🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <210420040941559448%timcmay@removethis.got.net>, Tim May
<timcmay@removethis.got.net> wrote:

> > But then there are what we call "Big Plate Mexican", primarily
> > marketed to anglos I assume. The rationale is that they want to get
> > $9-$12 dollars out of any patron for an entree.  As such they have
> > to load it up with one dinner and two lunches so you won't feel
> > cheated.  Who the hell can eat one of these jumbo jets at El
> > Torito, Acapulco, The Chili Pepper or Juana Maria (Orange)?
> > Especially after they force-feed you the guacamole.  Starters?!?
> > Starters?!?  Somebody needs to prep an appetite for a four pound
> > burrito?
> 
> Actually, eating at the Acapulco next to the sea lane in San Pedro
> was one of my memorable eating experiences. My brother and I had just
> been out on Catalina and had walked all over town, so we were in the
> mood for a "feed bag" when we got off the ferry. 
> 
> I remember getting one of the truly large platters, with camarones
> and fajitas and all sorts of other stuff. A vast amount of food.
> 
> And I ate it all. Yes, I was bloated. But it satisfied what I think
> is a primal urge to occasionally "pig out," to feast like there's no
> tomorrow. 

I've done it myself. Hell, I've done it memorably at Acapulco!  I just
don't do it as much anymore. And I also resent the marketing approach
that gives you a bloat-fest even if you don't want it.

> I still have fond memories of this, and when I was last visiting him
> at his place in Manhattan Beach, I suggested we try the Acapulco in
> MB. It was not as good as my memories of the San Pedro location,
> though much more crowded (and with more annoying mariachi music).

Yeah, i like the regular non-annoying mariachi music too.
 
> (For some reason, the San Pedro location was nearly empty when we
> were there, and the walls were glass windows, looking out over the
> shipping lane, which makes sense. The Manhattan Beach location was
> much more crowded, fully packed in fact, and the walls were the usual
> motif of faux adobe with murals, hanging baskets of stuff, etc.)
> 
> But both Acapulcos were better than any of my last several
> experiences at El Torito, many years ago (that chain seems to have
> down-sized, as many of the Bay Area locations are now gone).

They have some sort of tiered markeitng at El Torito I still can't
figure out.  There's the one strata that is as you might expect,
standard fair, maybe a little more nouvell-ish, but not any noteworthy
shifts. Then there are a few I've been in in Newport Beach or across
from South Coast Plaza that really try to sport it up.  Some are called
"Grill" I think, and others are note.  I'm unsure if that is a
distinguishing factor.

Instead of the traditional chips and salsa at the SCP El Torito, they
tried to foist tortillas and butter on us. That was "classier"
apparently.  When we gave the waiter a dig about it, he got defensive.
 
> We have some Acapulcos in the Bay Area, which I expect are part of
> the same chain, but the only one I have tried (Sunnyvale) was for a
> "make it yourself" buffet, so this is not a good test.
> 
> I'll have to give them another shot, as I sure do remember that huge
> plate of shrimp and fajitas!

Actually the pricier the item gets the less bogus the "big plate" is. 
Again, *their* problem is getting "just folks" to shell out $15 bucks
for beans, rice and a few additional items and feel like they're note
getting screwed. If you're going to get a shrimp plate, it's generally
assumed you'd accept a higher tab.  But try to get a cheap
cheese-enchilda dinner there.

Oh why bother!  If you're going to have a simple Mexican meal, these
places are a joke!

-- 
First they gerrymander us into one-party fiefs. Then they tell us they only
care about the swing districts. Then they complain about voter apathy.
 -- Gail Collins