Hacienda - You Have Served Before Right?

Date Dined: July 13, 2014

Rating: 2.5 Stars

On Manchester, past Maplewood, past the Canine Center, and into an area I rarely have reason to go is Hacienda, an expansive Mexican restaurant. Complete with outside cantina, a no children bar area, a small indoor patio, and an appropriately gaudily decorated interior, it’s a fun place to grab a drink and some food. Except apparently some of the servers have apparently never served before.

Décor Rating: 3.5 stars

Not bad for an Americanized Mexican restaurant. The outdoor seating area is great for those nice weather days, the bar had a salsa station, and everyone has room to breathe. I kind of wish that the bar wasn’t as segregated so you could buy a drink while you’re waiting, but eh. The indoor patio was muy cool though. A skylight lets sunlight shine down on the inside diners. It makes me wonder why the entire restaurant isn’t set up like that. Oh architects of the Manchester Mexican restaurant what were you thinking?

Price Rating: 2.0 stars

A little pricy for what it is. Still you would think for $16.00 plus tax for a combo fajita they would either give you more than 3 tortillas or they wouldn’t charge you $2.50 for another order. That pitcher of margaritas is going to cost you nearly $30.00 too. I can stumble down to Cherokee street and grab a couple quality tacos for $2.00 a piece.

Service Rating: 2 stars

Not the worst service we’ve experienced, not by far. It far surpassed that night at the moonrise where the server spilled a bunch of drinks on Jess and then gave her a dirty dishrag to clean herself. But still, this chica did not scream great server in the making. The restaurant was busy, but I wouldn’t say it was slammed.

After being seated they brought us out a basket of chips, a few small things of salsa, and took our drink orders. So far so good. Then about twenty-five minutes pass. Luckily a helpful bus boy brought us out more chips and salsa. Finally our server appears with our drinks! You’re still alive! So good to know.

Now normally when I order and appetizer I actually want it come out. Tonight was no exception. Another forty minutes passes by. Hey it’s our food! But where was our appetizer?

Me: Didn’t we order some queso?

Her: Oh… did you still want that?

The table: No, that’s okay.

Her: Oh, ha, ha. I didn’t even put it in.

Me: That’s better?

Seriously dude. Have you never heard of apologizing? Maybe a “I’m sorry” or surprise us later with a free side of queso. After we received our meals guess what? That’s right, no “how’s your meal?” Just gonna assume everything is okay I guess…

Again, keeping things in perspective, not the worse services I’ve had. But if you can avoid the chick pictured above then try your best!

Food Rating: 3.5 Stars

Despite the service, food was actually pretty good. The chips especially were light, not too greasy, and very crispy. The salsa tasted like Mexican spaghetti sauce, but I really liked it. If you’re a big fan of the chunky and spicy you won’t like it, but it’s a safe bet for the average Joe.

The margaritas are pretty average. You can taste the tequila, which I appreciate, but you could tell it was poured from some large machine somewhere. A little too evenly mixed. Being a sucker for watermelon, when I saw that flavoring on the menu I of course had to try it. Except it was more like, let’s take the traditional margarita, add in some gross, fake watermelon flavoring, and call it a day. Come on guys. It’s like 6 bucks for a large watermelon. Give me some of the real stuff.

The queso was… oh wait, that’s right. On to the entrees! Jess ordered her favorite, the chimichanga, and I ordered the chicken and steak fajitas. Jess’s chimi was pretty delish while it was warm, but I had a bite when it had cooled and the chicken had lost a lot of its tenderness. Maybe it could use a little of that queso sauce… (Okay I’m done now). When warm, it’s still a pretty good dish, crispy and not to greasy on the outside, and warm and  moist on the inside. The chicken was a little under seasoned, like they took a normal chicken breast, baked it, shredded it, and then poured some red sauce on it.

The fajitas were a mixed bag. No red peppers, which was a little disappointing. The portion was actually pretty generous, but I would have been fine with reducing the number of chunks of steak in lieu of some larger chunks. The rice tasted like it came from one of those 5 minute rice packets. The tomato, lettuce, and sour cream were all run of the mill. The dish could have used two more tortillas, and maybe some fresher ones. They were lukewarm, but still soft. The best part of the meal was the chicken, which was just as underseasoned, but extremely tender (even the day after).

I do have to mention the corn cake (or corn tamalito). Think corn cake, but with the consistency of thick mashed potatoes, with a stick of butter, and a pound of sugar. Served in a fun little blue tortilla, this thing was addictive. I’d suggest forgoing desert and just ordering a couple of these.

In Conclusion

Hacienda was a mixed bag. If you go in with low expectations you’ll enjoy yourself. I actually enjoyed the food which is saying a lot since I’m not a huge fan of restaurant Mexican. With a good server it might really swing my opinion of this place. But last night was… wow…

Still, I would go back and give it another shot. The place has good bones, and if you find yourself in that area I’d give it a try. Just don’t be surprised when your bill is a little higher than you expected.