Thought of the day: Good is a relative word.
Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant in Brookings South Dakota is one of the few good Mexican restaurants in the State. That is what they say. I admit, you can only count the number of dining places here. Brookings is a small city and being that, it still has to be swept by big establishments and great dining experiences.
I was never that excited when an American friend and a university employee, David, invited me for a dinner last night. It was like "yeah, restaurants inside Ayala Center in Cebu are much better than what this place has to offer". Truth is, most of the time, I am almost always correct.
We drove towards Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant and by the look of it from the outside, it was never pleasing.
The place is part of a short strip of shops and it occupies the further end. Crazy me. I never couldn't stop myself from criticizing and comparing places I just visited to those I've been to. This one is not spared.
I couldn't even classify it as having a fine-dining atmosphere. Well, they have courteous staff and colorful walls and lanterns that could pass for Christmas decorations and sufficient lighting all over the 10m x 20m floor area. Yes, only that big.
To be strict, I can only compare it to a "Jollibee" store in Colon. HAHAHA. Or maybe the "Avalon" cafe near my university in the Philippines. Oh, by the way, the ceiling needs repair. I think. They also need to get rid of all those seashells on the walls. It is a place for people who cannot think of anything to go, because there is no other option anyway -- no other Mexican restaurant that could somehow equal it. HAHAHA.
If there is one positive note, though, that I would highlight here, it is their food. Wow! I ordered their "special of the day" which was about $9.50 (that's over 450 pesos in the Philippines). I cannot remember the exact name of the food, which was Mexican-sounding. David had his favorite plate of beans and some other colorful stuffs on it. After few minutes, dinner was served. Amazed, I was!
Laid before my eyes was a plate I could only guess about a foot in diameter, or maybe even bigger. So what I ordered was a combination of pork (or was it beef?) in a tasty sauce, mashed brown beans, Mexican rice and a coleslaw-dominated vegetable serving. It was huge and at that point I was so sure I wouldn't finish it. The meal was great and I think I would give them a high mark for it. I had some left-overs, which I of course decided to take home via the "to-go" box (yes, not "take-out" box as what Filipinos are used to using). Sayang sad, I only finished about a quarter of the meal (we love doing it, don't we?) HAHAHA.
Overall, I will give the Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant a 7 out of 10. Much of the weight come from their good food and a variety of dishes in the menu list. Had it not because of that, they could have suffered a low mark of 4. Believe this strict critic. LOL
Labels: Blogging, Restaurants
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