A couple of weeks ago, as I was thinking about being out of town for Cinco de Mayo, it struck me that I hadn’t been to a Mexican restaurant IN TOWN in quite some time. I decided it was time to change that, and started looking for a new one to experience.
That’s a task in and of itself because I feel like I’ve been to them all. Yet I stumbled upon a place that opened nearly four years ago, yet was one I’d never heard of. I noticed it only because of a mention on social media.
The place is
in Eastlake, housed in the building that, last I remembered, was the Chagrin Tavern on Lake Shore Boulevard. I still feel like I found it by accident, but let’s just say I’m glad I did.
It’s named after the state in Mexico where the city of Guadalajara is located, and it’s one of three Jaliscos under the same ownership group. The other two are in Salem and Alliance.
The place is kind of unassuming, a long-ish narrow corridor of a space that’s split into bar and dining room by the entryway. A terrazzo-style floor gives it a Mexican feel, I suppose, but old, dark wooden beams remind you that it used to be called a tavern for a reason.
We sat in the bar area, which held a bright, colorful bar and just a few tables. We had chips and salsa at the table almost before we sat down, and our drinks not long after. The chips were warm and fresh, and the drinks were cold. The salsa was just OK – I prefer it with a little more of a kick.
Also with less a kick than one might expect was our appetizer, a steak quesadilla ($8.25). It was a generous portion of tender beef strips with cheese sandwiched between two tortillas. It’s served with a plate of shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream and can be ordered with chicken or chorizo, as well.
Somewhat curiously, the steak was in a sort of gravy marinade and was more savory than spicy. I was fine with that – anyone can load a bunch of cumin and chile powder into beef. This version had a deep flavor that I found very satisfying, and the beef was very tender.
In fact, our group of five all agreed that the quesadilla appetizer was the best thing we each ate, not that we all didn’t enjoy the rest of the meal.
I ordered an enchilada supremas, a plate of four enchilada varieties: beef, chicken, bean and cheese. It was a lot of food for $8.25, and, after doing my share of work on the appetizer, I struggled to finish it all. I was hoping for more of that steak in the beef enchilada but was happy with the ground beef I got. If a chicken enchilada isn’t dry, it almost always passes my test, and this one was well-above-average in that category.
My sister-in-law and her husband each got tacos – he off the a la carte portion of the menu (three for $5.50) and she from the combination section of the menu, which included rice and beans for $7.25. Both of them raved about the tacos, which makes me almost certain I’ll be back on a Tuesday, Jalisco’s all-you-can-eat taco night.
My wife ordered a quesadilla ($8.25) off the house specialty menu that was stuffed to the gills with shredded beef and cheese and came with a side of toppings, including more cheese. As soon as it arrived at the table, I knew she’d have lunch for the next day, too; it was huge. She thought it was really good.
I didn’t taste any of my adult companions’ entrees, as my own was plenty of work, but I did take a couple of bites of my son’s tamale. The pork was tender and juicy, and it had a distinctly different flavor from the beef I had tried. The cornmeal outside made up a lot more of the dish than the pork did, but for $1.99 (three for $5.25), it’s impossible to complain.
If there were any complaints to be had, it was that the place didn’t feel squeaky-clean. I’m not sure how well our table was cared for between the last guests and us, and the dining room could have used some brightening-up overall. I’ve been in much worse places, but certainly in tidier ones, too.
As with many genuine Mexican places, the menu at Jalisco is large, but some of that is for good reason. There are more appetizers than many similar eateries carry, a deeper-than-most vegetarian selection and a separate lunch menu. Speaking of lunch, Jalisco has a new daily lunch buffet for $6.99. It might not be the most daring menu – mostly Mexican-fare staples – but every staple we tried was done very well.
Our service was excellent from the time we walked into the door until we walked out, a departure during which I was still trying to figure out how we paid so little for the meal we had.
Overall, I was very glad I happened across Jalisco. I’m calling it a great pre-Cinco de Mayo find.
Jalisco
35757 Lake Shore Blvd. | Eastlake
440-942-2220 | www.jaliscomexicanrestaurants.com
Location: The north side of Lake Shore Boulevard, east of Route 91.
Type of restaurant: Mexican. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday; noon to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. Liquor and wine: Full bar.
Facilities for the handicapped: Yes. Credit cards: All major. Cuisine: Mexican. Vegetarian: A pretty good selection.
Special diets: Ask your server to accommodate special diet needs. Kid-friendliness: Kids’ menu, kid-friendly.
Outdoor dining: Yes. Dress code: Casual. Reservations: Accepted. Prices: Moderate; appetizers in the $5 to $9 range; most entrees $7 to $10; a la carte menu.
Value: Excellent. Ratings (of five): Food: 4.5 stars Atmosphere: 2.5 stars Service: 4.5 stars
