The gods have smiled upon me....

Yes indeed, the gods have smiled upon me.... How's that you say? Oh....let me tell you!!

I have FINALLY found a place that makes passable Mexican food here!!! *does a happy dance* The guys that run it are from Oregon, where their parents used to run the best Mexican restaurant in the state... I'd seen it before but I was skeptical, I'd had a traumatic experience at the last 'Mexican' place I'd tried here and so I was a bit nervous about trying this one. So I got online, checked out their website, found out it was run by 2 American guys, and so figured I'd give it a try. I mean, it's called MexiCali Fresh...so it's Mexican food California style...but at least that's better than New Zealand style (I still shudder at the thought of my meal at the last place).

So Chris and I went there yesterday. We walked in and OMG is smelled like a Mexican place...so my mouth was already watering. It's set up kind of like Moe's (you know..."Welcome to Moe's!!). You go along the line and tell them what all you want in your food...the taco salads were served in fried flour tortilla bowls (a good sign). We both got taco salads..and although it's a bit pricey ($12.95) it's not bad by NZ terms so.... They had refried beans, black beans, lime and cilantro rice, guacamole made with JUST avocado, garlic, salt, and lime (not the nasty stuff I run across here that looks like puke)...pico de gallo which they call salsa so people will eat it...LOL Jalapeno peppers, black olives, and best of all.....TOMATILLO SALSA (salsa verde)!! I was in heaven... They fry their own chips and such right in the restaurant...as all Mexican restaurants should. And they make the best American style margaritas..you know, the way they are supposed to be made...SWEET, not these odd concoctions you find around here made with lemon....and a wedge of lime in their authentic Mexican beer. Everyone else serves it with lemon, which is just so wrong! The proprietor was working the line last night so he's the one who served us and we were lamenting the atrocities commited against Mexican food in NZ...LOL He said he had a guy come in there and tell him he was serving the beer wrong, it was supposed to be with lemon, like the Mexicans drink it and he said he was like "Oh, okay, I guess they had it wrong all those years in Tijuana!" *evil grin* Ah...an American sense of humor.. something I haven't come across here much...LOL

The food was as good as it looked and smelled! Chris was just as impressed as I was...that fucker is gonna love the Mexican restaurants in the States... I was in absolute heaven... It's no Taco Bell, and it's not like the Mexican places you go to in the US, but OMG it's pure bliss in a land where you can't get decent Mexican food to save your soul!

So I had good dinner out, it was under $40.00 which is an accomplishment here, and I got a good dose of real Mexican food...or as close as you can get here. Yummy food and the pleasure of hearing an American accent...they have the T.V.'s in there tuned to American sports...LOL

*sighs* It's funny how such simple things can make you happy...