Although I was never a "fan" of Julio's, I was somewhat of a regular based on location. So I was pleased to see another Mexican restaurant go into that spot, hopefully one that could provide a chips & salsa fix on short notice. I did think it was a little odd that the ladies that own New York Bagels 'N Bialys would venture into this territory, but what do I know about the restaurant biz?
My husband and I had dinner on only their second night open. I was surprised that very little had changed inside. There are still references to the original occupants, in fact. As this was only night two, I won't factor in some expected service issues. The boys on chip duty were there to make sure you never sat with an empty basket during the wait, however.
About those chips and salsa. First basket of chips was cold, second was warm. Didn't really matter. There was nothing special about them or the salsa. The salsa was good, but too sweet for me, and it could use a little more heat. Overall, average.
The menu was interesting and shows a lot of promise. For one thing, forget only standard beans and rice for sides. Options include both black beans and refried beans, an Anaheim chile stuffed with sweet potato, corn pudding, green chile rice, and an open-faced tamale with wild rice. The refried beans had good flavor, but I wasn't a fan of the texture. I like whole beans and I like mashed beans, but these were more like a combination. My husband liked them though. The black beans were disappointingly bland for both of us. The stuffed chile was good, but the sweet potatoes were...well, sweet, very sweet. I really liked this dish, but would have liked to see more done with the potatoes. A little more spice, a little smokiness to balance out the sweet. The open-faced tamale was basically masa topped with a creamy wild rice. I loved this dish with the exception of the masa which was way too hard. I'm not a tamale-making expert, so not sure if this was a result of the preparation or over-cooking, but the end result was completely the opposite of what it should be. I almost needed a knife to cut through it. Would love to see a little more work on that.
As for entrees, we went with pretty basic stuff...carnitas burrito and green chile burrito. First, the tortillas were a disaster. I didn't expect the best, but these ladies should know the importance of the carb. I'm the one who gets tired of the filling, pulls it all out, and eats the tortilla. I tried that, but it had the consistency of cardboard. Please, please, please find another supplier. Both burritos had shredded meat, which I thought a little strange, especially with the carnitas. The carnitas wasn't bad, but it was dry, and barely warm, not even warm enough to melt the cheese inside. The green chile was also borderline cold which I didn't get considering it's supposedly simmered for hours. I liked this better than the carnitas, but it, too, was missing something. I actually prefer mild dishes, but even I thought they could turn up the heat a notch.
Overall, I think there's a lot of potential here with a little work on the dishes. Certainly an A-OK experience just out the gate. I might also suggest they consider a cocktail menu, if they haven't already. I was hoping for a margarita with agave nectar & lime juice, but couldn't get any useful info from the server beyond they have a "house" margarita and a cucumber margarita. But again, this was only night two, so I'll return in a few weeks and see how they're coming along. Good luck!