el pueblo cocina mexicana
i've heard from my friends that california is the home to some of the best mexican food in the united states. and we were spoilt for choice, even in folsom but we managed to narrow it down to el pueblo cocina mexicana which was quite new in town (back in july..yes i know, this entry is way overdue) but has already a few rave reviews on yelp.
the decor of the restaurant centered around mexican culture with colorful murals and the lively music playing in the background added to the ambiance.
they started us out with complimentary chips and salsa (which they allow for free refills by the way) so we could get as much as we want till our hearts' content.
ryan, his brother and i decided to share three dishes among the three of us while their mom ordered nachos.
nachos locos | chicken, beef or carnitas, topped with beans, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo & jalapeños ($8.95)
when this dish came, it was a huge plate of food. there was a generous amount of melted cheese and the same flavorful shredded pork (ryan's mom ordered carnitas) atop the crispy tortilla. she seems to enjoy it immensely but quickly realized it was very filling. the tortilla chips were great vehicle for the other ingredients. the crunchy of the chips, with the tender carnitas, melty cheese, the butteriness of the beans and the tartness of the sour cream to balance all the ingredients.
shrimp & chorizo quesadilla | served with guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo ($10.45)
i would have to say this was the best dish of all the three we shared. the flavorful combination of the spicy chorizo and the sweetness of the fresh shrimp which was glued together between the toasty tortilla by the creamy and melty cheese was just perfect. what made it even better was the combination with the toppings of guacamole, salsa and the sour cream that added tartness to balance out the richness of the dish. it was definitely top pick of the night and our yummy favorite.
shrimp pasilla | fire-roasted pasilla, filled with grilled shrimp & cream sauce, served with a cheese enchilada ($14.95)
this mimicks the traditional chilli relleno but instead it is stuffed with shrimp and topped with sour cream. the natural sweetness from the generous amount of shrimp in the paquillo peppers flavors the dish. on the side, the cheese enchilada was oozing with melted cheese and just looked so very tempting to take huge bite of it. great layers of flavors all around but slightly too rich after a few bites. it was definitely a filling dish.
carnitas michoacanas | slow-roasted pork in our secret blend of spices, served with 3 tortillas ($13.45)
the tender shredded pork had good amount of seasonings on it with their secret blend of spices and went incredibly well with the spanish rice. while it was delicious, i wished there were slightly more condiments on the side (which i assumed we could probably ask for) but still a very tasty dish. yum! after our meal, ryan and i concurred that sharing two dishes between the three of us would have been a good amount of food cos we were so stuffed after dinner.
churros & ice cream ($4.95)
ryan ordered churros his second visit to the restaurant (for the shrimp and chorizo quesadilla) and said that the churros here rivaled its counterpart from xoco that i really, really love. crispy and doughy and sweetened with cinnamon sugar which is the way to churros perfection :)
el pueblo has made its mark for me as one of my favorite mexican food places. we thought that the friendly staff was endearing. one pet peeve though was the wait time for food although there weren't many customers that evening but it was well worth the wait. solidly executed authentic mexican food with great flavors and i certainly hope this restaurant is here to stay.
disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others
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