Okay, I'm intrigued but
will I be impressed? The entrance is very old,
very cool and it would be a shame to ever change it.
Walking inside, the place is much bigger then it
appears from the street with a nice atrium for dining
which is where we sat. Complimentary chips and
salsa arrived soon after seating which is always a
good sign.
The menu is interesting with usual Mexican fare, but
also with some unusual dishes as well. If
you like Mexican food, I'm sure you will find something
you like. The room was a little cooler than I
like, but leaving my jacket on took care of that, and I
noticed some other diners doing that as well. It
is an older building and the season is changing here,
so perhaps that had something to do with the indoor
temperature.
I went with an interesting dish called Pollo Chipotle
which arrived in a plentiful portion and was delicious.
An interesting take, was the addition of flavorful
mashed potatoes and an ear of corn perfectly cooked
with flavored butter. My guest went off the menu
for traditional hard shell beef tacos which they were
delighted to prepare.
This restaurant is solid, the staff friendly, very
professional, and eager to please. It's a very
big deal for me to be treated well when dining out and
there is nothing worse than an empty glass when
thirsty, and just a soon as my glass was empty another
soda arrived without my having to ask for it. - Jersey
Shadow -
Mexicali Rose
10 Park Street
Montclair, NJ 07042
Phone: 973-746-9005
Credit Cards Accepted & Local Delivery
Qin Dynasty - Stepping into
Qin Dynasty was like walking into a Chinese VFW Hall complete
with vinyl tile flooring and banquet seating. The
place was adorned with signs written in Chinese and the
Menu was in Chinese, along with English.
Amidst the unusual surroundings it seemed like a good
meal, even memorable one might be on the way. I
was genuinely excited to hopefully have found a cool
quirky place with outstanding food. Memorable, yes,
but as for the rest... uh oh. I ordered the spicy
Beef & Orange dish and my guest had Shrimp with
Cashews. I feel terrible about slamming a place
but my dish was in a word, inedible.
The Beef had a funky taste, and even the Broccoli I had
to leave behind. My dish looked almost as
undisturbed as when it was delivered to the table.
Usually Chinese food comes with at least white rice, and
after the Entree's were delivered, and not at the same
time, we were each asked if we wanted rice... and oddity
indeed.
I asked for rice and it turned out to be my meal with
some soy sauce (right on the table) and a can of Coke
which was nice and cold! I don't mind drinking
Coke from the can and no glass with ice was brought or
offered. The water was warm with no ice... yuck
(industry term used to describe unpleasant tastes) as was
my meal, except the rice.
My guest wasn't overwhelmed with the Shrimp dish but was
able to eat some. After a bite of my Entree all I
wanted to do was leave and the end of the meal couldn't
come fast enough for me. The check arrived 30
dollars and change... oh well. I began to dream of
that bowl of cereal with my name on it back at the house
and soon we were out the door.
I must say that it does take some doing to get me to
offer no hope for a place and the simple fact is that, at least for me, this
place could never live up to even modest standards or expectations.
I just can't see the possibility for any meaningful change here, because it
would require a whole new approach by the staff and in the words of
typical Jersey Jargon... It ain't never gonna happen. - Jersey Shadow -
Qin Dynasty
857 US Highway 46E
Parsippany, NJ 07054
Phone: 973-361-9048
Credit Cards Accepted