills the air from a small radio. As you take a seat and browse the menu, the local regulars are coming in and out, picking up phone orders to take home to their families. Our drinks came in canning jars, which just added to the “Who Cares?” attitude of the place.

What they do care about is the meat, though, and it’s very apparent when you eat the final product. Great smokey

Full Slab of Beef Ribs, Cowboy Beans, and Cornbread.

flavor, lip-smackin’ good BBQ sauce, and portions that will make you do a double-take. Best of all, the price is awesome considering it’s barbecue and in Palm Springs. Plenty of side choices. We went with the Cowboy Beans and Cornbread. The Cowboy Beans are delicious beans cooked up with some pork pieces and jalapeños. Cornbread is served up with honey butter. Big and tasty!

This is a must-visit spot out here in the Coachella Valley. If you haven’t gone, you’re doing yourself a great injustice.

Time for me to mosey on out. Until next time, my dear readers: Stay Tasty!

Yee-haw!