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| - I want to like Carlos O'Brien's. Because it's basically within walking distance of my house. I really do want to like it. Unfortunately, I don't. Don't get me wrong, everything I've had here is passable, but nothing really shines.
First off, the name. Carlos (Latin) O'Brien's (Irish). In the spirit of, say, Chino Bandido's, I think it's reasonable to expect that the food at O'Brien's should have a Latin-Irish mashup. Spicy Irish classics? That could be cool! But no, they don't do this. As a matter of fact, the place might as well be called Carlos Martinez' - because there's nothing on the menu at all even remotely Irish. This is a straight-up "Mexican" sit-down restaurant experience that seems to be trying to emulate Macayo's.
And this is why they fail. While their food is as palatable as Macayo's in many respects, none of its acoutrements (those things that take Macayo's to another level) are polished enough to service what is, in the end, bland Ameri-Mexican food. Chimichangas? Check. Mini-version-of-everything appetizer plate? Check. But their taco meat tastes almost like straight beef, their rice and beans sucks, their salsa is bland and boring, their guacamole is tasteless (and expensive) and their sour cream is weirdly salty. Their salads are uninteresting afterthoughts. I dream about Macayo's' Fiesta Salad - the salads here all taste like Denny's salads put in a tortilla bowl.
In short, if you want some unique Mexican food, go local. Go authentic. Even if you're looking for something to satisfy your American craving for strip-mall chain-food Mexican, you can do better than this.
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