El Carreton #2

They are kind of hit or miss on service, and their food is completely average Mexican, but it's the best restaurant in town in my book... That's actually not saying much if you know Berne. Standards aren't super high there. But it's where I go when I visit family who lives there.

The last time I was there, there was actually NO spiciness/hotness whatsoever to the salsa that comes with the chips. It was just like pureed tomato sauce. I don't know if they realized that Berne-ites don't like things that aren't bland, or if that was a mistake on their part, but it amused me.

I give this place 5 stars for cleanliness. The place smells clean when you walk in and the restrooms are spotless. The staff is friendly and check on you often. Why then, you may ask, am I only giving it 2 stars? The food. After all, that is why you come here.

The chips are overcook to the point of having a burnt flavor. I ordered a Grilled Shrimp Salad. What I got was an entire plate full of shredded iceberg lettuce with a handful of what looked to be the peppers and onions for the fajitas thrown on top. The "grilled" shrimp was cooked in so much grease that they were dripping and all you could taste was the cooking oil. The taco meat in the taco was ground and reground so finely that it was almost paste and it had no seasoning or flavor. It is a shame that they don't know how to cook and that they have such poor quality food. Oh, and don't order the tamales. Although it is listed no less than 4 places on the menu as an entree, I was told they no longer sell tamales. How hard is it to cross it off the menu if you no longer offer it???

Staying in town while visiting family, they brought us here for dinner. It's a newer place with ample parking and typically decorated Mexican artwork, etc. Pretty big and clean, it was empty when we got there for dinner at 5:30 on a Sunday night but filled up quickly. We were greeted by a very friendly waiter and seated. The menu is huge and it took us awhile to decide. They have all the typical stuff. The chips and salsa were yummy and plentiful. They even brought us our own little bowls of salsa so we could double dip guilt free.

I ordered one of the vegetarian platters - a bean burrito, a quesadilla and a tostada. The food came out fast and was HUGE and CHEAP (under $8 for mine alone). It was pretty good, way too much, but came with cheese, sour cream, guac, lettuce. The beans were good. I couldn't eat half of it but enjoyed it a lot. The service continued to be awesome and attentive. Even a large group of Amish came in for Sunday supper! I'd go back because I like locally owned places and this place was good and cheap.