Don Pablo's

We popped in here on a Tuesday night....to our delight (oooh that rhymed!), it was Taco Tuesday!  7.99 for unlimited beef or chicken tacos.  They also delivered free chips and salsa.  The chips were tasty, but the salsa was just ok.  

We were trying to get into downtown Minni, but traffic was too bad and we were far too hungry to wait in traffic, so we tried it.  I'd recommend if your in the area, but I'm sure it won't blow your mind.  It's more tex-mex than authentic Mexican, so it caters to the typical tourist that comes to these South suburbs.

This was the place where the server called me "ma'am."

My relentless jerky friends still insist on calling me "ma'am" every time we enter a Don Pablo's, so for starts, Don Pablo's, thank you for that.

Is there better Mexican food in the Twin Cities? Si! Of course. However, as you can see, I willingly gave reliable and inexpensive Don Pablo's four worthy stars.

See, I'm a fan of the margarita. I'm also unfortunately not a lottery winner. Fortunately, Don's has cheap (under $5) and HUGE 'ritas, and they're actually not bad.

Atmosphere - it's cheesy kitschy Mexican, complete with inflated beer bottles, neon pelicans, and a fountain with faux-terrazzo tile. It also has high ceilings, which helps deafen some of the ambient crowd noise, and with the exception of that horrible, horrible woman who called me "ma'am," the service is consistently pleasant. Sure, most of the servers are the kind who want to stand at your table and make jokes with you and become part of your family, but hey, nice servers always get a thumbs up from me, even if they're cheesy nice.

And speaking of cheese, the queso dip as an appetizer is a must have. I'd actually recommend the border dip, which is a combo of queso dip and this spicy bean dip. It's a quality combination, and one of my favorites there. Ole!

I typically opt for the Mexicano combo platter, which is an orgy of food - a beef taco, a beef enchilada, and a cheesy enchilada. And of course, because we're in a Tex-Mex kinda place, rice and some other side. (I recommend the corn spoon bread - it's pretty decent.)

When it comes time to pay, don't worry, Senors and Senoritas, you'll have no shell shock here. Don's is pretty cheap, and even though it's not the very best Mexican in town, it's reliable, safe (meaning you'll probably like whatever you order) and good for the whole family.

Wow, what an absolutely mediocre meal. Tried the Three Amigo enchiladas and the actual delivery looked nothing like the photo in the menu. They were about half the size of what you see on the menu. The chicken one was good and the cheese one would have been good but the red sauce overwhelmed it and it wasn't that great. The beef one was subpar.

Should have gone with chicken tacos -- that probably would have been ok.

The staff was friendly and the chips and salsa were fine but I wouldn't try that 3 enchilada dish again.