Sometimes an out-of-the-way restaurant turns out to be a hidden treasure. That wasn’t the case on a recent visit to Rosita’s Cocina, 7689 S. Virginia St., Suite N, in South Reno.
You can’t really see Rosita’s from Virginia Street; it’s in a strip mall behind Terrible’s Car Wash. And from the parking lot, Rosita’s has never looked very busy, but I figured that was probably because of the obscure location.
Inside Rosita’s Cocina, the décor is sufficiently bright and cheery, with family pictures on the walls, flags, flowers and other enhancements.
Unfortunately, lackadaisical service, at a time when only two other tables were occupied, was a turn-off.
First impressions mean a lot — and in a Mexican restaurant, a good first impression heavily depends on the quantity and quality of the chips and salsa and beverages with which to quench your thirst.
As we looked at our menus, our server brought a half-filled basket of chips, one small dish of salsa and no water. When we asked for water and iced tea, our glasses were quickly empty, just like the basket of chips, and our server made no effort to refill them until we asked.
A “Rosita’s Special” on the menu, Spinach Enchilada ($8.95) caught my eye. Spinach Enchiladas were among my favorite entrees at my family’s go-to Mexican restaurant in the Seattle area. Alas, I asked the server at Rosita’s if this Spinach Enchilada (singular) was a large enchilada. Nope, she said it was just one, regular-sized enchilada with rice and beans.
That seemed skimpy so instead, I ordered Rosita’s Rellenos (two chiles rellenos, with rice and whole beans) for $10.95. Note: Had I ordered the $8.95 Spinach Enchilada, the a la carte price for an extra enchilada with chicken, beef or cheese would have been $3.25.
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| Rosita's Rellenos |
My husband chose La Chimichanga (one beef chimichanga, with rice and refried beans) for $10.95, while our son ordered Enchilada Especial (one beef enchilada, one chicken enchilada, with extra rice and no beans), also $10.95.
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| La Chimichanga |
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| Enchiladas Especial |
Our meals were just average. The menu stated that Rosita’s cooks with cholesterol-free oils and shortenings, which is a positive thing. However, healthy doesn’t have to mean bland and this food could have used more spice. There wasn’t any hot sauce on the table to remedy that. But maybe that was intentional, since they were rationing our water and iced tea.
In conclusion, we see no reason to return to Rosita’s Cocina.
If you’re familiar with Rachael Ray’s “$40 A Day” TV shows, she’d ask residents in various cities to steer her to local restaurants where quality and value were exceptional. Along those lines, if you’re in the mood for Mexican meals in South Reno, my picks, so far, are La Posada Real and Peg’s Glorified Ham n Eggs.
My review of La Posada Real:
My take on Peg’s Glorified Ham n Eggs:
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