Gringo for your Mexican food cravings

Mexican food is among the foreign indulgences I love..who doesn't take to tacos anyway? It's one of my and my kids' favorite things to eat whether at home (homemade) or in restaurants. Recently, I discovered Gringo at SM Megamall and had dinner there together with my sister and two kids. Gringo isn't new, though, I've been seeing it in some malls and I was glad I finally 
had the chance to try it.

Our orders:

Nacho grande P288.

Chicken Soup P185.

Chili con carne taco, P118.

Rib solo with mexican rice and buttered corn, P365.

Beef burrito, P245.

House mojito glass, P160.

Iced tea, P75. 

 Gringo at the 3rd level, Mega Atrium, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City

The nachos was such a hit, it was gone in no time! I was busy with my soup, I almost had none of the nachos left for me. Haha! I loved my soup, anyway, it was hot and very comforting to my growling tummy (I was starving!) and the broth had a subtle but not bland flavor. The tacos were really good as well, flavorful without being salty. The rest of us loved his/her own order especially my daughter who had the ribs. 
She said she had ordered it on her first time at Gringo and loved 
the tender meat that was deliciously sweet-tangy-smokey.

Anyway, she and my sister both had mojito. I tasted it and it was "minty good"! I would have ordered it too if I didn't stop drinking seven years ago when I got born-again (not that I miss the occasional booze, I don't!). 

Gringo is one nice place to go and have your Mexican favorites. They serve good food at reasonable prices and their servers are attentive and friendly. I think there's a branch in most SM Malls in the metropolis. 
Visit Gringo, guys and enjoy!

Revisiting (and revisiting) Casa Quesadilla

As a food blogger (just amateur!), I try to eat in different places and rarely go back to those I've blogged about. But Casa Quesadilla is such a gem of a restaurant that I keep coming to back to it. In fact, I've been here five times since I first visited last year and I've brought my family, friends and co-workers. 

This favorite foodie place of mine is just a small one on the far end of Maginhawa St. if coming from Elliptical Road, already near Anonas in Quezon City. It's so small that there are only three tables inside plus two outside. Though small in size, it's a biggie when it comes to taste! Mexican food here is so good and so much better than in some other similar restaurants. What's more, servings are huge and prices 
won't burn a hole in your pocket! 

In my first post December last year about Casa Quesadilla, I shared about their tacos, nachos, burrito and beef quesadilla. When I came back a few months later, 
I found out they'd added a few more items to their menu. 

Wow, more things for the palate to enjoy! 

Since the first revisit and till the latest last Friday, we've had: 

Mexican beef quesadilla, P149.

Four-cheese quesadilla, P149.

Mexican beef burrito, P165.

Pizzadilla, P179

Mexican beef crispy tacos, P95.

Fish soft tacos. P125.

Macho Nachos, P160.

                                Grilled pork belly with rice meal with chimichurri sauce, P150.

Sola iced tea, P70.

Counter

Chalk board menu

Table menu

Casa Quesadilla at 176 Maginhawa St., Diliman, Quezon City

All my family and friends who I've brought to Casa Quesadilla loved the food and the big servings. We've never left half-full but full to the brim! In a number of times when we were twosome, we'd order a taco each and share an order of beef quesadilla. One time I had the pizzadilla which is really quesadilla topped with pizza sauce, chorizo, pepperoni, mozzarella and olives. 
It's finger-lickin' good! 
Folks, you gotta try Casa Quesadilla. Wherever you're coming 
from, it's sure to be worth the trip.

Happy eating!

Great steak plus more at Marcus

I don't know how long Marcus has been in operation but I discovered it just last month, thanks to one of my eating buddies at work. It's at Congressional Ave., very near its corner with Visayas Ave., where our office is. This place with a hip, simple and casual interiors is a restaurant at daytime but turns into a bar after dark, and a favorite, I read, among beer-drinking yuppies after a day's work. I was amazed at how many kinds of imported beer I saw at their fridge behind the counter (not that I drink, no, no!), but was delighted at the food - delish and coming in huge servings! 
To give you a hint at how I've come to love it at Marcus, I ate here three times in three weeks' time! My top favorite is the t-bone steak, which is huge, tender and delicious. It could come with rice (your choice of white or brown), or mashed potato, or both. There's also corn and carrots on the side, and all these for just P150 with rice, and P200 with rice plus mashed potato. Aside from their steak, I've also tried their burger, taco, burrito and the lone dessert on the menu, brownie ala mode. Thumbs up to these, except for the taco.

T-bone steak with rice, mashed potato and corn and carrots, P200. 

T-bone steak with brown rice and corn and carrots, P150.

Tacos, P120., two pieces

Burrito, P170.

 Quarter Pounder Cheese Burger, P120.

Potato Marble, P65.

Brownie ala mode, P95.

Lime basil juice, P65.

I noticed all their condiments are imported.

Menu

I love this Manny Pacquiao mural

Marcus at Congressional Ave. near the corner of Visayas Ave., Project 8, QC

I would have loved the taco,(which I had on my first visit) I promise, had it not been "different" I was expecting..well,  the usual taco with ground beef, but I was surprised that the meat came in huge chunks. Even the taste was "different" from all the tacos I've had. The chunks of meat tasted like "adobo" or even tocino! I expected to have the "usual" taco with the Mexican tang. How sad..the burst of colors from fresh veggies and grated cheese plus the hugeness of the tacos made we want to dig into them at once but alas...Anyway, on that first visit, I also got to taste my office friends' orders which was the T-bone steak and how I loved it! On my next visit with my daughter, I ordered this (we both did) . We also enjoyed the dessert - brownie ala mode - which was the lone sweet ending on the menu. My daughter also ordered a burrito which was big and yummy, for take out. I tasted it before asking the server to wrap it. Hehe..
On my third visit with another friend at work, it was the cheeseburger that I tried. It tasted good, yes, the beef patty was flavorful and juicy and the burger was really huge and filling. We loved the lime-basil juice, too - healthy and refreshing. It's the steak, though, that would keep me coming back. 
By the way, Marcus has quite an extensive menu. Aside from what I've mentioned, they also serve ribs, chicken, porkchops, fish, pasta and quesadilla. They also have many kinds of burgers from the simple to complicated to very complicated! Try and picture these: Italian, Greek, Monterey Jack, K58, Obama, Double Decker and Triple Goodness burgers. They even have Veg Burger for non-meat eaters. 
Try Marcus, folks, and stuff yourself silly..with a smile. Haha! Happy eating! 

Army Navy: My happy tummy place

Visayas Ave. in Quezon City has been my second home for 11 years now because it is here where I go to work and spend 1/3 of each day, five days a week. And happily so. This stretch of a road is both residential and commercial, giving a feeling of both home and business. Whatever I need - food, housewares, school supplies, and just about anything, can be bought in the market at the far end of the road, and the groceries and restaurants and mini-mall (Wilcon Depot) that line the road on both sides. Surely, there are more restaurants now than when I started working more than a decade ago, and my officemates and I rejoice whenever a new one opens its doors.  Haha!
Last year, Army Navy, which serves all-day breakfast plus burgers and Mexican food, opened a branch on Visayas Ave. and I believe it's still the latest foodie place to open there. And I was happy to add this to my list of favorites. I've eaten there four times since then, 
once solo, the other times with my kids and co-workers. 
Here's what we've enjoyed at Army Navy: 

Burger, Classic, P165

Fearless Fried Chicken, P175.

Crunchy Tacos, P160.

Freedom Fries, P75. 

Tortilla chips, P35; Cheese dip with jalapeno, P20.

Freedom Toast ala Mode, P65.

Brewed coffee, P50.

Strawberry Milkshake, P99.

LiberTea Large cup, P75.

Army Navy on Visayas Ave.

I love everything I've tried at Army Navy. However, I order the crunchy tacos for myself everytime I visit. That's how much I love it! I also heap praises on their fries - the best I've had anywhere! I've never had fries that thin, crunchy and flavorful. Their blueberry French toast ala mode is also a must-try. For me, it was perfect with coffee - never mind if there's a scoop of ice cream on it (the contrast between hot and cold makes it all the more interesting. :)) It's a heavenly dessert that gives a sweet, nice ending ending to any meal. And speaking of coffee,  I'm happy they serve it all-day at Army Navy. And quite good at that! For me, it's of just the right roast - not light, not too dark either. All in all, I've had such happy visits to Army Navy because of the yummy eats and good coffee. 
I'm looking forward to my next!

Maginhawa St. Gastronomic Walk #4: Casa Quesadilla

Last time, I shared about our delicious lunch at Cafe Quezon on Maginhawa St., that long stretch of a road in Quezon City that has grown famous because of the so many restaurants that have opened up there over the years. As we were there waiting for our order, I looked out through the glass door and saw another foodie place on the other side of the road - Casa Quesadilla - and I said to my daughter, "Next week, we're there." And so it was that exactly seven days after, we were on Maginhawa St. again, in Casa Quesadilla and feasted on - what else - Mexican food! This is a charming place - really small (only four tables) but cheery because of the dominant orange color of the interiors and two colorful art works painted on the wall. Too bad my camera memory card got corrupted and some of my shots vanished, including those of the interiors of Casa Quesadilla. Good thing my food shots remained. These were our orders:

Ultimate Nachos, P130.

Mexican beef burrito, P130. 

Crispy Tacos, P75. each 

Mexican beef quesadilla 

The counter 

Menu

So how was our Mexican food trip? Deliciously great! The nachos, tacos, quesadilla and burrito were all yummy but for me, the quesadilla was the standout . The bits of beef had the perfect blend of spices for a burst of flavors, nicely intertwined with the creaminess of cheese. Yummy! No wonder the restaurant itself was named after their quesadilla. I wanted to try their dessert quesadilla with banana and Nutella but alas, we didn't have any room left for it. We were full to the brim! It was too late to realize we 
ordered more than we could eat. Haha! 
Folks, I suggest that you visit Casa Quesadilla at 176 Maginhawa St., Sikatuna Village in Quezon City for their delicious and very affordable Mexican food. You won't regret the trip!
Happy eating, everyone!