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| - My 200th review! Wow, who knew I ate out so much!! For #200 I have chosen Mesa Grill. I am torn on giving 4 stars...but I don't want to give 3 either...let's say 3 1/2 stars for Mesa.
The service was definitely 5 stars. We had an awesome, attentive, friendly, sweet waiter who really did an awesome job. The restaurant is clean and nicely decorated. The table was large and the seating was comfortable.
When it comes to the food though...I just wasn't that impressed :( I had really high hopes for Mesa...I have heard so many people tell me how much they love it and how it will be some of the best food I will ever eat. I beg to differ.
Let me break it down, we had a LOT of food, so I feel like me giving 3 stars for food is justified:
Appetizers - Goat Cheese "Queso Fundido", Tiger Shrimp & Roasted Corn Tamale, Blue Corn Pancake with Duck, Yucatan Chicken Tacos.
We ordered four appetizers for five people. That should be enough, right? Wrong. These appetizers are tiny. And expensive for the portion you receive! The total for just the appetizers was $60. Yes, 6-0 dollars. One appetizer was barely enough for two people. And let me state for the record, I have no problem throwing down money for good food, but I thought it was absolutely ridiculous the amount charged for tiny little bites of food.
But how did it taste, you ask? Okay. The cheese dip was awesome. I will give Mr. Flay that - he can make a mean cheese dip. But, if you didn't eat it fast enough, it hardened. So, eat quickly when you order the queso! The shrimp tamale was also pretty good. The shrimp were large and juicy, the corn filling was nice and flavorful, which a yummy cilantro cream sauce. The blue pancake with duck was alright...I wouldn't eat it again. It was shredded duck in a super rich BBQ sauce, just okay. The chicken tacos were served with red onions and "chile BBQ sauce" that tasted just like Thai food...pad thai to be exact.
Sides - Glazed Baby Carrots with brown sugar, Roasted Corn with smoked chile's and Cotija cheese, Sautéed Spinach, Sweet Potato Tamale with Pecan Butter.
I tried all of these sides. This place is like Ruth's Chris where you order your meat, and everything else on the side, your entree doesn't come with anything.
The baby carrots had a nice flavor, but they were a little undercooked for my taste. I prefer softer carrots. The sweet potato tamale with pecan butter - sounds awesome right? Sounds sweet and delicious, right? Well, it tastes like Masa. The sautéed spinach was literally just that. Spinach. Now, I love spinach, and I can eat it plain or dressed up, but when I pay $8 for spinach, I would expect some garlic, or salt...or anything...nope. This was seriously cooked spinach with no other flavors.
The Roasted Corn was the star of the sides. It was absolutely delicious. The corn kernels were crisp and fresh, served in an awesome creamy, cheesy sauce that was spicy, but not too overpowering. Just awesome.
Entrees - Coffee Rubbed Filet MIgnon, Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin.
Three of us had the filet, the other two had the pork. Since I can't eat pork, I don't want to say much about it, but I will say BF said it was good, but not the best ever. Maybe if he ever gets on the ball and starts Yelping again, he can tell you about it himself.
The filet...very large cut of meat, too much to finish. It was soft, it was coffee rubbed, it didn't really taste like anything. The coffee rub was more of a burnt crust. I got a hint of coffee, but mostly I just tasted burn.
It was served on some mushroom, ancho chile sauce. The mushrooms were very good. Spicy and caramelized. I loved the sauce...but the filet? I would rather go to Ruth's Chris. honestly.
After dinner our friends ordered dessert and coffee. I tried the coffee, good flavor. I took a bite of their Pineapple Buttermilk Upside Down Cake - it was very good, rich, sweet, served with a caramelized rum sauce.
Overall, this place was just alright. There were a few things that hit high notes with me, but they were appetizers and sides, and I don't think I would come back just for those items. The majority of the food was just okay, not amazing, not the best I have ever had.
I think I will just stick to making my Bobby Flay recipes at home, they taste better and they are cheaper!
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