Garibaldi, 3375 S Division Ave ~ 7/22/16

This place is not the easiest to locate but the food will make it worth your while. From what we could find, this is the third location for this restaurant, all of them being on Division (1627, 2850). When we hit 34th Street we knew we missed it, so we circled back and took a turn down this driveway.

The entry was less than welcoming and we couldn't tell if it was even open.

It was, and we saw this huge old space that was mostly empty, populated here and there with businesses, some shuttered, some manned. But we found what we were looking for.

There were a few people in the place and we picked a table and checked out the counter menu that had not too many English translations (know your Spanish).

Gorditas were our choice, along with a guacamole start. And this guacamole, chunks of avocado, chopped tomatoes, and cilantro, was accompanied by homemade pita bread chips. It was a great beginning!

It looked like a family business and the food was made and served with care. Nothing was rushed and everything was obviously homemade.

The rice needs special mention as it contained chopped vegetables and had more flavor than you'd find in most (any?) Mexican restaurants. The steak gorditas were just as great. We loved this food located in a place that shares the space with two other ongoing businesses.

We'd like to come back to try the pupuserias and more from Garibaldi but the venue is a little iffy. We wandered through the "mall" on our way out and it was eerie.

It looked like a multi-purpose space but with no people around today.

So check it out if you want some great, homemade food in kind of a shady space where people will stare at you and you'll be looking over your shoulder. Garibaldi does have its own entrance if you want to skip the empty mall walk, and like we said, the food is fantastic.

Cabana Tres Amigos, 1409 60th St ~ 3/10/15

We've heard good things about this restaurant so drove out to Kentwood to check it out. It's housed in a big building that must have been something else in a previous life. There's not much else around it but residences, and nothing to draw you to the area. But being family-owned, we were in.

We walked in and found a large entry way with a weird decor mix of Aztec-ish paintings and a blow-up beer can. A large dining room to the left was empty but for one couple. We were seated in an aisle of booths running along the kitchen, the width of the building. Everyone else was seated there too, except for that one lucky couple in the dining room.

Straight ahead from the entry was the bar, containing a few booths along the back, mirrored wall and fairly large u-shaped bar seating. A patio was also visible, which would be lovely on a summer night. Our server immediately announced that they had coke products and a full bar. Good to know.

So we were seated in the 7-booth alley and while we were waiting, we were treated to the sound of jack hammers going off in the bar (probably just a drill but it was jackhammer loud). We asked our server what was going on and she informed us, in a necessarily loud voice, that Keno was being installed in the bar. Well-timed construction, not. Fortunately, the work ceased after about 15 minutes, just minutes before we were headed for the door.

Perusing the pretty typical, large Mexican restaurant menu, we looked through five full-sized pages that contained an additional insert for features. And we started with Chorizo con Queso. The homemade Mexican sausage and cheese sauce made for a mighty fine dish. The cheese was mouth-watering delicious and not too rich as to be overwhelming but rich enough to make us want more. The Chorizo was mildly spicy and could have been hotter but that was fixable at the table.

We asked our server if she had a favorite and she promptly recommended Carnitas ~ pork marinated in a secret family recipe, which was listed as one of their specialties. It had to be tried. The pork was tender and the secret family recipe marinade brought a lot of flavor to it. Accompanying the pork were peppers, pico de gallo, refried beans, rice, and corn (or flour) tortillas.

Being greedy to taste more food than two people could/would normally eat, we ordered two additional dishes, Tacos al Pastorale, and Shrimp Empanada (Empanda on the menu). (Our server asked us why we were ordering so much food - why would she care? :-)

The tacos were fine but we were taken by surprise by the empanada because we expected the traditional concoction ~ pastry stuffed with good things. Because we didn't pay enough attention to the menu description (even with all that time), we discovered that instead of pastry, a filet of tilapia was the vessel for the shrimp. And it kind of worked. All would have been good but the promised orange and limes were nowhere to be found, and their citrus, acidic presence was missed. Avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, and pico de gallo were fresh but didn't make up for it.

The menu categories range as follows: starters, salads, nachos, vegetarian selections, features, house specialties, from the gulf, fresh taste of old mexico, fajitas and burritos, combinations, tacos enchiladas burritos, lunch specials, gringo grub (consisting of a chicken sandwich, and burger and fries), desserts, and beverages. We mention these only because you can't find them on their website.

And if you're checking out their website, be sure your speakers are turned down or off. Because immediately Cielito Lindo will begin blaring. Search as you might for the full menu, you won't find it. You can try clicking on price options, which will provide a specific dish, but there are no food categories from which to search. Their facebook account is also under-utilized. Other than one posting in 2015, the others go back to 2011. And if it's your first time looking for this place, this is the street signage to look for. The restaurant has none.

Obviously, this restaurant is relying on its loyal, local customers and we imagine they are many. If we lived nearby, we would return as well. But we can't recommend driving out there from Grand Rapids when we have Maggie's Kitchen, El Granjero, and La Taqueria San Jose right here. There's no reason to drive Kentwood for good Mexican food, but maybe for the summer patio and full bar!

Sidenote on the women's bathroom ~ you can look right over the top of the stalls ~ very poor design feature so be forewarned!

www.cabanatresamigos.net

  

Tacos El Caporal, 1717 28th St SW - 11/19/13

Cruising southwest for a new restaurant, we came upon this one claiming to be “chief (alright, foreman) of the tacos.” How could we resist? Two entrances make it a little confusing ~ one opens into a dining room and the other into a smaller dining area with a take-out counter and waiting area. The smaller room holds about 8 booths along with the open kitchen, and the dining room holds about twice as much seating area.

It was busy this lunch hour, complete with dining-in Wyoming police, and we had to wait a bit for service. Our first server brought us menus, and shortly thereafter, tortilla chips and very spicy red (hotter than the green) and green salsa. Unfortunately, we didn’t get small plates on which to enjoy them but had to apply salsa individually to each chip.  Also unfortunately, there’s a lot of styrofoam used here along with plastic silverware.

Another server came to take our order, neither of them spoke much English, and both seemed a little ill at ease with us and we’re not sure why. We decided on beef gorditas for our first dish: onions, cilantro, beans, lettuce tomatoes, cheese, with a touch of sour cream, and a side of rice and beans.

The rice and beans came out along the grilled vegetables ~ radishes, green onions, jalapeno, and limes ~ and then came the main dishes; the second of which was tacos dorados: 4 crisp beef tacos with beans, rice, lettuce tomato, avocado, and sour cream. With both the gorditas and tacos coming with lightly fried tortillas, we couldn’t judge the tortilla freshness but we were both very satisfied with our selections, particularly with the prominently featured cilantro and avocado ingredients.

The food was flavorful and all house-made ~ you can watch the cook at work.  We don’t like to use the over-used-in-restaurant-reviews-word “authentic” but this is fresh, well-prepared food with no Americanized versions of Mexican food on the menu. The atmosphere is simple, stark, and clean, and the food is delightfully delicious, including the rice and beans being above average. Go for the food, but not the ambiance.

Taqueria San Jose, 1338 S Division - 5/1/12

Recommended by a friend (thanks, Sarah!), we drove south on Division to find this little restaurant. When we spotted it, we realized that we’ve driven past it dozens of times but always thought it was a vacant, run-down, old drive-in restaurant space (maybe a previous life as an A&W?). We pulled into the parking lot, and almost bailed on the place because it looked like take-out only. But we were told there was indoor seating so we decided to check it out.

The small area seats 16 at best (4 tables for 3, and 1 for four) and ordering takes place at the window. (Outside in the old drive-in serving area are a few picnic tables to be enjoyed in good weather.) Two tables inside were taken and another customer was at the window, so we had a few minutes to check out the posted menu while we waited. 

If you need definitions of Mexican dishes, you won’t find them here. So look up birria de chivo, gorditas, tortas and/or menudo before you go. And having said that, after asking for gorditas and being told it would be a 20 minute wait, we went conservative and carnivore, and ordered asada tacos and quesadillas. Both arrived with cilantro, onions, tomatoes, and a grilled jalapeno, and we think they may be the best we’ve had in Grand Rapids. The jalapeno is grilled long enough to not burn your eyes.

 

What looked to be three family members (mother, father, daughter) could be seen working in the kitchen behind the window; the daughter took our order and delivered it to us at our table. All of them were incredibly friendly and we could see the mother making tortillas - how fresh can you get. The father came into the restaurant to talk to another customer, checked out our food, and brought us an unnamed sauce that should be used with the quesadillas - nice. 


Don’t bypass this amazing little place, and leave your tips in the jar. Some books can’t be judged by their covers and we’ll be back, specifically to try the gorditas. You’ll also get to watch Mexican soap operas on T.V.

There’s no website or twitter presence but there is a facebook created account, for whatever that’s worth. Look for the sign on Division and stop in.

Las Cazuelas, 411 Wilson NW - 1/5/12

Sometimes we just drive to see if we can spot a small restaurant we’ve never heard of, and today we found Las Cazuelas, just off Lake Michigan Drive. It’s a small restaurant holding seven booths and two tables. A man greeted us and we saw a woman through the window opening to the kitchen. Other than that, we had the place to ourselves.

Our host let us take our time with the four-page menu (one page for kids) and promptly brought us corn chips and mildly spicy, full-flavored salsa. We enjoyed them while we perused the menu and found we had to go right to the main dishes. 

Our first choice was #10, fajita las cazuelas with chicken. Grilled breast of chicken, bell peppers, and tomatoes, with the usual rice and beans, was an delicious dish with fantastic, homemade tortillas. The rice and beans were a step above the usual Mexican restaurant offerings.

Our second dish did not fare as well. The #6 choice was flank steak with one enchilada, accompanied by rice, beans, and tortillas. The cheese enchilada was amazingly delicious but the flank steak was a poor choice, probably more a customer error. It was tough and more like beef jerky with an unpleasant flavor, so lesson learned.

Overall, it reminded us of the wonderful Cafe San Juan, but a bit bigger, and with disconcerting wall noise.  We were seated in a booth against the adjoining wall of another business and kept hearing a scrambling sound. Mice? Rats? We finally asked and were informed that birds fly down into it from a roof vent and get trapped. Alrighty then.


Overall, the food is well-prepared and above par, along the lines of El Granjero and Maggie’s Kitchen. They’ve been in business since 2005 and can be found on twitter @LasCazuelasRest and on Facebook as a “friend,” not as a page to “like.” Take a drive out and support this small, local, and very worthy business. The cheese enchilada alone will make your trip worthwhile.