Mesa Verde - Portland, Maine

We stopped into Mesa Verde (618 Congress Street in Portland) for a quick snack a few years ago while out shopping. A shared quesadilla and a bottle of Corona at the bar did the trick. We left satisfied enough that when in the mood for Mexican recently, we decided to return.

I had not paid much attention to the restaurant's decor during our prior visit; what I noticed immediately upon sitting down (this is a seat-yourself place) were the plastic seat covers and Bob Marley music playing in the background. Jamaican isn't the best choice to set the mood in a Mexican restaurants -- Mexican or Latin music would have been more appropriate. Then a rather odd smell hit my nose (not the "you've found-great-food" smell) and I wanted to run for the hills (or at least to Five Fifty-Five). But, in the mood for Mexican, and having just spent the better part of 15 minutes trying to find a parking spot, we decided to persevere (plus Five Fifty-Five was closed). Not our best decision.

While perusing the menu, I was impressed with the number of vegetarian dishes, and options to replace chicken and beef with tempeh, tofu or portabella mushrooms. My husband ordered a Negra Modelo beer, served in the bottle with a wedge of lime. It is best when served in a salt rimmed glass with lots of lime wedges (like they used to do at 100 Congress), but they don't salt glasses for beer at Mesa Verde (yes, I asked), so I indulged in a Margarita, made with 1800 Silver Premium Tequila. The waitress informed me that the bartender adds Cointreau (complimentary) to any margarita ordered with 1800 or better tequila. The sour mix (made on premise) was not sour enough for my taste, and the Cointreau gave it an oddly bitter (not sour) taste that I did not enjoy

We selected Empanadas (fried turnovers) and Mexican Mushrooms as our appetizers. The choices of Empanada filling that evening were beef, chicken, sweet potato or blueberry. The sweet potato sounded the most interesting. The filling, mixed with vanilla, cinnamon and brown sugar, was so sweet, the Empanadas could easily have been served as a dessert. The Mexican Mushroooms consisted of chunks of portabella mushrooms, covered in a thickened white wine and mushroom sauce and served with flour tortillas. The taste of inexpensive white wine was overbearing in this dish. Cooking 101: never cook with wine you wouldn't drink.

Chips and salsa used to be complimentary, now they charge $3.75. The chips were greasy and too light on the salt. I deemed the house-made salsa inedible, as it had a strong metallic taste, likely from sitting in a metal bowl too long. The side of guacamole was made with ripe avocados and diced tomatoes; it would have been better with the addition of salt, lime, cumin and cilantro to kick it up a few notches.

I ordered the Tamale and Enchillada combination plate as my entree. The tamale, dense, mushy cornmeal steamed in a corn husk, was split open and topped with zucchini, summer squash and a mole sauce. The flavors in this dish were bland and the chef was rather skimpy on the vegetable topping. The Enchilada was filled with moist, tender chicken, though it, too, was bland and benefited from the addition of hot sauce that is provided at the table. Mushy brown rice, pinto beans, a few leaves of iceburg lettuce and sour cream accompanied the entree.

My husband selected the Veggie Burrito and Chicken Taco (hard shell) combination plate, garnished with iceburg lettuce and canned black olives. With just a scant sprinkling of cheese in both the burrito and taco shells, they were tasteless; he doused each with hot sauce. Has this chef ever heard of cilantro? Lime? Cumin? Chili Powder? Jalepeno?

The tables were set with candles, though none were lit. Bright lights shone overhead; this is definitely not a date-night kind of place. I suspect the ideal clientele for Mesa Verde is the residents of Portland Hall (the University dorm across the street), who are accustomed to cafeteria food, though at $62 for dinner (before tip) they may have out priced that group.

Quick, easy and relatively inexpensive, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, fajitas and even Mexican soup frequently are served at my house. So easy to make, I rarely go out for Mexican, preferring to save my "dining dollars" for those meals I can't - or don't think to make - at home. But after having the most amazing Mexican in San Antonio (at an upscale neighborhood diner called Rosario's), I have been on a quest to find "authentic Mexican with a contemporary twist" a little closer to home. I'm still looking.

Mexican is not difficult to do well, but you won't find it done well at Mesa Verde.