#39 Lalos on Preston

January 10, 2012

Lalos Fine Mexican Cuisine (not to be confused with Lalos not-so fine Mexican in Illinois) is hidden in a strip mall on the border of Plano/Richardson. Easy to miss on a drive by. The exterior is unassuming,  but the interior is lovely--comfortable, but not pretentious or trying too hard to be trendy. I enjoyed the sounds of Spanish classical guitar music, which added to the ambiance. One of our friends who has traveled extensively in Mexico said that he recognized all of the artists and songs.

Besides the traditional chips and salsa, Lalos served a complimentary warm black bean dip, which was delicious. The salsa had a nice spicy kick to it and the guac was fresh. Sadly no tableside guac--I know, I'm spoiled.

I ordered the fish tacos. The chef was happy to grill the tilapia instead of the standard fried fare. The red & green cabbage with carrots and cilantro slaw was a healthy, flavorful accompaniment. The creamy lime and cilantro sauce spiced with chilis made the dish a stand-out winner.

My mother (a native Texan who has lived in Pittsburgh for the past 40 years) is always up for eating Mexican food. Pittsburgh is not known for its Mexican cuisine.  She ordered a combination meal which included tortilla soup, a guac tostada and a chicken enchilada with queso. I'm usually wary of queso, since it tends to be made with fake processed cheese. However the queso sauce was made with REAL cheese. It was way too cheesy and heavy for my tastes, but my one bite was decadent. Kind of like cheese fondue over chicken.


The tortilla soup was flavorful. I really should have ordered my own, because I wasn't able to eat enough of it to discern what made it special. The chef didn't overpower it with cheese or tortilla strips, so the broth's flavor came through.

Our friends had meat tacos and said they were excellent as well.

The dining room was close to empty at 1pm on a Thursday. The food and service are great. I hope their business increases.

#38 Mexi-GO-GO

my composition was really crappy, so i cropped out the building

January 5, 2013
Mexi-Go Bar & Grill
Allen, TX

I really shouldn't eat/review when I'm famished, because everything tastes so darn good. I'm not sure that I'm the most objective reviewer under those circumstances.

Looking over the past year, I haven't broken any Mexican food eating records. I took the entire summer off and now I'm woefully behind my quota of eating at all 1418  restaurants in the Dallas area. In fact, I only ate at 23 NEW restaurants in 2012. At this rate, it will take me SIXTY-ONE YEARS to finish my epic feat. I'll be dead way before that. In fact a friend just asked me today if my health was suffering from eating at all those lard-infested places. Think of the Super-Size Me guy whose liver and kidneys shut down after eating too much Mickey D's. I'm happy to report that I haven't gained any weight and I'm in as good health as can be expected for someone of my indeterminate age.

The name and location Mexi-Go (like Los Cucos) deceived me. It seemed like a dumb name and was in a generic strip mall, so I kept driving right on by. The sign said restaurant and club. In my kinky mind, I envisioned Go-Go girls with knee-high patent-leather boots, short-shorts, and sombreros pole dancing while rolling their tongues and making purring noises. While that sounds quite entertaining, it would be too distracting for my teenaged son. Thankfully the Go-Go girls must have had the night off.

Those who have been reading for awhile know that I am a guac slut. Any restaurant that offers tableside guac has me hooked in a matter of minutes. Mexi-Go's tableside guac is no exception. No secret ingredients--just perfectly ripened avocado, salt, pepper, fresh lime juice and a bit of diced onion, cilantro and tomatoes. I think if I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it would be tableside guac.

The chips were light and salty. The salsa was thick, but a bit too bland for my taste. My son ordered the ribeye fajitas. They were a bit fatty, but flavorful. The chef coated the meat and veggies with a sweet glaze. I couldn't tell what the ingredients were; the waiter just told me it was the fajita sauce. The combination of the slightly sweet sauce with the smoky grill flavor was a winning combination. Usually fajitas just come with onions and peppers. Mexi-Go serves a variety of vegetables including squash, zucchini and broccoli. There were a few huge chunks of an orange veggie that my son refused to believe was a carrot. Because he hates carrots and he thought the thing on his plate was delicious. I must get some of that sauce and prepare all of his veggies that way.

I ordered the enchiladas yucatanes which were stuffed with shredded chicken and topped with a chipotle sauce. Normally I don't like sour cream sauce, but the spiciness of the peppers complemented the sour cream. Thankfully, the sauce wasn't too heavy.

We splurged on dessert since the flan was homemade. It was a bit too custardy and sweet, but that didn't deter us from inhaling it in about 3 bites.