Cancun
Cuisine fails Mexican Food 101
By Anna
Schooley, Outpost
contributor
Like many chains, Cancun
Mexican Cuisine on South Virginia Street south of Kietzke
Lane is consistent. Consistently bad. With restaurants in
the Midwest, Cancun's recipes are not directly from Mexico.
I knew not to expect traditional Mexican food, yet I didn't
expect such a forgettable experience.
Noticeably missing outside Cancun Mexican Cuisine
is a line of eager patrons - for good reason.
Photo by
Anna
Schooley
The restaurant holds up to 160 people and is about the size of an Olympic size swimming pool. Yet on a recent Tuesday night between 7 and 8 p.m., only eight patrons were dining there, in addition to the three in our party. This could be considered "spacious" or "airy," but to me it felt cold and empty.
The walls are adorned with sombreros, parrots, beer advertisements and paintings that should be in a Mexican dentist's office. It is a lot of decoration, but the restaurant is so large that the decor feels like it is miles away.
Although the food is not authentic, the waiters are. Our waiter slipped in some Spanish words, and was cordial and accommodating. Chips and salsa were delivered as soon as we sat down, we received our beverages promptly and the guacamole appetizer was served as soon as we asked. I should have set my stopwatch after ordering, for it was less than five minutes before we received our meals.
We had guacamole as an appetizer. There was a good strong flavor of avocado, yet it lacked color - no tomatoes, onions, cilantro or peppers were visible, just plain avocado that was mixed with either mayonnaise or sour cream.
The menu is enough to give anyone a headache. The dinner page offers 30 combination selections and 23 special combinations - 53 choices crammed onto one page, ranging in price from $6.25 to $10.75. Yet the combination section simply rotates choices of tacos, enchiladas, tamales, burritos, chalupas, and rice and beans.
The lunch page also includes appetizers, vegetarian plates, chips and sauce, specialty quesadillas and a children's menu. If the menu has not yet lost you, turn to the final page for a la carte selections, side orders, deserts, soft drinks and then a small educational section about Mexican cuisine.
This section lists the pronunciation for food such as bur-ee-tohs (burritos), and it lets the customer know that it is "absolutely correct to eat tacos and tortillas with your fingers" (I think Taco Bell has sufficiently educated the public to this fact). Cancun Mexican Cuisine is a restaurant for beginners (bi gin' erz), yet in an area with a large Latino community, is there a need for Mexican Food 101?
If you love pre-packaged drink mix, then ask for a Margarita. Cancun offers four sizes: regular (12 oz.), medium (16 oz.), jumbo (27 oz.) and monster (45 oz.). We got the regular size at a happy hour price of $1.75 (usually $3.25). I must admit that I often gag at the taste of Tequila, yet the Margarita was diluted enough that I was able to sip it. Because you can't screw up bottled beer, I drank Pacifico with a lime. They served it with a delightfully frosty mug, which turned out to be my favorite part of the dining experience.
The presentation of the food was bland and colorless. Plate number 1 had three tamales, drenched in red sauce, with rice on the side. Plate number 2 had a tamale and enchilada, drenched in red sauce, with rice and beans. I had a chicken enchilada and a chile relleno, all drenched in red sauce, and rice and beans. Each plate looked identical, and each was extremely salty (as though salt adds flavor), yet there was not even lettuce or slice of orange on the side. The refried beans were smooth and salty, and the Spanish rice was sticky to the point of being overcooked. I've had TV dinners with more flavor.
Because we were all full and
dehydrated from the salt, we skipped desert and stuck to
water. The waiter was perceptive that we were ready for the
bill, which for three people, including drinks, was $37.54.
This may not be outrageous, but considering the quality of
the food and the lack of an interesting environment, I won't
recommend Cancun to a friend. The following day I continued
drinking water, hoping to replenish my system.
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4950 S. Virginia St. Reno 826-7373 |
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High point: Bottled import beer and happy
hour. |
Posted
Dec. 1, 1999
Copyright 1999
Nevada Outpost
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