Eating Las Colinas: Via Real

I met up with Peach for some lunch out in the northern burbs and ended up at Via Real. And this place is the very definition of suburban dining. First off, this place strives to be an upscale-ish Mexican restaurant. And I guess that means there can be no spice anywhere within 500 feet of the plate. And do we really need valet (and thus all the closest spaces blocked of) for lunch???

We started out with some chips and guac. Their guac was good, but creamy instead of chunky. It could have used some extra onion or garlic and, of course, jalapeno. The chips were of the thin pasta flavored typed. The salsa was also good but nothing to write a blog about.

For my meal I had to make a big decision. There is one big rule in Mexican food dining -- never get the seafood. But this was a upscale restaurant, and I figured they would have good seafood. So I got the seafood enchiladas. They weren't bad, but they didn't have much flavor. Worse yet, they came with corn that was clearly out of a can.

For dessert we got this tortilla wrapped cinnamon cheese cake. It too was OK. The tortilla seemed a bit stale, like it had been made many hours ago. It did come with a couple of delicious strawberries. So it get points for that.

C

4020 North MacArthur Boulevard Irving, TX 75038-6413

Eating Dallas: Primo's

I have long resisted going to Primo's. Every time I've driven by it on McKinney, it's patio has been packed with douchey guys in douchey striped shirts drinking Corona Lite and hitting on douchey chicks wearing those douchey giant sunglasses pretending to be Lindsay or Paris or Britney. But I had heard that they have really good Mexican food. So, now that my days have freed up, I could finally check this place out when the Summer's Eve factor was at a minimum.

Let me preface this review with some of my Mexican prejudices (wow that sounds racist). I grew up eating at a place in Ft. Worth called The Original Mexican Eats or, as we called it, The Original. So this has become my Mecca for Tex-Mex. And it is, therefore, the gold standard to which I compare all other Mexican food.

So how does Primo's stack up? Let's start off with the tradition chips and salsa. Primo's has a nice spicier than average salsa with rich flavors. To be honest, The Original's salsa has always tasted like it came out of a bottle to me. So here, Primo's has a clear victory. Both places have really good chips.

Now for the really important items -- guacamole. Primo's falls a little short here. The guac was very tasty and very creamy, but it needed something. But, to reiterate, it was tasty. Maybe it needed some more salt or onion or something. I don't know.

For the main attraction I went this a traditional Tex-Mex meal -- cheese enchiladas, rice and beans. And they were outstanding. Unlike many Mexican restaurants, and this has always baffled me, Primo's uses real cheese in their enchiladas and not Velveta. And the chili con carne that topped the enchiladas tasted a bit too much like Wolf Chili. But it was still very good. The beans, while not as deliciously lardened like The Original's, they were deliciously smokey and chunky. Finally who really cares about the rice.

I hate to admit it, but this place has good food. If you have a high douche tolerance, the have dinner here, otherwise check it out for lunch. And there were many specialty items on the menu I can't wait to go back and try on another visit.

A-

3309 McKinney Dallas, TX 75204