The last day of August saw the grand opening of a new Mexican restaurant in Key West. El Molcajete, located at 1500 Bertha Street, opened for lunch and dinner, with a live mariachi band playing during the dinner seating. While I do love a good mariachi band, my husband and I went for lunch so that we could talk, something hard to do with a live band! However, I do know that the place was packed for the music and the food that evening.
The Food
The inside was bright and clean, and we were welcomed with fresh chips and salsa. The first basket is free, but they do charge for refills. We went ahead and ordered guacamole as well. The chips were fresh and delicious as were the salsa and guacamole. Honestly, I would come back just for that, they were very tasty and obviously house made.
My husband had to try a taco, and the waitress suggested the pork taco. While the taste was okay, the taco did not impress. It was only $4, but it was just lacking the accoutrements that would have made it stand out. I have to say that we also typically prefer hard shells for tacos, and this was a soft shell.
For lunch, I decided to order the pollo enchiladas jardineras, or chicken enchiladas with jalapeños. There were three on the platter, and it also came with rice and refried beans on the side. For $16 it was a good amount of food. I ordered them with the red sauce, which was sweeter than I anticipated. Also, there was not as much sauce as I thought that there would be or should be; they were a bit dry. But they did taste good. And I loved the “salad” that topped them. The lettuce, carrots, and cheese gave the enchiladas a freshness. The rice and beans were really delicious, not bland like at a lot of places.
Steven went with the chicken quesadilla supreme. These were also served with rice and beans on the side. There were a good amount of peppers and onions that added to the taste. But it seemed like a bunch of stuff was just thrown on a tortilla and covered with another one. And, I don’t think that it was put on a griddle as it didn’t really come together like any other quesadilla does. He had to fold up the pieces in order to get it to stay together enough for him to take a bite. With that said, it was tasty enough. It just didn’t seem all that well put together.
For More Key West Information
This was opening day, so I am sure that there is still some ironing out to do. We will be back to try out some other dishes. There is also another El Molcajete in Marathon that has been open for several years. So, they have decided to branch out to Key West.
For more information about things to do and see in our island city, go to our Key West Web Site. You can also visit our Key West Events Calendar to see upcoming special events. And for restaurant reviews check out our restaurant review section of this blog as well as our restaurant reviews at www.gotothekeys.com.
