Lienzo Charro

Lienzo Charro

29000 Old Town Front St Ste A
Temecula, CA  92590
(951) 699-2500

Mexican food.    I'd have to say that Mexican food is probably my all time favorite food.    Pizza is high on the list, but I think I enjoy the spices and creativity that goes into Mexican food.   So here we are out wine tasting in the Temecula Valley and decide to stop in for some Mexican Food.

We walk into the restaurant sometime between lunch and dinner.   I could see only one other table occupied.   The bartender comes out from behind the bar and offers to seat us.   So far, I'm not impressed.   Don't get me wrong, the restaurant looks clean and decorated in your typical Mexican restaurant.   I'm thinking if the food was that great, there'd be more people here....   We shall see...

What is a mexican food restaurant without chips and salsa on the table?    The chips here were warm, probably sitting in a heated drawer awaiting our arrival, but they did not taste stale.    The salsa had a really nice flavor and spice to it.   Definitely a fresh made salsa with fresh and hot jalapeños.    Oh yeah!   I'd give the salsa two sombreros up.

Looking over the menu, it really is no different from any other full service Mexican food restaurant.   It has a little something for everyone.  Taco's, burritos, fajitas, combination plates and hamburgers ...     As in all restaurants that I've never visited before, when I see a section on the menu labeled Specialities de la Casa (House Specialties), I'm intrigued..    If they are to have something unique or something they believe they are good and preparing, these are the things I like to choose from.

The Burro Diablo immediately catches my eye..   If you know me, I like spicy foods.   I'm always in for something that is spicy, but also tastes good..   When I see Diablo on a menu, I think "spicy".

Burro Diablo ($10.95) - Chunky pork sutéed in a tangy tomatillo sauce with strips of green chiles, wrapped in a flour tortilla and served with rice and beans.

That sounds delicious to me!   Here's the picture of what I received:

Whoa!   It was huge!   And smothered with a verde sauce!    The pork inside was perfectly tender and just melted in my mouth with the verde salsa that was inside the burrito.     For  some reason, I really enjoy pork mexican food dishes.   I really don't eat pork any other time unless it's mexican food.   The green chili strips inside did not over power any of the flavor, they just added to it.   And of course, the cheese covered over the top just made it heavenly.    The rice was your typical side of rice, nothing special there.   I did enjoy the beans and cheese though!   Two things I usually base my return to a mexican food restaurant on:   Salsa and refried beans.   If they can't get those two things right, they got problems in the kitchen.   This place got both right.

My wife ordered the chimichanga ($11.95) and it too was so tasty.    She had her choice of chicken or beef, so she opted for the chicken.    I was able to sneak a few bites in and boy was it good.  The tortilla wasn't super crunchy or overly done, it tasted like it was just droped in the deep frier for a just a minute or less.    It was perfect...

Over all - I'd recommend this place!    The food was great and service was really good!

First Impression - 8/10

Service - 9/10

Menu - 9/10

Food - 9/10

Overall - 9/10

Mo's Restaurant

Mo's Restaurant

4301 W Riverside Dr

Burbank, CA  91505

(818) 845-3009

Mo's Fine Foods is the latest adventure that we set upon looking for great burgers.  I learned about Mo's from a list of places that had an unusual burger.   I'd have to say, the burger we set out to try today was most definitely unusual and not something you'd see on most burger menu's.   

We enter the restaurant which is dimly lit, but kinda on the elegant, romantic side.    We were warmly greeted by the host who showed us to our table.   After pondering the menu, knowing what we came for, we ordered.

The Foggy Bottom Burger ($12.50)

A signature Mo's burger topped with peanut butter and sour plum jam.    Really?    Did you say "peanut butter and jelly" on a hamburger?   Yes I did..   Not just any jelly either.   Sour plum jelly...

I ordered the Foggy Bottom Burger prepared medium.    When our burgers were ready, the server came to the table and informed us that he would meet us at the "Burger Bar".    This is a great idea.    We walked over to the Burger Bar and took our plates from the server which had only the burger on them.  The Burger Bar has the traditional condiments such as mustard, ketchup, a salsa and also a variety of very fresh produce.   The pickles were very thickly sliced and the the tomatoes looked perfectly ripe.  Also on the Burger Bar are a variety of side salads, including pasta salad, german potato salad, a black bean salad and a few other tasty looking salads.

Getting back to the table, I took a good look at my plate.  I was surprised the peanut butter and jelly came on the side.   I was expecting them to already be spread on the burger.    I guess this is idea for those who want to control how much extra flavor they wanted to add to the burger.   We dished the entire portions of each onto the burger and then dove in.

The first bite...  Cautious...  I wasn't sure about the combination.    I don't care for sour foods particularly.  I knew I liked (love!) peanut butter, so I wasn't too concerned about that.  Peanut butter goes well with anything...   even eggs...       

and then.....          Wow!     The peanut butter and jelly really worked perfectly with the Angus beef burger.    Sour plum jelly really wasn't that sour at all, it really complemented the flavor    Thinking back, I'm glad it wasn't anything like strawberry or similar because that might not have gone over too well.   The beef was perfectly pink in the middle.   All of the flavors were a delight in my mouth at the same time.

Overall - I'd order it again!     Although, they have quite a selection of unique burgers that on our next trip to Mo's, I'd have to try a different one.     The Rose Street Burger (blue cheese & carmelized onions), Nelly Burger (creamed horseradish and bacon), and about 5 others that just sound so tempting.

First Impression - 8/10

Service - 9/10

Menu - 9/10

Food - 9/10

Overall - 9/10