We had passed by Alejandro’s on Dalrock Road many times since it opened, but we don’t do Mexican food very often. I love it, but it doesn’t love me, if you know what I mean – the calories and the inevitable heartburn make it usually not worth the momentary pleasure. But recently, Tom and I were feeling adventurous and decided to give it a try.

We’d noticed that the parking lot was often full, and that seemed like a good sign. And it’s nice to not always have to drive to Rockwall or Plano when we want to eat out. We went on a Sunday, between lunch and dinner time so it wasn’t crowded. We were pleasantly surprised when we got inside; the decor was much nicer than the exterior would lead you to expect.

Alejandro’s: casual, but clean and cozy

There’s also a small patio, but unfortunately not much of a lake view. Still, it might be a nice place to eat when the weather is right.

Patio has a great view of the hotel, but not of the lake

The menu was somewhat limited for a Mexican restaurant. I’m used to places like Gloria’s and Primo’s, where you have to plod through a long list of dishes. Here there were only a few, and they were all basic Mexican foods: a variety of enchiladas, burritos, tacos, and flautas. There were also a few appetizers. Tom ordered stuffed jalapeños and I ordered guacamole.

  
Tom’s stuffed jalapeños    

  
My guacamole                 

You can tell a lot about a Mexican restaurant by its guacamole and chips. The chips were crisp and fresh, still hot when they were brought out, and the guacamole was excellent, mostly pure avocado with little “filler” and no weird taste from the sauce like you find at some restaurants. It passed my taste test with flying colors.

For our entrees, Tom ordered three beef and bean enchiladas with all of the available sauces: red, green, sour cream and another I’ve forgotten.

 
Tom’s quadruple sauce enchiladas

I was a little more conservative (keeping that impending heartburn in mind) and got two chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce.

My chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce

Both came with the standard rice and beans. My enchiladas were great, absolutely smothered in the sour cream sauce. They were some of the best enchiladas I’ve had. Tom seemed pleased with his super-sauced dish, too.

Service was good – the waitress was prompt about refilling the water glasses and was friendly without hovering or interrupting our conversation. And the price was certainly right (as is usually the case with Mexican). All in all, it was an enjoyable meal in a nice atmosphere. There was a TV over the bar area but the sound was down, so it wasn’t intrusive. The “feel” of the place might be different when it’s more crowded (there were two other tables of customers there while we were there) but I liked it this way.

We don’t get into the mood for Mexican food often, but the next time we do, we’ll probably go back to Alejandro’s.

deb@shinder.net