La Cantina - never again
I've tried this place twice before and it disappointed, but when I get a Mexican craving the fact that it's a block and half away tempts me.
I like their salsa, and while their guacamole is bland and smooth I gave them points for serving it in a baby bull molcajete.
But last night the guacamole was a bit off, in a "refrigerator" meets "metallic tap water" kinda way.
For my entree, I ordered cheese enchiladas rancheros. Here's my suggestion of how you can reproduce the marvelous La Cantina Cheese Enchiladas Rancheros at home:
1. Take a Cracker Barrel-sized block of bland white cheese and slice it lengthwise into three slabs.
2. Wrap each slab in a softened tortilla.
3. Take one can of Spaghettios and pour through sieve. Pour the sauce over the "enchiladas".
4. Bake until gummy.
Because I was starving I actually managed to plow through most of one soggy slab until the glommulousness got the best of me and I realized I should just make a meal of the rice and beans. But I could have made the exact same meal for myself by going to the corner store and buying a can of black beans and a box of Spanish rice (and spending three bucks for twice as much).
At some point the not-that-attentive-to-begin-with bartrendress came over and asked if everything was ok.
"These are the most uninspired enchiladas I have ever eaten," I said, and explained how awful they were.
"Would you like some hot sauce?"
"No, I'm afraid nothing can save these enchiladas."
At which point she shrugged, said, "Well, I'm just the bartender," and walked away.
Seriously, wtf.
While I'm not a fan of Gordon Ramsay (and admit to a bit of schadenfreude as his empire has been crumbling), he does consistently hammer home very valid points - local, fresh food, no gimmicks, and no shit out of cans ... and I think someone needs to go all Gordon Ramsay on whoever owns La Cantina's ass, because you don't just serve crap out of a can or box and call it an entree. My enchiladas had no onions, no garlic, nothing fresh, nothing that required chopping. They couldn't even be bothered with a dollop of sour cream.
And it's not just that - as soon as I got home I felt SERIOUSLY ill.
It's a shame, because the space is nice enough, but my impression is that the food is so bad it attracts a douchebag croud that just goes there to drink.
I like their salsa, and while their guacamole is bland and smooth I gave them points for serving it in a baby bull molcajete.
But last night the guacamole was a bit off, in a "refrigerator" meets "metallic tap water" kinda way.
For my entree, I ordered cheese enchiladas rancheros. Here's my suggestion of how you can reproduce the marvelous La Cantina Cheese Enchiladas Rancheros at home:
1. Take a Cracker Barrel-sized block of bland white cheese and slice it lengthwise into three slabs.
2. Wrap each slab in a softened tortilla.
3. Take one can of Spaghettios and pour through sieve. Pour the sauce over the "enchiladas".
4. Bake until gummy.
Because I was starving I actually managed to plow through most of one soggy slab until the glommulousness got the best of me and I realized I should just make a meal of the rice and beans. But I could have made the exact same meal for myself by going to the corner store and buying a can of black beans and a box of Spanish rice (and spending three bucks for twice as much).
At some point the not-that-attentive-to-begin-with bartrendress came over and asked if everything was ok.
"These are the most uninspired enchiladas I have ever eaten," I said, and explained how awful they were.
"Would you like some hot sauce?"
"No, I'm afraid nothing can save these enchiladas."
At which point she shrugged, said, "Well, I'm just the bartender," and walked away.
Seriously, wtf.
While I'm not a fan of Gordon Ramsay (and admit to a bit of schadenfreude as his empire has been crumbling), he does consistently hammer home very valid points - local, fresh food, no gimmicks, and no shit out of cans ... and I think someone needs to go all Gordon Ramsay on whoever owns La Cantina's ass, because you don't just serve crap out of a can or box and call it an entree. My enchiladas had no onions, no garlic, nothing fresh, nothing that required chopping. They couldn't even be bothered with a dollop of sour cream.
And it's not just that - as soon as I got home I felt SERIOUSLY ill.
It's a shame, because the space is nice enough, but my impression is that the food is so bad it attracts a douchebag croud that just goes there to drink.
Comments
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Cantina is very good in my opinion. Gotta get the ground beef in the enchiladas, and take advantage of their drink specials.
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I've never eaten at this place, so I can't speak about the food but if I were a bartender and someone called their meal "uninspired" (at a semi-casual restaurant) I would probably laughed at them. It reeks of pretentiousness...ask to speak to a manager if you want to really comment on the quality of the food, not the tips-only bartender.
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My gf and I discovered Mezcals.
I think they are great. Nice and small with very decent sized servings. Tastes good to me! I love the "Super Nachos" appetizer lol
My gf thinks they make good margaritas. -
Which mezcals? Aren't there 2 of them?
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LongTimeSloper wrote: Which mezcals? Aren't there 2 of them?
At least. There's one in PS and one on Court Street. I find them both to be extraordinarily medicore. And that's being kind. -
Oh, I was talking about the one on 5th near Associated and then the other one on 5th near 7th Street. We went to the one near Associated many years ago and was not impressed.
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reviews on yelp suck for Mezcals.
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Mpmav1 wrote: reviews on yelp suck for Mezcals.
Yep. They also have locations on Atlantic Avenue and one in Bay Ridge. I can personally vouch that at least two of them suck. -
Carmen wrote: I've never eaten at this place, so I can't speak about the food but if I were a bartender and someone called their meal "uninspired" (at a semi-casual restaurant) I would probably laughed at them. It reeks of pretentiousness...ask to speak to a manager if you want to really comment on the quality of the food, not the tips-only bartender.
Oh for heaven's sake.
I've been a bartender, and if someone complained about the food I would have at least been sympathetic. It's part of the job.
A few months ago I was disappointed with my pasta at Steinhof, and the bartender a) told the kitchen what was wrong and b) gave it to me at half price. That's how it's done.
I'm not picky, or pretentious, and it takes a lot of suck for me to complain about food, so don't seize upon your interpretation of one word in a written post.
Btw, there was no manager in the house, so that wasn't an option. -
Jay B wrote: Cantina is very good in my opinion. Gotta get the ground beef in the enchiladas, and take advantage of their drink specials.
I don't eat meat or poultry, so that limits my options, but it shouldn't be difficult to get a decent vegetarian meal at a Mexican joint. -
when you are paying like 9.95 for an entree how can you really expect the meal to be, in your words, inspired? you get what you pay for. this just makes you sound like a snob.
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flynn wrote: when you are paying like 9.95 for an entree how can you really expect the meal to be, in your words, inspired? you get what you pay for. this just makes you sound like a snob.
Exactly. I mean maybe the waitress should have been more accommodating but I worked in the service industry for a long time and if someone told me their $10 plate was "uninspired" i would have laughed. "Bad" "undercooked" "disgusting" "not fresh" are fine...but "uninspired"?! Too much chowhound surfing. -
why not go to calexico on 5th ave.
all the beers are 3 dollars and the tacos are 2.50.
nothing amazing but it gets the job done. -
I worked in the service industry for a long time too.
It's difficult to convey a conversation or attitude in an online post. I'm not a food snob (and have never looked at chowhound). I didn't actually expect the food to be "inspired," I just wanted it to be edible. Complaining about food makes me uncomfortable, so I was trying to be polite, and light/humorous, and my use of the word "uninspired" was ironic. And as I said in my first post, I explained to her just why the enchiladas were awful.
As it was, with the guac and two crappy margaritas, I ended up shelling out $30 for a lousy meal that made me ill. -
bottom line. if you go to a place and you don't like it don't go back. your first sentence in your post states that this place disappointed you twice before. do you maybe just like throwing money away? it can't really be the proximity, mexican restaurants are aplenty.
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Proximity is an issue, especially when I'm tired and hungry. There are two other Mexican places near me, Piramides (went once and didn't like) and Nuevos Tacos or whatever it is (went twice, not going back).
No, I don't enjoy throwing money away, but I am willing to give restaurants a second or third try. And I liked Cantina's salsa, and the guac was fine before. -
cantina? where's that?
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4th Avenue at 12th.
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Subject: Re: La Cantina - never again
laura wrote: "These are the most uninspired enchiladas I have ever eaten," I said, and explained how awful they were.
Did you guys read the whole post? Because Laura explained what was wrong with her meal and the bartender still didn't give a shit. If a customer came to me with a complaint and I said, "Well, I'm just the cashier," and walked away without getting someone to help them? Not okay and kinda douchey.
"Would you like some hot sauce?"
"No, I'm afraid nothing can save these enchiladas."
At which point she shrugged, said, "Well, I'm just the bartender," and walked away.
As for going back when the food was only so-so? Sometimes you really want the place close to home to be good so you give it more chances than it deserves. -
My first instinct was to scold laura for trashing a business during tough economic times, but after I slowed down and read her post, I (barfed and) am convinced she paid her hard earned cash for dog food served by someone who could care less about Laura's experience. laura would have been much better off with a frozen TV dinner.
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Carmen wrote: I've never eaten at this place, so I can't speak about the food but if I were a bartender and someone called their meal "uninspired" (at a semi-casual restaurant) I would probably laughed at them. It reeks of pretentiousness...ask to speak to a manager if you want to really comment on the quality of the food, not the tips-only bartender.
Ouch that's some serious blame the victim mentality.
It's the restaurant's/bar's entire staff's responsibility to keep all customers happy and coming back for more. That bartender was asking for a permanent vacation.
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