Los Compadres

Much like Kim (I'm Only Here for the Food!), I'm a bit indifferent towards Mexican food. Let me rephrase that, I'm indifferent towards the Mexican cuisine that we are exposed to in the GVRD. Maybe it's the aftermath of eating beans and onions that clouds my judgment. But, let's just not go there... Naturally, we are not getting the full picture of Mexican cuisine, especially since the Mexican population here is quite small. One of these days, I need to eat real Mexican food in Mexico itself. Yes, that will be a REAL food adventure! Also, Rick Bayless' take on Mexican food intrigues me as well; but that would mean I'd need to visit Chicago and shell out some $$$.

Essentially, there is a total lack of real Mexican food around in the GVRD. Dona Cata is an authentic place and I find their food to be quite good, despite my indifference. Much like how Manchu Wok is to Chinese food, "Taco Hell" and "Taco No-Time" is to Mexican food. After you eat there, you really must run for the border or washroom. While driving down Hastings the other day, I noticed the Anton's lineup (which I still cannot understand). A restaurant 3 stores down caught my eye. It was a Mexican restaurant that had just opened up. I didn't catch the name; but it had the dishes we most associated with Mexican food listed on the awning. Well, why not, lemme try this place, it's a bit different than my wonton noodle adventures of late.

The place was quite casual and at first glance, I didn't know whether I should go up to the counter to order or have a seat. Eventually, we were seated by a really nice gentleman who I figured must be the owner. We decided to share 2 Beef Soft Tacos to start. I decided to go for a Torta Sandwich and Viv went for the Chicken Quesadilla. The tacos did have a lot of toppings; but the beef was quite dry. Despite the oiliness of the ones at Dona Cata, they were much better. Apparently, they ran out of the big torta buns; but I was offered 2 smaller sandwiches for the same price. That seemed like a very fair offer, so I got one pork and one chicken. I preferred the pork torta since the meat was quite tender and the sauce was flavourful. It was mostly sweet with very little heat. The chicken torta was decent; but the flavours seemed very familiar to me. What I mean by that is the flavours were pretty standard, such as tomato, cheese and refried beans. The quesadilla was a bit bland; but the supplied Pico de Gallo gave it some flavour, otherwise it was forgettable.

Once again, I went away from a Mexican meal longing for more. Is it that I just don't find the food all that interesting (especially the selection we have here)? Other than Dona Cata, I've never actually been all that excited about Mexican food. With that being said, Los Compadres was not bad and if you are in the mood for Mexican, it's worth a visit.

The Good:
- Friendly service
- Inexpensive
- Food was decent

The Bad:
- Nothing ground-breaking, just your standard North American Mexican fare