The first stop on our quest happened, coincidentally, on Allison's birthday. We ventured to downtown Raleigh, to the El Rodeo at Blount Square. We weren't especially impressed with the atmosphere, but with a small location in the middle of downtown, we assume they didn't have much to work with.
The litumus test for any Mexican restaurant and the first taste of its quality is, of course, the chips and salsa. Was it ketchup or salsa? We're not really sure. It was not nearly chunky enough for Diane, or fresh and spicy enough for Allison. The chips were good, though, and we were happy to hear that on your birthday you get a free shot of tequila (which Allison did not drink, as she was driving and of course had to sample a margarita instead -- for research purposes ;) ).
We both got different varieties of shrimp quesadillas. Allison's could have more aptly been called shrimp tacos. The shrimp was amazing - well grilled and spicy. The black beans were also lovely. Diane wished her quesadilla had more queso, but otherwise it was delicious.
The margaritas came in beatiful, gigantic glasses, heaping with creamy frozen lime goodness. They tasted as good as they looked.
After dinner, we headed to our next stop, a middle school choir concert to watch some teenagers we work with perform. Half-way through the first act, the person behind us whispered, "It smells like burritos in here." Apparently the food stuck with us longer than we expected!
Overall, we enjoyed our meal, but don't have plans to go back anytime soon. Check it out if you're downtown, but be sure to bring gum. Or perfume. Or a hose.
The Ratings (1-lowest/10-highest):
Chips & Salsa - 3
Atmosphere - 2
Margaritas - 7
Meals - 6
Overall - 4
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