Appealing entrance to Eva's

Courtyard view

Eva's lobby

If you’ve read our previous blogs, you know we do not like service where they bug you constantly.  Eva’s strikes a balance on that.  We had the extra water when we needed it and they didn’t presume that we didn’t want dessert.  We did – even though we professed to be full and I took a box home.

As you enter, the one-of-a-kind restaurant greets you with a spacious courtyard  with an old truck and a fanciful figure at the doorway.

Food first

Seated promptly in the mid-afternoon, there were only three other parties seated in the large dining room.  Most of the activity seemed to be in the bar (the “Cantina” – off to the right on the other side of the lobby), with patrons cheering over the results of a playoff game.  We weren’t bothered by the noise of the vocal patrons watching their game once we were seated.

Details in dining room

Our waiter arrived promptly, offered menus, took our drink orders and left us to ponder the very large menu.

Albondigas soup was on the menu, a flavorful meatball soup that I was going to bypass until I heard another table order it. I ordered a cup.

I love tamales and consider them a sign of how homemade the food is.  They take a lot of work to prepare and not every Mexican restaurant has them available all of the time.  Eva’s had two tamale offerings on their “Combinationes” menu section. After some consultation with our waiter, I was able to swap out some items for others so I had what I wanted.  So, I received a green corn tamale, beef taco and a bean tostado.

“Taco de barbacoa,” tacos with Mexican barbecued beef, was my husband’s choice.  He always knows what’s good to order, especially on a Mexican menu since he lived in Mexico for a time.

In addition to what we ordered, they were specialties including shrimp, salmon, fish, fajitas, enchiladas, carnitas (pork) and the typical Mexican food offerings, plus a large appetizer selection and more.  A $12 “Fiesta Sampler” seemed a good deal to try all of the different offerings to nibble with mini versions of chicken and beef flautas, a chicken “chimi,” bean tostadas, green chile cheese crisp with sour cream and guacamole.

We were given a bowl of freshly made tortilla chips to dip in a slightly spicy bean dip or a red salsa.  They were good and I wanted more, especially the bean dip.  We were not offered more chips, but we did not ask for more, and that was probably a wise thing since the other portions were so enormous.

Dinner arrives

The albondigas soup did not disappoint, with rich broth and several meatballs in a very large “cup” – more like a big bowl! A small bowl of Mexican rice accompanied it, which made the soup a meal by itself.

Just as I was finishing the soup, the dinners arrived, steaming hot.

My platter did not have sauce doused all over it, as the waiter promised my choice would not have, and I went digging first for the tamale.  Not large, it was moist and filled with green chile and corn, a good example of tamale. The bean tostado was nicely crisp and a generous size.  Since tostadas can get soggy, I tackled that next.   It stayed crispy and was flavorful, with just the right mix of beans and toppings.  My accompanying charro beans had a layer of cheese and a slight spiciness that had me eating every morsel.

I opted to save the beef taco for later, but the beef was blended and had a delicious, rich flavor that was far different from fast food tacos with crumbled beef of dubious quality.  This was the good stuff.

The Barbecued Beef tacos were flavorful, as well, with my husband eating every bit.

Even though I had a box for my leftovers, my husband kept eying the fried ice cream on the dessert menu.  Not to be gluttonous, I offered to “eat a little.”

When the fried ice cream came, it had an attractive presentation nestled in a chocolate taco shell with plentiful ice cream and toppings of whipped cream and honey.  I ate more than I had intended.

When the tab came for our dinner, it was another pleasant surprise!  For both dinners, our total came to $35 without tip.  We added 20% for the excellent service and planned to return.

Eva’s Fine Mexican Food is located on Pinal Avenue, a few miles west of Interstate 10 in a plaza on the northwest corner of Cottonwood and Pinal Avenues in Casa Grande, Arizona.  (520) 836-5599, http://evasmexicanfood.com/

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Want to eat where a president – US President, that is – and other celebrities have eaten?

Head to…

Mi Nidito

An unprepossessing restaurant in an area of town where most tourists would never travel, Mi Nidito (“My little nest”), has good food at reasonable prices and speedy service.  But, the restaurant’s popularity may make you wait a while – which we did for almost an hour on a Saturday.  The place was hopping!  Even though it was larger than it looks from the outside, there were a lot of people enjoying the cuisine.

Mi Nidito had the pleasure of serving President Bill Clinton a few years ago.  We didn’t get to sit where Bill did, but I had the pleasure of choosing the same menu item that the President had eaten.  Inside the front door, the restaurant proudly displays photos of noted former patrons of the restaurant.  (Julio Iglesias, Madeline Albright, etc.)

Aptly named the “President’s Plate,” the platter arrived steaming hot, with more than I thought I’d be able to eat.  Partly because we waited so long to be seated, I was hungry and made a passable attempt to try everything.

The large plate included Bean Tostada, Birria (spiced shredded beef) Taco, Chile Relleno, Chicken Enchilada and Beef Tamale.  I always try a tamale when it is available, as it’s a great indicator of the capability of the kitchen. Tamales take a lot of time to make.  When they’re good, they are flavorful with abundant filling.  When they’re bad, they’re pasty and you’re trying to find the filling. Mi Nidito’s tamale was great.  All that for $12.50 – a great deal and a good sampling of many menu choices.

If you’re looking for a quiet meal, that won’t happen at Mi Nidito.  The throngs have discovered the restaurant, so expect a wait.  But you will have good food to reward you.

The restaurant has been around in the same family since 1952.

Another Tucson restaurant that has been around even longer isEl Minuto Café

Located just south of the Convention Center, El Minuto Café has been open since 1936.  The décor is typical Mexican with hanging decorations, especially during the holidays.

Our server was extremely cordial and very efficient.  We were dining during a very quiet mid-afternoon.  There were only about four parties eating scattered in the two dining rooms, but you got the sense that the lull was only temporary.

First, we were served tortilla and salsa, which were great. We were offered a second bowl of the chips and put a good dent in them, too.  The chips were crispy and not greasy. The salsa was fairly mild, but flavorful.

We tried two of the soups.  My albondiga soup (a meatball soup) had a little too much spice for me; my husband’s tortilla soup was mellow and terrific.

My $9.95 combination plate had a tamale, an enchilada, a taco, refried beans and sauce.  Actually, too much sauce, but that seems to be typical of all Mexican restaurants. One of these days, I’ll ask Mexican restaurants not to cover everything on the plate with sauce.  However, everything was great and I ate it all.  Even the beans, which can be blah, were rich tasting and I ate every morsel.

We can see why the restaurant has survived all of these years.  Not fancy, El Minuto Café is an example of good, authentic food served well.

Mi Nidito

http://www.minidito.net

El Minuto Café

http://www.elminutocafe.com/

Come back tomorrow for a holiday visit.