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| - My team at work has a monthly lunch out where we can all pal around, and most recently JalapeƱo Inferno was selected as our destination.
Looking through all the reviews on Yelp I was certainly excited, but I was also apprehensive about the North Scottsdale address. I thought maybe it would be too schmancy for my liking, but I couldn't have been more wrong.
To start with, the mandatory chips and salsa: SO GREAT! There are corn tortilla chips mixed in with fried triangles of flour tortilla, giving you crunchy then flaky texture battles and a difference of flavor in every bite. More restaurants should do this! My party of 6 put away 4 baskets! The mild salsa was homemade I think, and chunky, and the hot salsa was also good with just a slight amount of heat.
The menu was so varied that I had a hard time choosing what to get. Everyone at the table got something different, but since it was my first time here I decided to see about a basic staple: the lunch combo. I ordered a chile relleno (a true measure of any Mexican restaurant) and a chicken enchilada, with rice and beans. The relleno was really good, tasted fresh (not frozen) and spicy. The cheese inside was melted through and each bite was delicious. The accompanying chicken enchilada was also superb, with the chicken being throughly seasoned, and not drowned in sauce to where you lose flavor. You could taste the cheese, chicken, sauce, and the corn tortilla in every mouthful. The beans and rice were as you'd expect, but I'd say a bit above the standard. I also got to try a generous piece of a co-worker's Mexican pizza, and the best word to describe it is decadent, as in I knew there was no way that it was good for me, but I couldn't stop eating it anyway. All in all a great lunch!
If Jalapeno Inferno can nail the basics so well, I can't wait to try some of their signature specialty items. I'll definitely be back soon, probably on a TACO TUESDAY.
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