DINING OUT:
JUANITA'S MEXICAN KITCHEN

600 Court Street
Syracuse, NY
315-478-2185

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by Tony Regitano

Fajitas, Chimichangas, Enchiladas, Quesadillas... Mexican food is almost as much fun to pronounce as it is to eat. But at Juanita's Mexican Kitchen at 600 Court Street in Syracuse, the food is definitely the entertainment. According to the owner, Paul LaRose, the recipes are straight from Chef Thelma, who has worked at the kitchen since its opening in 1982.

Mexican food is anything but dull and if you know how to season Mexican food, you get great taste. Thelma and LaRose have been at it for over 20 years! At Juanita's, the tortillas, chips, shells and tamales are all made in-house. And they exclusively use shredded beef because the seasoning works into the meat better.

Juanita's Mexican Kitchen still feels (and tastes) like the small, locally owned business that I first frequented twenty years ago. It is a restaurant still consistently crowded and ranks as one of Syracuse's most popular eating establishments. Juanita's occupies that sweet spot between a cafe and a much more formal sit-down restaurant.

Regardless of the time of year, Juanita's is always full of people. Don't expect anything fancy about the building. In fact, the plants, colored walls and placemat covered tabletops define the no-nonsense operation where the good, cheap food is the reason to come. Juanita's represents a triumph of substance over style.

We were seated right away, and were pleased with our service from the time we entered until the time we left. Our waiter Stephanie was on top of things, bringing more water, more chips, clearing plates, and checking back to make sure everything was good and that we had everything we needed.

Have you ever been to a place where the staff feels that once you have your food, there's no need to come back until it's check time? That drives me crazy, and I was pleased that we didn't have that problem here. At the same time, Stephanie wasn't hovering. She knew how often to stop by, and how much would be too much. I appreciate staff that takes such good care of you, and that knows how to provide attentive service without smothering you.

The vast menu was fairly typical of Mexican restaurants, with the pleasant surprise of a few less-common selections. In addition to the typical burritos, tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and the like, there were also several empanadas, tamales and chiles rellenos dishes. The appetizer menu included a wide selection of nachos, and guacamole choices. We discovered a number of combinations and specialties, vegetarian plates and chicken dishes, as well as several different dessert selections.

We begin out meal with a carafe of Sangria ($9.75). Sangria is a wine punch (more formally and precisely, an aromatized wine) which originated in Spain. It typically consists of red wine, chopped or sliced fruit, a sweetener such as honey, a small amount of added brandy, triple sec, or other spirits.

Crucial to all successful sangrias is to allow time for the fruit flavors to blend with the rest of the ingredients. This sangria was perfect; not too sweet, but just bold enough.

Next we were brought a huge (Billy Fucillo "huge") plate of nachos. The serving was a meal in itself. The cheese that lightly covered the dish was a delicious mozzarella blend that tantalized the palate. The plate was called "The Works" ($8.95) because it contained: ground beef, refried beans, sour cream, and guacamole (home made!), and salsa with a sprinkling of peppers over the top. We could only finish a quarter of this colossal spread. Unlike some Mexican restaurants, nachos were not drowned in cheese.

Out main courses were the chicken chimichanga ($9:30) that came with refried beans, Mexican rice and salad and a chicken fajita ($10.90) which came with all the fixings and a generous portion of guacamole. A chimichanga is a deep-fried burrito that originated in Tucson, Arizona. Flour tortillas are folded into rectangular packages and filled with a wide range of ingredients, most commonly beans, rice, cheese and shredded meat. They are then deep-fried and served without a sauce but may be accompanied with salsa, guacamole, sour cream or cheese.

The key to an excellent "chimi" is that you do not overpower the burrito with too much cheese and rice. Rumor has it that a Tucson restaurateur inadvertently invented the chimichanga when he accidentally dropped a burrito into a deep fryer. When he sampled his new concoction, he liked it so much he decided to give it a name and put it on the menu.

Fajita generically refers to grilled meat served on a flour tortilla with condiments. Popular meats are beef, chicken, pork and shrimp. They are often cooked with onions and bell peppers. Popular condiments are sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, cheese, and tomato. When the fajita came, we were pleased. Ingredients included an abundance of chicken, cooked and seasoned just right. The chicken was piled high with fresh crispy lettuce and cheese, and had plenty of sour cream and guacamole. The rice was fluffy and spiced just right.

After that, it was time for dessert. I have to say, maybe its been a long time since I've had Sopaopillas($3.60), but I don't remember them being as good as what I had at Juanita's. A sopaipilla is a kind of fried pastry or quick bread. Commonly sold as a dessert at restaurants that serve Mexican-style food in the United States, it is, however, unknown in Mexico itself.

Sopaipillas are made from pressed dough, like a tortilla, made of flour. This dough is deep fried until "golden brown and delicious" (like a doughnut), causing the dough to puff and crisp, and creating a large air pocket in its center. This is then drenched with honey. The texture and the taste were about as good as I ever remember having, and I’ve eaten many "sopas" in both Las Vegas and Albuquerque. My wife ordered the Fried Ice Cream ($3.60). This treat is made by taking a scoop of deep-frozen ice cream (frozen well below the standard at which ice cream is generally kept), possibly rolling it in eggs, then rolling in cornflakes or cookie crumbs, and then briefly deep frying -- the super-low temperature of the ice cream prevents it from melting while being fried. The fried ice cream served at Juanita's held its integrity until the last morsel had been consumed. Our dessert choice had been flavored faultlessly.
We also sampled the Chocolate Cake ($3.60); a house specialty. The cake was moist, not too sweet, and decadently delicious. We washed down these deserts with a Mexican Coffee (Khalua and Coffee topped with whipped cream) and a standard Margarita. The Kahlua is a famous Mexican coffee liqueur. This beverage is heavy and sweet, with a very distinct taste of real Mexican coffee, which gives it a dark brown color.

Almost on cue, as my margarita was being served, the 1977 Jimmy Buffet song, "Margaritaville" began playing on the sound system. Again, I've had more experience with tequila and Jimmy Buffet that I care to admit, but suffice it to say, that I used to work in Key West during my college vacations and came to understand exactly what a good margarita should taste like. Drinking a few with Buffet didn't hurt either.

Juanita's makes a superb cocktail owing to the fact that they use a first-rate Mexican tequila: Sauza. They can make them in four flavors: Regular, Strawberry, Raspberry, and Peach. They also offer an Ultra Premium Gold made with Sauza Gold tequila. Our waitress told us that it’s standing room only on Wednesday Nights because it's half-price margarita night.
So where is my day planner, so I can re-arrange my Wednesdays?

Our experience at Juanita's Mexican Kitchen, Syracuse's oldest Mexican Restaurant, was incomparable. When the check came I was surprised to see that with all that we had eaten, the bill was more than reasonable. It's rare to find a place that offers such good quality food and good service at such low prices.

This restaurant has a wonderful "pace" to it: Juanita's offered pleasant but not overpowering music or service. It is a haven where one can eat, talk, and just reflect in an unobtrusive atmosphere. It was a good night out -- good food, good service and good company.
We'll be going back!

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