Mexicali Cocina Cantina 12161 Ventura Blvd Studio City, CA 91604 (818) 985-1744 Overall Rating: 2.5
2.5
Overall Deal: 3.5
3.5
Overall Price: 2.5
2.5
Neighborhood: Studio City Vibe: Bottled Beer, Casual, Cheap Eats, Chill, Locals, Margaritas, Meat Eater, Mexican, Top 40, Well Drinks, Wine Happy Hour: 4PM - 7PM, 11PM - 1AM Daily Specials: $2.95 Apps, $3.75 Wine, Bottle Beer, Well Drinks, $4.75 Margaritas Meal Deal: 4 Tacos and a Bottled Beer for under $10 Parking: Free Lot Behind or Metered Street Parking Montezuma's Revenge On Mexicali Posted April 30, 2010
Where da party at? Mexicali in Studio City. Their happy hour is phase one of the Mexicali party scene and it could have been a huge hit. They were packed from start to finish (4PM - 7PM) and some booths meant for 4 people had 8! With such a great turn out we expected a great happy hour. Great it wasn't, but good it was with the potential to be extraordinary.
First off, a Mexican menu lends itself to great happy hour fare. Tacos are a natural choice and Mexicali provides four flavors on their happy hour menu; Carnitas, Sauteed Shrimp, Braised Beef, and Pulled Rotisserie Chicken, for the low price of $2.95 for two! When price and selection are paired so perfectly it puts them on the road to Happy Town, but, unfortunately, the beef was off, the pork was way too fatty, the shrimp was just OK and there were only two not so jumbo shrimp in the Sauteed Shrimp Taco. The best choice was the chicken, but it's really hard to screw up chicken. We did enjoy the Mini-Nachos, but the word "mini" is perfectly placed in the title of this dish. The Empanadas were our favorite food item, but they share the Mini-Nacho's size shortfall. So low quality food and small portion sizes really dragged down our happy hour rating.
Now, add to the food issues with some Montezuma action and you really see where Mexicali has to step it up. We're not talking about any sort of "revenge" from drinking the water. No, we're talking about Margaritas, the signature drink at any Mexican restaurant and paramount to the success of said restaurant, being made with a Tequila called Montezuma. Upon further research we've found it doesn't even compare in price or quality to Jose Cuervo! We know it's a "house" margarita, but please use something a little higher in quality and without a reputation for the runs like Montezuma. It made us want to run...away.
The potential for a five martini glass happy hour was great because the hours are fantastic, the selection is decent, the parking is free, the atmosphere is fun enough, and the location is great for valleyites, but the food was just off and the booze left much to be desired.
Close Mexicali, but close doesn't count (except in horseshoes). AAHH...Tidbits Dr. Drinks: Decent Margarita but when you serve it in a wine glass over rocks there really isn't much to drink. The Drinks Taste: 3.5
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08.05.2011 в 03:13