The review you hate to write......but a necessary one!

This restaurant is the unique one that should be a cornerstone of Milwaukie that people come over the bridge to eat at it. It should be the talk of the town and word of mouth should spread like wildfire. I mean how many places do tamales and do them freshly prepared, with many choices, and with a lot of love put in.

My Mom and I tried this restaurant out for dinner, and it seemed from the moment we sat down things just got weird. The manager(owner?) seemed very nice at first and explained about their tamales and menu in general. He knew his food well and I was glad to be so well informed. Then things took an odd turn. He randomly started asking personal questions, i.e.(what do I do for a living, where do I live, etc.). Ok, get to know your customers I guess. No problem. Then he asked if Mom and I were a couple. I've had this question before since my Mom looks a lot younger than her age, but it's just weird at a restaurant. I explained it was my Mother and he looked shocked and in disbelief. We are just your average middle class family. Not like I have one of those parents all decked out trying to look younger.

Then out came the food, which I thought would be better. I opted for the veggie burrito and it was a greasy hot mess of veggies. No protein of any sort. The house made tortilla was good but just turned into a grease napkin from the veggies. I was expecting so much more.

Next came the follow up questions. "You sure you're not together, this cannot be your mother". Are you kidding me, really? Why keep asking. We were finishing eating, and my Mom noticed the staff all in the kitchen staring at us and laughing. I turned around and he came over and said "they don't believe it either". I couldn't believe this craziness. Just so bizarre and no way to treat a customer, especially on their first visit. It was like walking into a reality show.

Is it so strange that a son and his Mom would have dinner together? While this wasn't the worst dining experience I've had, it was certainly the most uncomfortable. I will never be back and that's frustrating because this place could be a special one.

Chaos ensues at this place. I just cannot fathom how it keeps going. Such potential for a great place for great food and they don't see what's wrong. 3 times I've walked by and have seen a table in the alley behind it with an employee cutting up food!!!! Food prep outside in the alley? Just insane.