Friday 24 February 2012

Mi Casa Es Tu Casa - El Rinconcito Mexicano

Mi Casa Es Tu Casa
El Rinconcito Mexicano
49 Main Street
Cambridge, ON  

519-623-4100

Inside Mi Casa Es Tu Casa.

Inside Mi Casa Es Tu Casa.

Chicken Burrito with beans and salad.

Cheese and Beans and Cheese Pupusa.
In her opinion:

We have been going to El Rinconcito Mexicano since it first opened on Ainslie Street and owner Patricia Solis was so humble and embarrassed by the fact that they didn't have a website that she suggested I might not want to order from them. That was a long time ago.  We ordered many many times and loved her food very much.  The popularity of the authentic tasting Mexican food allowed Patricia to expand to include the space next door and eventually move the little store and restaurant to the site once occupied by Lily Ruth and added Mi Casa Es Tu Casa to their name. 

We attended the grand opening on Main Street and noticed that things were slowly changing.  New menu items (guacamole and huaraches con carne asada) were added to the small but well loved menu and the prices had increased as well. What started out as a little place that sold Mexican groceries and very good Mexican food has grown up and become a Mexican restaurant offering a full menu and entertainment. However, Patricia's restaurant is no longer the only authentic Mexican restaurant in Cambridge.

What I will say is her "Chicken Burritos" are excellent.  Still my favourite in town. And I love a good burrito. Tonight I order one for dinner (take out of course). They are a little expensive at $8.50 + tax (this includes a small salad and refried beans) but the taste makes up for that.  Everything is extremely fresh and delicious.

Tonight I ordered a "Bean and Cheese Pupusa" as well.  Pupusas are a traditional Salvadoran dish made with fresh corn flour filled with different fillings and served with a vinegared coleslaw and tomato salsa. A bean and cheese variation costs $3.50 each + tax as do most of the other variations.  Beans is the cheapest at $2.50 each + tax. These are very good but I have had better.

Overall, I do like this place very much. The food is always fresh and delicious. But, dollar for dollar I prefer to order from Latino America Unida.  

In his opinion:

Still recall the early days when El Rinconcito Mexicano was part grocery store, part restaurant and the menu was only a collage of pictures on the front counter. The owner Patricia was always extremely welcoming and friendly and always seemed surprised that a Portuguese kid like myself spoke fluent Spanish to her.

The food was very good and authentic and still is in the new location. That part of the restaurant has not changed and many new items have been added to the standard ones from the old location.

Now located on Main Street in the old "Lily Ruth" location, it has transformed itself into a real restaurant and is decorated with every single Mexican accessory that anyone can think of, when Mexico comes to mind. The size of the restaurant has grown substantially and along with it, so has the staff, the menu and but, unfortunately the prices as well.

I am a big fan of their chicken burritos $8.25, tacos de carnita (seared pork) $15 and huaraches $10.99-14.99. The pupusas (a Salvadorian dish, Patricia's husband is from El Salvador) are also very good and popular in this restaurant. 

Other items available are quesadilas $7.50-$9.50, gorditas (a Mexican thicker version of pupusas) at $10.99-$13.99 and pozole (pork soup) at $10.99.

The Burritos that we just had today, tasted amazing and exactly the same as always. They are filled with Mexican flavoured rice (not traditional) but that adds to the flavour. We were not offered a choice of sauces as before but the one supplied was actually the one we like (salsa verde), although a  little thicker than I remembered.

The pupusas were also very tasty, served with the traditional curtido (lightly fermented cabbage slaw, this included carrots again not traditional) and a watery tomato salsa, for dipping. Papusas are now available all over the Waterloo Region in every Latino corner you can find and are a super popular dish within the El Salvadorian community and now, with everyone else it seems.

The food remains top notch in this establishment as well as the very Mexican atmosphere if you are eating in. Live Hispanic music is also present on special nights and, if needed there are private rooms available for parties or meetings. 

Overall I love this restaurant and it's food, but now there is more competition and choices for Mexican food in Cambridge and especially in Kitchener.

Far from being an expensive restaurant, it is now an above average priced restaurant for typical, home made Mexican food. Tacos de carnita are almost double the price of the competitors and charging an extra $1 for sour cream or extra salsa on a $14.99 huarache seems a bit excessive. The same chicken burritos were also $6.25 in the old location.

It has grown into a nice big restaurant, serving good food and delivering the same good feel as it always has and hopefully it will stay just what it is. 
The little Mexican corner (El Rinconcito Mexicano) is now "my house is your house" (Mi Casa es Tu Casa).

Mi Casa es tu Casa on Urbanspoon

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