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| - Richardson's sounded like a fun place for a good New Mexican meal on our short trip to Phoenix. It's located in a tiny strip mall, which was odd. Inside, it was dark, loud and packed when we arrived at 8pm on a Saturday night. Luckily we found 2 open seats at the counter around the bar, so we didn't really have to wait. We weren't quite sure how the menu worked, and unfortunately the waiter didn't do a good job explaining that seemingly everything except the soups and salads were served with beans and rice, thus making everything entree-sized. We chose to share everything, and we started with the skewers and the grilled shrimp, which are wrapped in bacon. Both dishes were served with 4 dipping sauces (the same 4 on both plates, I believe), and both were cooked perfectly. The meats on the skewers were tender and juicy, even the shrimp, which is so easy to over-cook. The grilled shrimp was delicious as well. I couldn't see the sauces, but everything I tried was yummy. I limited my rice/bean intake to save room for the next dish, but I was filling up fast.
For our entree, we shared the carne adovada, which came highly recommended by so many reviews on Yelp and Chowhound. And rightly so! I wished I wasn't so full already! The pork was meltingly tender, and the red chile sauce was thick, smokey and spicy. I was stuffed, but I couldn't stop nibbling, it was that good! I would have taken the leftovers home, if we weren't staying in a hotel, as I'm sure this is even better the next day, after all the flavors have melded together. I'm looking for a recipe now so I can try to replicate this dish at home. It was THAT GOOD!
Seriously, Richardson's is a good place to check out for a delicious New Mexican dinner. Expect a wait if you want a table, but if you can handle sitting at the counter or bar (getting bumped once in a while), no worries. We were only in Phoenix for a few days, and this was the best meal I had.
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