Sunday, June 26, 2011

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant

I was recently shopping in Pineville and worked up an appetite. We decided to use our Entertainment book and scout out nearby restaurants. We came across Monterrey Mexican and although we could only find a few reviews, they seemed to be favorable.

My first impression was not great. Located in a sad-looking strip mall, the building and signage had zero curb appeal. The atmosphere inside was somewhat dreary and I could see that the sides of the booths had "food film" built up around the sides (not what I want to notice before ordering). They did have a 91.0 sanitation score posted. Although, it could have been higher, it was still an acceptable rating to calm my dirty kitchen fears.


On to the food. The chips and salsa were decent. The salsa had a bite to it and they served a spicy mayonnaise-based sauce with it that was tasty.

I ordered the fajitas and although the sides were good and fresh, (refried beans, sour cream and lettuce), the meat/veggie mix was, well, bad. It had virtually no seasoning and did not have that delicious charred taste that is required in any decent fajita. If the waiter told me they were steamed with no seasoning, I would have believed him. And although, I did manage to swallow two rolled-up fajitas, however it is safe to say, my pregnant appetite is responsible for that.

My husband had the enchiladas verdes and was happy with his selection. I, on the other hand, would never order that dish there again. I found it to be nothing special.
The service could use some improvement; although we received everything we asked for, our particular waiter was exceptionally slow and unfriendly. He seemed like he had somewhere better to be.

The last part of our visit ended with the manager not accepting the entertainment coupon, as there apparently was an exclusion for certain days of the week and we apparent drifted in on the wrong day. Although it was our fault (we should have read the coupon closer), it was the manager’s discretion to accept the discount. This did not win points with me. I really detest paying for bad food. I just wanted to leave-fast.

I wished to find better things to say, since Charlotte Food Talk has taken on a mission to find the best Mexican Restaurants in the Queen City. They do have five other locations though; maybe they are better? I am not chancing it.

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant
10707 Park Rd # A
Charlotte, NC 28210-0107
(704) 541-6664
http://monterreymexicanrestaurants.com/

Monterrey Mexican on Urbanspoon

No comments:

Post a Comment