12.15.2008

Juana's was very good tonight, as it always is. We've eaten there at least once a week ever since they opened their doors. All three of us have our favorites. Stacie always orders the chicken quesadillas. Bryan likes the taco salad. I usually get the beef enchilada dinner, but I've been experimenting, trying to put some variety into my choices.

Tonight I had the beef enchilada/quesadilla platter. I wasn't sure I'd like their fajita meat. I don't eat it very often. I figured I'd still have the enchilada to eat if I didn't care for the quesadilla. As it turned out, the fajita meat in the quesadilla was delicious. That means that not only will I be ordering the beef quesadillas in the future, but the fajitas as well.

Their salsa took a little getting used to. I like for mine to be thickened up, not too watery. Juana's salsa is a little bit watery and that was a problem at first. But the more I ate it the more I liked it. It is truly a delicious salsa, watery or not. Seeing as how you can tell a lot about the quality of a Mexican restaurant by how good it's salsa is, Juana's is second only to Rudolfo's on that score.

Not that I've eaten at too many decent Mexican places. Usually it's been the fast food, Taco Mayo/Taco Bell feasts. I should get out more often and see what else is out there.

The atmosphere is nice, with the obligatory Latin music playing softly in the background. The guy who owns it, a little Mexican dude we call Pedro, flutters about from table to table to check ot counter then back again. He's aways wearing this cute apron that's black and has little peppers embroidered into it. He seems like a nice enough guy, though his thick accent and inability to comprehend what I am saying have made for some less than comfortable transactions. I've seen him take tips from waitresses straight off of the table. He jumped down one waitresses throat tonight, because he didn't think she was paying close enough attention to the customers drink glasses. Apparently he didn't think she was refilling them as often as should be done. I don't know what the deal is between them, but she did a fine job waiting our table. That's something I expect at any restaurant I eat at. Good service. We've always gotten it at Juana's.

Every time we walk out their doors I feel like I'm a couple of pounds heavier. They don't skrimp there, that's for sure. You might pay more than you would at most places around here, but I damn sure guarantee you'll get your money's worth in grub.

And as I lead my family to the car I always say, "You know, if I haven't said it before, I'll say it now. That is some FINE food. It's the best place to eat in this town. This town doesn't deserve a restaurant that good. People 'round here better patronize it because I do not want them to go under."

Of course I HAVE said all those things. I say them every time we leave.

But it's all true. The stone truth.

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