Ok, so I have talked a lot of my birthday week. Well this has been a biggie, so I get to stretch it out! As I mentioned before, one of the great things about working for my company is that we all go out and celebrate everyone’s birthday. The whole group is invited and those who can manage to join, do. It’s usually a great lunch with great conversation and gives us the opportunity to make the rounds and try different restaurants near us. The person having the birthday typically chooses his/her favorite place. I suggested we try Mojave Cantina on 14 Mile & Livernois in Clawson. I noticed this restaurant one day driving by and did some research as:
- We are always looking for new places to try and review and
- I LOVE Mexican food.
I mean, lets taco bout how much I love Mexican food. I mean, it’s nacho typical meal, in queso you didn’t know. Ok, sorry, I hear you all groaning, this is getting guacward, so I will stop. LOL
What my research turned up was a mix of raves and rants, some good, some very bad. Perfect! I love those kinds of reviews. I can go in and formulate my own opinion and share with you all the TRUTH, as we know that is what you are all hungry for.
So to start, we made reservations for 16 people way in advance. We even called to confirm our table of 16 would be ready as we are on limited time. What we didn’t count on is that random table of 16 who walked in moments before us and the restaurant thought it had to be our group, so they gave them our table, leaving us to sit and wait while “one was cleaned off”. Now let me set the stage for you, we walk into Mojave Cantina and first are not even greeted by anyone for probably 5 minutes. Then we are told they must have accidentally gave our table away. Then we watch them slowly clear off one lone table in the middle of 4 empty ones to push together for our group. We arrived at 12:30 and finally seated at 12:45. Not starting well. The place itself was not the new, trendy, vibrant restaurant I expected. Instead you felt that you really were walking into a Mexican restaurant that only the “locals” enjoy. Dated, old furniture, minimal decor and a plethora or flies. Now granted, they had an outdoor patio area and I can only assume the flies were coming from there, but I should not have to swat flies away when dining indoors. It was mentioned that the restaurant was an array of “weird” smells. An odd smell coming from the waiting area, to the pungent smell of bleach when sitting.
We finally got a waitress to take our order. But before she did, she wanted to bring waters, chips and salsa. Fine, but this is just drawing this experience out way longer. The chips were good. Thin, crisp and fresh. The salsa however was odd. A blended salsa, almost black in color, with an overpowering flavor of chipotle. If you love the deep smokiness of roasted chipotle peppers, you will like this salsa. If you are like Omar who hates chipotle, then this salsa would NOT be for you.
Our order was taken, the chips and salsa gone, and so we wait. And wait. And wait. Finally a large order comes out, are they coming our way? Nope, they are going to the party of 16 who stole our table. So we wait. And wait. Our food was finally brought out at 1:35. Over a full hour after we arrived.
I was craving rice, and they had a cilantro lime rice which I love. I also was craving nachos. To satisfy both, I ordered the nachos with added rice. Sounds weird, I know but it was actually pretty good. They have a lunch menu, with smaller portions and cheaper prices. It does not include the full array of offerings, but plenty to chose from. People around me ordered Tortilla Soup, burritos, and “fiesta chicken” which for a healthier carb-free option, is a grilled chicken breast, topped with fajitas veggies, sauce and cheese. Served with rice and avocado. Well, carb free if you skip the rice.
Now be careful, there is a very small asterisk that says “these meals served with rice and beans”. It looks like all meals served with rice and beans, but for those ordering a burrito, it was just a burrito. Also when the descriptions said “and sour cream”, most were missing.
My nachos were pretty good. I can’t complain too much. The chips were fresh and it was just the right portioned size for lunch. It had refried beans, beef, jalapenos, melted cheese, lettuce, scallions and my lime cilantro rice. I enjoyed my meal, but others around me said theirs were OK, they have definitely had better. They brought the soup out to one of my coworkers, went to serve and took it back to the kitchen to replace it. We were a bit concerned what she saw that made her get a new one. We assumed a fly pool party?
The burritos looked like they were cold shells, wrapped around mediocre ingredients. Let’s just say, the folks ordering were not overwhelmed. The person who ordered the fiesta chicken was really the only person who enjoyed their meal and said they would come back to order it again.
For me, I may go back if someone said “hey, meet me at Mojave Cantina” which I don’t see happening. Otherwise, I would not seek it out just to eat there again. I know it’s crazy, but I miss Chi Chi’s. At least there, they didn’t claim to be authentic made from scratch meals, but instead was Americanized pedestrian fare and you knew what you were getting. And who didn’t love the Sombrero, song and fried ice cream on their birthday. Geeze, this place didn’t even spring for a song.