The Digs: The outside of El Palenque looks kind of foreboding, with its dusty parking lot and handmade signs, but inside it’s bright and inviting. Handmade woodcut prints line the walls, the wait staff is friendly and polite, and even the grocery next door has things you want to take home.
The Delivery: A warm basket of tortillas and freshly-made salsa will tide you over while you wait for the main course, but watch yourself — the salsa is so good you may fill up on chips before the hot food arrives.
The Dish: If your experience with Mexican food is limited to a dollar menu (but then, honestly, you haven’t had Mexican food), the offerings at Palenque might teach you a few new terms, including sope (kind of like a tiny Mexican pizza) for $2.99, torta (a stuffed Mexican sandwich) for $5.99, and chile relleno (stuffed pepper) for $6.25. There are more familiar, and very Tex-Mex, items like super nachos ($8.99), crispy tacos ($2), and quesadillas ($5.99), but what sets these items apart has to be the freshness evident in each dish.
During the weekdays
I had the gordita combo with chorizo, and was very glad to see that Taco Bell had been lying to me all these years. This gordita was a pocket made by a thick, soft corn tortilla (which I’d be happy to eat all on its own) and filled with refried beans, onions, cilantro, and tomato. The chorizo had a little zest and blended well with the cilantro and tortilla, leaving the tomatoes and beans to provide moistness to the meal. The sides of rice and beans were also excellent, as the rice was soft and not the typical tooth-chipper found in most Mexican restaurants, and the beans soft but not overly blended.
The Damage: Even if you don’t hit the lunchtime specials (which, honestly, only knock off about 50 cents or so), you’ll be hard pressed to spend over $20 on a two-person meal.
The Deduction: There are lots of restaurants around town that claim the “authentic” title, but El Palenque actually tastes like the label is true.
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