El Mariachi

[VitaBene]

I stopped in at El Centenario in Wolfeboro last night and they confirmed that they are opening a new restaurant in Moultonborough (formerly North Shore Drive In) that will be named El Mariachi.

They are waiting for their food service inspection which will be followed by their alcoholic beverage inspection. Once those are complete they will open with a full liquor license, hopefully within a week!

Best of luck to them, we need more dining options in the area.

[Shreddy]

Maybe they can incorporate a little karaoke coupled with some salsa! Shine your shoes up and cut the rug!

[patman]

Looking forward to giving El Mariachi a try...I really hope the new location works out for them!

It's probably beneath them, but...I would really enjoy a place that would do an embarrassingly large takeout burrito. Something like Dos Amigos. Yum...

(Anyone remember before Buckey's was Buckey's, there was a Mexican place there? It closed before I got to try it.)

[WINNOCTURN]

If it works out and they stay open during the winter we can add another Snowmobile Dinning stop.

It is accessible off of Berry Pond.

[WakeboardMom]

Maybe they can incorporate a little karaoke coupled with some salsa! Shine your shoes up and cut the rug!

Yup. Fill the void left when we lost the Bad Moose!

[VitaBene]

Yup. Fill the void left when we lost the Bad Moose!

Not to get too far off track, but Buckey's has been doing some good relatively late night entertainment. There is a band there this Friday 9-12PM and Jam Sandwich (awesome local band) is there next Friday 9-12PM.

[Nagigator]

Never been to the Wolfeboro location, really looking forward to this place opening, we are in this area. Can anyone post a link to a website, or menu? Thanks! :)

[phoenix]

Went by today . they are working hard to get it open

[MarkinNH]

We just came back from having dinner there. AWESOME !!!
The service was quick and friendly, the (Guacamole De Molcajete) fresh guacamole made table side was absolutely delicious.
My girlfriends (Bistec Ala Mexicana) Rib eye with onions, peppers and tomatoes was cooked perfectly and the flavor was fantastic. I had the (Salmon En Salsa De Mango) grilled Salmon with a mango sauce and it was incredible. The prices are very reasonable and the portions warrant the large diameter plates.
The won't be able to serve alcohol until Tuesday or Wednesday as they need to get to concord and pick up their license. There even going to be having a Mariachi band playing on Friday nights I believe he said.
I wish them well and I know that we will most definitely return again and again as I do my best to work my way through every item on the menu.

[Just Wonderin]

Thanks for the review and letting us know that they have opened. I also didn't realize that they are the same owners as the Wolfeboro establishment. That restaurant is awesome so I am very encouraged. It's great to have another restaurant in the area.

[Lin]

Yup. Fill the void left when we lost the Bad Moose!

Our family really misses the Bad Moose. We liked it there and it had character.

[MarkinNH]

and it had character.

I guess that's one way to describe it.

[Happy Gourmand]

....and characters!!:D

[phoenix]

make reservations as we tried to get in last night at 6pm and was told the wait was until 830

[Hermit Cover]

Rainy night...a great time to sample some Mexican food...The guacamole is made fresh table-side with mortar and pestle. The two meals were really good combos of enchiladas and tamales. However....we ordered iced tea and Diet Coke...each came in a glass best described as a medium juice glass (We wondered why the glasses were so small)...big ice cubes and a straw more out than in...one good gulp and we were ready for a refill...which the very attentive waitress brought us without asking. A nice meal and a pleasant experience. When I looked at the check there were six $2.25 charges......???...refills? Our $50 check was more than 25 0/0 Coke and iced tea. When asked we were told that they charge for refills of their drinks. The glass with its full large cubes of ice held 7 oz.( maybe )of Coke or tea at ( or more if you're thirsty and the spicy stuff makes you drink more) and that's outrageous!! I enjoy really good food but don't appreciate a back door rip off.:confused:

[Les]

We had lunch there this afternoon & it was great...excellent Real Mex food, beautiful view, very reasonable, & friendly staff...a nice addition to the area. I stopped in at El Centenario in Wolfeboro last night and they confirmed that they are opening a new restaurant in Moultonborough (formerly North Shore Drive In) that will be named El Mariachi.

They are waiting for their food service inspection which will be followed by their alcoholic beverage inspection. Once those are complete they will open with a full liquor license, hopefully within a week!

Best of luck to them, we need more dining options in the area.

[donnamatrix]

My hubby and I had lunch there on 7/9/11 and it was really yummy. Can't wait to return for the more extensive dinner menu.

[patman]

Short version:

Definitely a do-over. Very nice!

Long version:

We had lunch there yesterday, very nice! We were seated immediately, and had a nice view of the lake across the street. The waitress was very helpful and attentive, A/C was tuned nicely, and the service was very quick. They also did a very nice job of remodeling the place. It's not fancy, but they get the point across and end up with a very nice atmosphere.

The chips and salsa were top notch. I could enjoy myself with just a few servings of the chips and salsa.

I had the burrito, and I think my wife had the enchiladas. The food was very tasty, but it was fairly spicy, so beware. It'd be nice if they had one or two gringo selections too.

The next table over was getting the tableside guacamole, and that definitely looked like fun. Maybe next time.

We did get drink refills, but I didn't scrutinize the bill closely enough to see if we got charged for it. If they do charge, that would be kind of a sneaky trick though, particularly since soda typically has a huge markup in the first place, and the glasses were relatively small.

Great:
Waitstaff, service speed, food, chips+salsa

Good:
Atmosphere

So-So:
Soda glasses were small (need to check on drink refills too)

Bad:
Nothing I can think of

[NickNH]

Hmmm....we were there the first night it opened. Probably a mistake....we obviously should have checked the bill a little more closely as the waitress was bringing over refills on our sodas without asking if we wanted them....so we (foolishly) assumed it was free refills.

We also weren't told that they had no liquor license until we tried to order drinks.....we were told they would have it by "Tuesday or Wedensday" (which would have been July 5th or 6th)....

The other issue we had was, we ordered off the menu, orders were taken and THEN we were told that they didn't have many of the things we had ordered....the menus were photocopies of the El Centrino ones and they said they were offering less at this location...I think either a heads up OR a line through the items NOT available would have been a nice touch.

That said, the food was very good and we WILL give them another try...but probably not til the end of the summer. I wish they had more offerings for the Nachos (Chicken or Vegetarian were the only options....we would have liked beef...and the nachos were so covered with cheese we couldn't see them....since my husband lives for cheese this was NOT an issue for him!! And the main salad was 99% lettuce.....

[colt17]

We went last week and there was a small wait 10-20 min with what looked like one waitress working. When it was our turn to sit they told us they did not have a highchair for our 13 month old. We will try it again when they work out the kinks.

[braunbayboater]

We stopped by July 4 and had reservations and were taken promptly. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The portions were large but a little on the expensive side compared to other Mexican restaurants (this is not Wolfeboro). I didn;t notice a charge for refills but if that is true it could cause me to think twice about visiting again.

Also, The meals could use some rice - mine (chile rellano) came with only refried beans which were the best I've had but some rice would be good too.

We'll go again but will watch this forum first.

[Greene's Basin Girl]

My husband, lakewinn and myself had dinner on Monday evening. We stood at the door for a while then they asked if we had reservations. We didn't so they said the only seating for another hour would be at the bar. We went to bar and waited for quite some time again. They were definitely understaffed. We finally were waited on by the bartender Emma who had been working as hard as she could. When we ordered our food it came out quickly. The chief Alberto brought us our food. He said that they have been overwhelmed by the number of customers. He also said that one of the servers had walked out due the pressure. Our food was very good, but as someone else mentioned we could have used more rice. The prices were quite high, but I loved my meal. We will go back again when they have been open longer. I think it is a great addition to the Moultonborough restaurant scene.

[Lakesrider]

I drove by last night, and the parking was full. You couldn't get another car in there.
Finally a place that might just make it in there. The previous places must be shaking their heads in dismay.....:(

[breathe easy]

We ate there this evening and the food was quite good. There are only a handful of tables spaced very far apart ( fire dept?) and we were seated at the window which had no shades and the sun was brutal at 6pm. Moved to the bar and by 6:30 the place was full. Ambiance was not great, but definitely a repeat for us.

[phoenix]

first since we are from phoenix wqe have many great mexican restaurants so i will try to be a little objective. we went last night and my wife had a burrito and i had a chimi . Both were ok but very dry. i am use to a chimi that has a sauce that softens the hard shell( enchalata style) so I guess i won't try to get haddock in Phoenix and mexican food in NH. So I hope the place does weel. Also the salsa had no chunks but again it was ok but not the best

[WakeboardMom]

Finally made it to El Mariachi. : )

We love El Centenario, but haven't tried the new one because you can't get there by boat. Now we're into non-summer mode, so we stopped on the way to the Moultonborough house on Friday night.

Fabulous. The ambiance isn't anything to speak of, but the food is great. We had a nice conversation with the owner. By next year, the atmosphere should be better, and he's intent on keeping the food fresh and top-shelf. Please give him a try if you haven't yet.

El Mariachi will close in the late fall and open again in April. We'll still have the Bob House. It's very cool to have options in Moultonborough.

[Heaven]

Had the "appetizer plate" for lunch Friday, food was just ok, atmosphere was just ok. Didn't compared favorably to the Mexican fare in Conway just north of the high school. Having said that, it wasn't a dinner menu and maybe the dishes are more interesting on the dinner menu.

[patman]

...the Mexican fare in Conway just north of the high school

The one in Conway is called Cafe Noche...not related to El Centenario/El Mariachi as far as I know.

[ChocolateGypsy]

Has anyone tried any dishes at Mariachi besides tacos and burritos?

I've seen their menu and I know they have a selection of Mexican cuisine above and beyond the ethnic "hamburgers and hot dogs." I wanted to try Chili en Nagoda which is the Mexican national dish. And I noticed that some menu items list epazote as an ingredient on the menu but is it authentic? And is it fresh?

Does anybody know what I'm talking about?

[patman]

I drove by the other day and noticed a "Closed for the season, see you in March" sign in the window.

[WakeboardMom]

I drove by the other day and noticed a "Closed for the season, see you in March" sign in the window.

We chatted with the owner in the fall and he said he had renovations planned for this winter.

[Pineedles]

You know it's amazing, but most people think Mexican fare is what they get at Taco Bell, myself included until a couple of years ago. Real Mexican food is hard to find. I'm talking about home made meals. One of our manufacturing employees brought in tamales for the whole company just after Christmas as a way of sharing, since he never bought donuts. :laugh: The beef, chicken, and pork tamales were amazing! Best breakfast we've had in months. If you haven't ever tried REAL Mexican, give it a try. You just may become a fan.

[Merrymeeting]

That's why El Centenario (and I assume El Mariachi -same owner but I have not been there) is one of my favorite resturants. If you want authentic Mexican, it's the best you will find for a long ways.

I was introduced to authentic Mexican cusiine on many business trips to Colorado and Texas. I'd put these 2 amoung any of those.

[WakeboardMom]

That's why El Centenario (and I assume El Mariachi -same owner but I have not been there) is one of my favorite resturants. If you want authentic Mexican, it's the best you will find for a long ways.

I was introduced to authentic Mexican cusiine on many business trips to Colorado and Texas. I'd put these 2 amoung any of those.

The owner grew up cooking in a Greek diner/restaurant in New York, just outside of NYC. When he decided to open El Centenario, he hired a Mexican woman to teach him how to cook these dishes.

[Jonas Pilot]

New York City!?

[WakeboardMom]

New York City!?

I could be mistaken; we had had a margarita or two prior to the conversation. I believe the owner said he had learned the restaurant trade while working at a large Greek diner/restaurant in Westchester county; but the Mexican cooking was learned elsewhere.

[patman]

Drove by tonight, and...the banner now reads "Open", and the parking lot was packed.

[Overlake97]

Not the Lakes Region, but two great authentic Mex places in Manchester are:

El Rincon Zacatecano Taqueria
23 reviews
Rating Details
Category: Mexican *[Edit]
10 Lake Ave
Manchester, NH 03101
(603) 232-4530

This one (above) is right next to the Verizon Wireless Arena. It's relatively new.

El Mexicano Jr.
9 reviews
Rating Details
Category: Mexican *[Edit]
197 Wilson St
Manchester, NH 03103
(603) 665-9299

This place is VERY authentic, complete with little mexican kids running round and almost nobody speaking english. Both have Mexican TV stations on in the dining rooms. El Mexicano has been there quite a while.

I have not tried El Mariachi, but it's definitely on my "to do" list. :)

[BroadHopper]

Try going to a mexican cantina away from the tourist traps in Mexico. That authentic food. Very bland compare to the americanized version. If you do go to one of these cantinas, do not drink any water unless it is bottled and be prepared for the unsanitary conditions in the dining area.

[donnamatrix]

We went to El Mariachi on 2/24/12 and it was, as usual, YUMMO. Our waiter, Arturo, was excellent. We spent a few minutes on the way out chatting with Alberto (the owner) who was seated at the bar. BTW, the sangria is delish, too. I am not a beer drinker (they have some nice beer available) and the sangria was delightful, even in a snowstorm.

[garysanfran]

Try going to a mexican cantina away from the tourist traps in Mexico. That authentic food. Very bland compare to the americanized version. If you do go to one of these cantinas, do not drink any water unless it is bottled and be prepared for the unsanitary conditions in the dining area.

What we call Mexican food here, is very difficult to find in most of Mexico. What the Mexicans call Mexican food there, is very difficult to find here. Burritos are almost non-existent in Mexico.

I once met a little kid in Guadalajara who said his favorite American food was Taco Bell, "because you can't get food like that in Mexico".

Pero todas comida es muy deliciosa norte y sud del borde!:liplick:

[trfour]

You can always make your own slow cooked barbacoa tacos.

How many times have you been to Chipotle, saw their spread of burrito fillings and thought to yourself "man, homemade barbacoa would be so much better than this stuff," then ordered barbacoa anyway? It happens to me all the time, so I finally decided to make my own version of barbacoa--Mexican barbeque beef.
I'm sure there are countless ways to prepare it, depending on the region of Mexico and the availability of a slow cooker. I melded a few recipes together and used some stuff I had on hand. After slow cooking the beef for 10 hours, I served it taco-style in a warm tortilla with some pico de gallo, cheese, chopped cilantro and sour cream. I used simple garnishes so the chipotle and chili powder flavors could really shine through in the beef. Traditionally beef barbacoa is made with the entire cow's head, but for cooking-at-home purposes I used chuck. This is a perfect party recipe because it's easy to make, fairly inexpensive, yields more beef than you can probably handle and everyone loves it.
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/blogs/chowdown/assets_c/2012/02/barbacoa1a-thumb-600x400-65144.jpg (http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/blogs/chowdown/barbacoa1a.jpg)
Slow Cooked Beef Barbacoa Tacos
Ingredients:

For the beef-3 lbs boneless beef chuck
1 large onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can chipotle peppers with adobo sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 quart chicken stock, use half to start and add more as needed
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup cider vinegar
For the tacos-
small corn tortillas
salsa or pico de gallo
sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese
chopped cilantro
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/blogs/chowdown/assets_c/2012/02/barbacoa2a-thumb-600x400-65142.jpg (http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/blogs/chowdown/barbacoa2a.jpg)
Directions:
1 - Combine all beef ingredients in a slow cooker, adjusting the spicy items to taste. I like to use the whole can of chipotle peppers, but wouldn't recommend it if you're not into spicy foods.
2 - Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 8 hours. I cooked mine for 10 but it was definitely ready to go around 8. The longer the better!
3 - Check on it every few hours. If the beef needs more liquid, add the remaining chicken stock to moisten.
4 - After 8 hours, season to taste with salt, pepper and cider vinegar (if you're into that sort of thing).
5 - When the beef is ready to go, assemble the tacos -- warm the tortillas by wrapping them in a paper towel and throwing them in the microwave for a few seconds (or grill them if you want to get really fancy) then add the beef, salsa, cilantro, sour cream and of course, cheese.


Terry
_________________________________________

[WakeboardMom]

What we call Mexican food here, is very difficult to find in most of Mexico. What the Mexicans call Mexican food there, is very difficult to find here. Burritos are almost non-existent in Mexico.

I once met a little kid in Guadalajara who said his favorite American food was Taco Bell, "because you can't get food like that in Mexico".

Pero todas comida es muy deliciosa norte y sud del borde!:liplick:

My husband's uncle went to China on a business trip and came back saying he didn't enjoy the food. "I know what Chinese food is, and that wasn't it." LOL.

[Newbiesaukee]

Both China and Mexico, IMO 2 of the finest cuisines in the world, have very regionalized dishes. There is really no Chinese or Mexican food in that sense. It is like discussing lobster rolls by getting one in Kansas or crab cakes anywhere but Maryland.

Having said that, good food is good food whether it is "authentic" or not and that is all that really matters to me in going to a restaurant.

[Follett]

Not the Lakes Region, but two great authentic Mex places in Manchester are:

El Rincon Zacatecano Taqueria
23 reviews
Rating Details
Category: Mexican *[Edit]
10 Lake Ave
Manchester, NH 03101
(603) 232-4530

This one (above) is right next to the Verizon Wireless Arena. It's relatively new.

El Mexicano Jr.
9 reviews
Rating Details
Category: Mexican *[Edit]
197 Wilson St
Manchester, NH 03103
(603) 665-9299

This place is VERY authentic, complete with little mexican kids running round and almost nobody speaking english. Both have Mexican TV stations on in the dining rooms. El Mexicano has been there quite a while.

I have not tried El Mariachi, but it's definitely on my "to do" list. :)

Yous should try El Jimador. You will nor be disappointed!

[phoenix]

Don't forget that Mexico is a big country and to say Mexican food is like saying American food vs. southern, Western, etc. Much of Mexican food in US is Sonoran which is just over the border. Food in Mexico City are different and i am sure in other regions.

[Jonas Pilot]

I could be mistaken; we had had a margarita or two prior to the conversation. I believe the owner said he had learned the restaurant trade while working at a large Greek diner/restaurant in Westchester county; but the Mexican cooking was learned elsewhere.

You must not watch TV enough! It's from a salsa commercial.

[WakeboardMom]

You must not watch TV enough! It's from a salsa commercial.

LOL...sorry. The only commercials I see are during Patriots' games and Good Morning America. Other than that, everything I see is TiVo'd.

(Now I'm laughing at my reply, because I can hear my husband watching "Pawn Stars" in the other room. Apparently they were profiled in Time magazine...it doesn't mean I have to like the show. ; )

(And now it's "American Pickers." With commercials. ; )

I will post here again in a couple of weeks, when we have time to get to El Mariachi. I can't wait...drove by today on the way home from Sunday River.

[wadden]

Does the restaurant offer take out service? Have not tried it yet but looking forward to it. Thanks.

[VitaBene]

Does the restaurant offer take out service? Have not tried it yet but looking forward to it. Thanks.

Yes, but unfortunately, I have not found a menu on line.

[jeffk]

Since there is no menu available online, I have attached a scanned copy.

[wadden]

Thank you, Jeffk!!:)

[jeffk]

I went to dinner at El Mariachi Thursday with my Tai Chi group and spouses, 17 of us. Service and food was great. One person ordered the tableside prepared Guacomole and shared it. It was very good. I ordered the combo Enchiladas, 3 different toppings and I loved all of them. The only disappointment I heard was from a person who ordered the Mole Poblano. They had never tried it before and it wasn't what they expected. It's chocolate sauce covered chicken but Mole is not sweet so he didn't get what he expected. I had the Mole sauce on one of my enchiladas and it was very good and another person had the same Mole Poblano dish and enjoyed it. All a matter of tastes. I also had a white wine Sangria which was nice. I also went wild and had fried bananas in a caramel sauce for dessert. Yum! The caramel had a very rich flavor which I really liked. Other dishes ordered, Burrito and Fajitas. I'm not sure what the rest of the table ordered but there were no complaints.

We had called ahead to let them know we were coming with a large group and they handled us with ease. We all had a really good time.

[mrschefbrown]

Jeff & I took some of our staff to El Mariachi last Sunday and it was fabulous! The service was excellent and the BEST Mexican we have had in NH. Can't wait to go back!:)