Mexicali Blues — Restaurant in Virginia

The plate itself is as modal as a plate can be; white and circular. Rather than relying on increasingly bizarre blends of baskets and papers to plate the onion rings, Mexicali Blues lets the onion rings shine. Each ring is delicately and ornately placed in a flavorful tableau, pleasing to the eye and (hopefully) the palate. Sprinkled on top is a garnish of freshly chopped cilantro, bringing some much needed color to the plate.

The onion rings themselves are clearly hand battered, evidenced by both the cascading ridges surrounding the ring and the patchy covering evidenced on a handful of rings. In truth, the patchy battering is really the only ding I can give to the appearance of these rings, with each of them consistently colored in a golden brown and tinged with a hint of orange.

Finally, a medium sized container of chipotle ranch fills out the rest of the plate.

Over three years of some fifty-odd onion rings reviews (and dozens of others that never made it to print), I've learned one simple truth: almost nobody knows how to properly season onion ring batter. These are an exception.

Per the menu, the rings are battered in buttermilk and chiles, an entirely new culinary innovation in the world of onion rings. The batter delivers the slightest bit of heat and the perfect burst of flavor packed into each bite, transforming the onion ring from a routine slice of Americana to a cultural and culinary journey.

The taste of the onion is likewise measured and fitting, erring to no extreme in flavor. Though perhaps slightly undercooked, which generally leads to less onion juices and less grease, the minute rawness pairs will with the chile flavors.

The chipotle ranch dipping sauce elevated both of these flavors in turn to a new plane of existence.

Simultaneously creamy and smoky, the sauce oozes down to the onion core through the delicate batter, working in tandem to produce a cohesive bite. Finally, the occasional flecks of cilantro criss-crossing the top of the onion rings provide a pop of freshness, softening and elevating the accompanying flavors.

Simply put, the flavors of these onion rings work together perfectly.

For all the triumphs of taste and presentation, the texture of these onion rings are wanting. Slippage struck a handful of times, and it struck hard, as I desperately gulped down a strand of onion with an oversized swig of Modelo Especial. The flavorful batter was also unique for its rigidity and structure, holding firm under the pressure of hand and tooth.

However, the strength of the batter is not matched by the onion. Though the underdone onions led to a delightful flavor profile, they were likewise too rigid, and too separated from the batter, to remain as cohesive in mouthfeel as they were in taste. If the onions were cooked just a touch longer, the added juices would glue the parts together, like birthday party decorations constructed by an attentive mother. Instead, they more resemble the haphazard attempts of a desperate husband flinging together decorations for a party his wife is making him throw for a concocted Instagram holiday, as he dreams of simpler times when he didn't own any throw pillows.

I'm of a mixed mind on the value of the these rings. Though they made a filling meal with impeccable taste, the plate itself cost $9.95. Recognizing I am in the wildly expensive D.C. metropolitan area, I'm somewhat more forgiving than I would otherwise be, though the price is a little steep. For both the quality and the quantity of the rings, I'm fairly satisfied, albeit not...

I was not aware this wasn't going to be a family friendly experience dining here, because of how we were treated. I brought my elderly parents visiting from India to experience Mexican food. It was embarrassing and overall a very unpleasant experience.

We were here for dinner on a Saturday night and most of the guests were out side the restaurant by the streets. I called ahead to check if I needed a reservation. I was told none needed and that it wasn't busy. When we arrived, there were no host or hostess to welcome us or seat us. By the dress code it was hard to tell the staff from the guests.

We walked right in and wanted to sit inside. A young girl greeted us kindly and offered a table. Just as we were getting ready to sit down, two guys quickly rushed to get us not to sit in the main section of the restaurant. It felt very unprofessional and unwelcoming as the two guys had two different versions of why we couldn't sit there. One said they were only serving outside(which was not true) and the other said they had that whole section reserved for a birthday party at 10, even though it wasn't set up for a party and nor the tables arranged for a large group. We left the restaurant at 10:30 and there was no sign of any birthday party and other guests were seated in the main section. The treatment gave us a feeling like we didn't fit in there.

They made us go all the way back of the restaurant, to the bar section and gave us single tables when we clearly wanted to dine at a table as a family. We requested hot water and were told they didn't have any hot water. I had to insist and they finally served hot water for my mother.

The girl who waited on us told us that she had just moved from Brazil and was new on the job. It seemed like she barely spoke or understood English. She was really nice and trying her best but there was a lot of miscommunication. She got the other guys to help with the order and understanding our needs.

We are vegetarian and I wanted one of the other guys helping our server to find out if the side dish(Mexican rice) was cooked with chicken broth and he was kind enough to go check with the kitchen staff. He returned to inform me that the Mexican rice was indeed cooked with chicken broth and that he would instead serve us plain rice and beans that didn't have any meat. When the food arrived it sure had the Mexican rice and the other young man who was serving us said they don't serve plain rice which was the exact opposite of what the other staff had offered. After insisting on getting what was offered, reluctantly they took the dish to change the side dish for the plain rice.

All the food and the appetizers came at once and by the time we finished with three different appetizers our entrée was cold.

It seemed like there was just no proper training or co-ordination among the staff and the service was just too unprofessional. The food wasn't bad, However the entire experience just left a bad taste in our mouth. No...

Having walked by this joint a several hundred times by now and seeing it always packed, one would assume it would be with good reason...

My girlfriend and I decided to stop here to eat dinner in their outdoor seating area as the weather has finally turned for the better. After waiting 45 minutes for a table to open up, we get a round of Margaritas. I order a classic Marg on the rocks with Patron sans salt, she a pomegranate Marg... both were incredibly bland and otherwise tasteless. At $9 a pop, you'd expect a Mexican restaurant to at least be able to make a tolerable margarita, but sadly that was not the case.

I had been craving chile rellenos all week and was ecstatic to finally consume some. Upon the arrival of my plate, I noticed the large portion of oil and grease accumulating at the bottom of my plate. I have had some pretty greasy rellenos before as I only got it with cheese and let's face it, cheese + dough cave + frying = grease.

I took the first bite and damn near spit it out. Imagine substituting the whole carcass of the poblano pepper with a water balloon filled with oil and that would be a close representation of the sensation that occurred in my mouth. You could not taste the pepper, you could not taste the cheese, you could not taste the batter. It was oil and only oil.

The waiter did not stop by during the entire meal to check in on us until he assumed we were done. He asked me if I would like a take home box, after which I expressed that I had only eaten 1 bite for a reason. After cutting me off several times mid-explanation saying things of, "Yes, they are large portions" or "There is a lot of cheese and can be filling," he got the hint that the food sucked and I was displeased with it.

He went and spoke to a manager to have our check 'adjusted.' And by adjusted, they took a measly $6 off my dinner entree. 1 bite cost me $7 of the worst excuse for Mexican food I've ever had.

Its a long winded review but if you are going here for anything but sitting on the outside patio with a bucket of beer and maybe eating free chips and salsa, you're a fool.

Mexicali Blues sucks minus it's in a...