Hit the Ground Running

By Neil Schloesser
Contributing Writer
Let’s start with the basics. The exterior sign of a restaurant is a mash-up of lone letters, and somewhere in this jumble, a message that indicates they are open. If a sign, which is the first thing that a person sees of the restaurant, is neglected, then it stands to reason that all is not well in the interior. The sign was right at El Mezcal, they were open but that was about all.

The interior still looks like the buffet restaurant that preceded El Mezcal. The buffets are there, empty, relics from a discarded past. They should have been removed or utilized not left to become hollow vessels. The walls are a bright yellow-orange. With the exception of the paint job, there is nothing to indicate that this is a place where Mexican food is served. Ambiance is not always needed, but there is a difference between neutral and negative; and in this instance the ambiance is negative. The walls become a focus point that all other aspects of the restaurant compete against.

The service was marginal but that isn’t always a bad thing. Drinks and free chips were filled and the food order was taken and delivered promptly. Yes, they are new and wholly inexperienced, but the basics were met. 
 
The food was average to poor, which means all other perceptions of the restaurant suffered as a result. If the food had been good then the negatives would have been quaint or forgettable.

The free chips were edible. They were dense and flavorless and the salsa, while looking pretty, had an unmistakable canned taste. 

The main meal was enjoyable and for this they deserve a little praise. I had Mexican sausage on a grilled chicken breast. The chicken breast was pounded flat, grilled, and the sausage was put on top with a thin layer of what was likely mole sauce. The chicken had a good charred grill flavor and the sauce and sausage were flavorful, but the beans were canned and the rice was out of Taco Bell’s playbook.

My friend’s fajitas were tragically blasé. They were sufficient as in they were not so bad he refused to eat them, but they were bland to the point of incurring criminal liability.

The menu is typical Mexican for this area: full of everything under the sun and then some. The non-alcoholic daiquiri was especially good and one of the better ones in the area but a drink does not a restaurant make. 

El Mezcal opened less than one month ago, so that should excuse some of what was observed. But it won’t. Here’s the thing about any business: when you open, you need to hit the ground running. El Mezcal may have forgotten this golden rule. 

Either one cares or one does not. There is no building up to that point. 

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If You Go

What: El Mezcal
Where: 2515 University Dr. S.
When: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun.
Info: 701.212.0165