Liz just called me on her way to work. There is a “Now Open” banner on the El Mariachi on 355, in the old Rabbit’s Foot building.
Just thought I would pass the news along.
~LizFrog~
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51 Comments
April 11, 2008 at 10:14 am
Wow, they worked quick! I will have to place it on my list of to-try places.
April 11, 2008 at 10:38 am
Alert the Barillo cartel that El…has come out of hiding.
April 11, 2008 at 11:06 am
By the way, the name is just Mariachi. El Mariachi is the name of the one in Rockville.
April 11, 2008 at 8:22 pm
We stopped in there tonight to check it out. They don’t have their liquor license yet but they said they would have it in 2 weeks. The menu reminds me more of Cacique’s than Mexicali Cantina’s.
It’s a nice looking restaurant. They did a good job of fixing up the building.
April 11, 2008 at 10:34 pm
I hear the view of the concrete plant across the street is stunning. Ditto for the dump trucks, massage parlor and used car lots.
April 12, 2008 at 8:50 am
At least the building itself is a huge improvement from what it was.
April 12, 2008 at 4:57 pm
We had lunch at Mariachi today. I find what passes as Mexican in Frederick to be quite poor. Everyone seems to be in a race to the bottom to offer the lowest prices and as a result the quality of the food goes with it. Mariachi is very different.
A few impressions:
- Food. It was pretty good. We had the Yucan Soup (a little salty, but quite tasty), tacos carbon (1 chicken, 1 beef), tacos (kids), fajitas, and nachos/cheese (kids). The tacos and fajitas were very good. The beef is marinated and shredded (not ground). It had a much more intense flavor than the chicken - which tastes like well, chicken. Portions were a little small with the exception of the soup and the fajitas.
- Service. The place has only been open since Tuesday, so there were some hiccups, but overall it was good.
- Decor. Actually, it is a very nice place. The owners have done a great job of creating an upscale Mexican restaurant.
- Price. Bring your credit card. Lunch for 2 adults and 2 kids was over $50. The kid’s menu starts at $6.95. The cheapest meal price I remember seeing was $10.95. They do offer a 10% discount for lunch (it was > $50 after the discount). I’m not cheap when it comes to dining out, but I thought it was a over priced for what you got.
- View. Dump trucks, dirt pile, used cars.
JJP
April 13, 2008 at 8:01 am
JJP, I agree with your view of restaurants “racing to the bottom to offer the lowest prices,” at least with Chinese food.
Finding accomplished Chinese cooking in Frederick County is exceptionally difficult. Most every kitchen is focused on feeding the budget-buffet overeater. Most locals want quantity. Unfortunately, what they get is cheap American-Chinese cooking that has about as much authenticity as did David Carridine in the Kung Fu television series.
Stated differently, Frederick County’s Chinese restaurants are to Chinese cuisine as Zest is to Tex-Mex.
April 13, 2008 at 10:04 am
Thanks for the review JJP!
April 13, 2008 at 3:13 pm
[...] JJP has a review of the recently opened Mariachi Restaurant. To sum: food good, prices on the high side, views not so hot. [...]
April 13, 2008 at 4:24 pm
My husband and I ate at Mariachi today, and were quite disappointed with the entire experience. Our waiter appeared to be either extremely distracted or sleepy, as he could not remember our order, failed to refill beverages (nope, not a one), and did not check on us a single time throughout the meal until well after it was time to bring the check (read: another lengthy wait). As for the cuisine itself: meh. Mediocre at best, and very overpriced, especially for lunch. We both ordered enchilada platters and, in keeping with an earlier comment, the beef was shredded and the chicken was both light and dark shredded, neither of which tasted good, and the yellow rice and watery pinto beans were far from appetizing. On the other hand, the chips and salsa were fresh and quite tasty–by far the best part of the meal. We eat out often and decided before we left the restaurant that we would not be back. My question is: why can’t Frederick get a decent Mexican (or even Tex-Mex) restaurant? Even an On the Border or a Chili’s would be better than nothing! Casa Rico does nothing to fill the void, and I always end up going to Taco Bell!
April 13, 2008 at 5:18 pm
LK,
Get El Zapata at El Paso (behind BK in Common Market plaza) for a great, JUMBO burrito. If you can eat the whole thing, you’re bigger than me.
Matt,
For authentic Asia cuisine, I would suggest going to Viet Aroma in the Festival plaza off Jefferson. Best, most authentic I have found.
April 13, 2008 at 6:49 pm
I’d forgotten about El Paso. I haven’t been in quite awhile. The last time we saw mice running across the floor. Not mouse. Mice. Haven’t been back since.
We like Viet’s for Vietnamese food, but they don’t serve Chinese. One of the better Chinese restaurants in town is in the Safeway shopping center on 7th street.
April 14, 2008 at 8:27 am
I tried Mariachi over the weekend and liked it. Yeah, I am sure they have a few bugs to work out, but the food was good.
April 14, 2008 at 8:44 am
I went to Mariachi last night expecting stellar service and good food (like Cacique). While the food was “okay” at best, the service was horrible. To add to the fact that our waiter forgot things, and took a very long time to do anything, I woke up to over $150.00 charged to my credit card. I signed off on only $60.00.
April 14, 2008 at 8:47 am
LK, this is perhaps an extreme form of “damning with faint praise,” but I do think Fajita Grande, Mexicali Cantina and Cacique are better than Taco Bell.
Would LOVE to have Chevy’s open at FSK Mall. The lines would be out the door.
In fact, had someone opened 4 or 5 killer restaurants and 4 or 5 popular restaurants inside the ghost city that is Frederick Towne Mall, it could be saved from ruin. Retail success isn’t that complicated: Give the people what they want.
April 14, 2008 at 9:10 am
I would love to see a Rio Grande here in Frederick. Love their fajitas, fresh-made tortillas, and salsa!
Based on the above comments, I’ll probably not try Mariachi but stick with Cacique and Mexicali Cantina.
Monica
April 14, 2008 at 9:58 am
I have to tell you, a Rio Grande in Frederick would be great. I eat at the one in Herndon pretty often. Their freshly made tortillas are really great.
I’ll give Mariachi another try in about a month. I had a different experience than some of the other posters (for one, they brought so many drink refills that there were stacked two deep on the table), but do think they are overpriced for what you got.
April 14, 2008 at 8:30 pm
There is a new (besides Mariachi) open in Frederick and the food is very good. It is called
Los Potrillos and is located right beside Il Forno in Giant Shopping Center. Try it and let us know!
April 14, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I’m with you, Matthew: I love Chevy’s, and I’ve just never felt like schlepping down to Germantown just to go there.
Am I in a minority of Mexicali Cantina fans? I’ve also liked La Paz, although I can take it or leave it.
As for this new place, looks like I’ll steer clear of it for a while.
I wonder if I’ll find much Tex-Mex in Nevada.
April 14, 2008 at 9:50 pm
I like both Mexicali Cantina and La Paz too. I appreciate their differences and I can’t understand why everyone feels like they need to compare them to places they have been in Texas or California. They are what they are and I like both places just fine.
April 14, 2008 at 10:53 pm
We have been eating at and enjoying El Paso for many years (never seen a mouse!). We live downtown but actually drive out to go there (most of the time we walk when we to out to eat). We also like Fajita Grande, good food and good prices. La Paz is ok, but in the world anyone would wait an hour to eat there is beyond me! While I am at it, let me put a plug in for one of our favorites…Tajitu on East Patrick. Excellent food and wonderful service, they actually care that you are there, unlike the staff at 90% of the other restaurants.
April 16, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Liz, I understand where you’re coming from, but when people compare local Tex-Mex to “Texas or California” Tex-Mex (or TexiCali), it’s because we want the real deal, not badly executed knock-offs. Invariably, these A/B comparisons pit La Paz against authentic Tex-Mex, whether at Rio Grande in Montgomery County, and that favorite eatery in Oceanside, CA or El Paso, Tx. In such comparisons, La Paz loses badly. That said, someone who has lived in Frederick County all his life–and who has traveled very little–might believe La Paz is perhaps the best there is.
While your “they are what they are” attitude about restaurants is certainly admirable, many diners (along with Zagat’s and Michelin) make more global comparisons because we make comparisons about everything in life. Comparing a food item with similar prepared elsewhere–in another restaurant, another city, or another state–is perfectly legitimate. That’s how you set benchmarks.
Without comparisons, one could easily conclude that the Chinese food at Restaurant X on W. Patrick St. is the “Best of Frederick,” when in reality it isn’t that well done at all. Similarly, it’s like saying FSK Mall has no peer in Frederick County. True and untrue, and not in a good way.
April 16, 2008 at 2:55 pm
That should be “Mexicali.”
April 16, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Cygnus, Chevy’s rocks!
April 16, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Matthew, I sort of understand what you are saying, but comparisons don’t work. You can’t compare La Paz to Cacique or El Paso anymore than you can compare each of those places to a restaurant in Mexico City (or Texas or California).
Maybe that’s why chains are so popular. You can go to Olive Garden in San Francisco and get the same food you can get here in Frederick. It’s kind of boring, yes, but predictable.
As for Chinese food, Americans are so used to the Americanized version of what they think Chinese food is supposed to taste like. I’ve had the pleasure of eating a meal prepared by a Chinese graduate student and it was like nothing I’d ever tasted. I wonder if a more “authentic” Chinese restaurant would do well in this country?
April 16, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I think Matthew’s post was pretty much common sense.
Lizfrog, I am amused by this exchange because you’ve posted your favorites and rankings on this site multiple times. I’m assuming you came to your conclusions by comparing your experiences at those restaurants.
The goal in comparing isn’t to reach a uniform flavor, it is to provide a frame of reference. It is much more helpful than reading that the food at some place is “delicious” or “fantastic.” Your “delicious” may be my “barely edible.” But if you compare it to a place I know well, it helps me to form a reasonable expectation around whether I should spend my money there or not.
Lastly, if you found some place you like, who cares what other people think. The only competition on this is whether enough people go so it will stay open and stay consistent.
BTW, if you go into a Chinese restaurant and ask, most will prepare dishes the authentic Chinese way.
April 17, 2008 at 8:39 am
Having lived in San Antonio for 3 years, I think Mexicali Cantina, does the best Tex-mex in town. I’ve hit most of the Mexican joints in town and have found most of them to be lacking (haven’t been to Cacique yet, its on the list). This is where I got into trouble here before. Variations on a theme that takes into account local tastes and product is one thing, but when recipes are changed (here I go again) because I can get away with it is another.
I went to Los Potrillos the other night, the Cheese chili rellenos were right on, the beef fajita was ….well won’t be ordering that again, a true fajita is made with a marinated skirt steak, grilled over high heat, sliced and than added to a pan of sautéed bell peppers and onions. I think they used a butt steak, and sautéed it, if it hit a char-grill I couldn’t taste it. I wanted sopaipillas for dessert, sopaipillas, are a variation of Navajo fry bread; deep-fried they should puff up like little pillows, hollow and light. Nope not here, it’s a 6’ inch flour tortilla cut into wedges and deep fried. It’s cheaper and easier to fry a tortilla, than to take the time to make dough. Next time my daughter comes home from school, I’m going do a Bolivian dinner for her, as she fell in love with the food, finally found a place where I can get llama meat, there are a number of Bolivian restaurants in the DC area, and none of them have llama on the menu its hard to get and at over $30 a pound with shipping, its too expensive (to run a 33% food cost you’d have to sell it for around $35-45 a plate, assuming that you got a 100% useable product, no fat, bone, ect. and how many Americans are going to order it, so add spoilage (loss) to the cost), so you change the recipe. Not a problem. There’s a big difference between changing something due to excessive cost and changing it, because, I can get away with it. How many people in Fredrick, think a sopaipillas are nothing more than fried tortillas.
Regardless of the cuisine, it should pretty much be the same no matter where you order it. That’s the one advantage that the chains have, standardized recipes, and they tend to single source a lot of their purveyors.
April 17, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I’m with Liz on this one too….it’s so hard to expect everyone’s tastebuds to be identical. I mean I love love love what I call “fake” mexican food. So what? Who cares if it isn’t authentic…it tastes good to me and many other people too. However, I would expect that if a restaurant called themselves “authentic” that they live up to that. For all the die hards out there!
Fair is fair. As with all types businesses there are different types to serve every type of clientele. And I don’t know what kind of chinese the Hunan Gourmet serves on 7th street…BUT YUMMO!!!! They accept my money and my belly is happy! 
I should be outside…See ya!!
April 18, 2008 at 8:17 am
Like many counties China has many regional cuisines, The precise number of regional cuisines in China is still under dispute, but experts agree on at least eight: Sichuan, Shangdong, Guangdong(Cantonese), Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Huan and Anhui, the eight provinces in China. Each region is known for it’s own distinctive style of cooking.
http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_IS_ART_II/food_history_and_facts/chinese_cuisine.html
has a nice primer on 5 of the regions.
Back home in Chicago (China Town), there are a number of restaurants that serve only one style. While in the rest of the city most neighborhood restaurants (like here) serve a variety of cuisines on the same menu.
Hunan Cuisine
The food from Hunan is hot, hot, hot. It’s often difficult to distinguish Hunan from Sichuan cuisine, as many Chinese restaurants in North America tend to serve both regional styles side-by-side. The cuisines dovetail nicely as the two provinces also are neighbors in China’s heartland. The Hunanese use preserved basics such as hearty oils, garlic, and chili-based sauces. The stir-fried meats are often seared prior to stir-frying, creating sauces and dishes that exude comfort. Popular dishes from Hunan are orange beef or chicken, spicy eggplant in garlic sauce, and hot crispy fish.
April 18, 2008 at 12:25 pm
As the old saying goes, There’s No Accounting for Taste. That’s why it’s called opinion, not science. To quote JJP above,”Your delicious may be my barely edible.” That’s why I take ALL comparisons in discussing restaurants–and all other matters in life in the realm of the subjective–with a grain of salt. Even critics with wide experience and/or training for making judgments on this or that can and do disagree. In the end, I will–and can only–judge for myself what’s appealing to ME…and the same for everyone else.
BUT this is not to say that I don’t enjoy hearing other’s opinions–and sharing my own. Variety and differing points of view keep us all engaged and challenged. Come to think of it, that’s one reason I’m here, having fun following the discussions on Frederick Maryland Online!
April 19, 2008 at 5:31 pm
We tried La Paz today. I wouldn’t even give it a “meh”. Midwest-mex. Grated unripe tomatoes vaguely exposed to a pepper is not my idea of pico. The queso was thin watery grated cheese mixed up with this pinkish faux salsa. The chips were more along the “frito” line than my idea of a proper, thin, light, salty crunch. It wasn’t inedible. It just wasn’t any more Mexican than Paris Hilton.
We just had appetizers (which were also WAY too expensive) a margarita (too sweet) and a Negro Modelo (can’t go wrong!).
On the other hand, we went to Lucky Corner for lunch, and were just in heaven. Great service, NOM food, and not too chi-chi.
I grew up in Austin, Texas.
I know I’m spoiled.
The good thing is, between Taijitu and Callahan’s, and some great cafes, we’re enjoying ourselves.
Caballo Viejo has wonderful, cheap Hispanic food. More Central/South American than Tex-Mex, makes me homesick for our Cuban friend’s kitchen!
How’s the Japanese place on the canal?
Enjoying the comparisons and opinions as well.
Thanks!
-Edge
April 19, 2008 at 5:32 pm
The best pico I’ve found is at the Weis on Thomas Johnson. They just have it in a little clear plastic thingy in the produce. Now, THAT’S good!
-Edge
April 19, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Edge, if you go up Market to 3rd st. there’s a Cuban place there called, That Cuban Place. I’ll be curious what you think of it. It’s pretty laid back so go when you have a bit of time to hang out at the outside tables (ie not when you are in a rush!).
April 20, 2008 at 8:32 am
Cygnus, I’m another person (my husband Tony too) that really loved Mexicali Cantina. Service is always excellent and we enjoy the food.
Edge, Hinode’s, the Japanese restaurant on the canal, is very good. A little pricey but the sushi is top grade. Tony and I usually sit at the sushi bar and get our fill. They serve a fabulous white tuna, which almost melts in your mouth like butter. Smooth, creamy, and mild.
We’ve also dined at That Cuban place many times and enjoy the food. Delicious Cuban sandwiches and I love the piccadillo!
Monica
April 20, 2008 at 8:33 am
PS: That should read: “…really loves Mexicali Cantina….”
April 20, 2008 at 9:16 am
On Al’s recommendation, we had lunch at Mexicali Cantina yesterday and thought it was pretty good. We hadn’t been in a few years and were pleasantly surprised. The queso, salsa, chips, tortillas, meals, service, everything was good.
I’d recommend that they use a better quality of beef in their tacos or more seasoning
but I ate all three. I’ll try the chicken next time.
The only downside was that they don’t have a lunch menu on the weekends - just the dinner menu. You wind up ordering more food than you might want with a higher price tag. We ate everything that they put in front of us and the service was so good it was worth the money.
FYI .. They are in the process of putting in an outdoor patio for the summer.
April 21, 2008 at 8:57 am
Glad the JJP enjoyed his meal at Mexicali Cantina, A while back some people here seemed to think because I work at a fine dinning restaurant that I felt everyone should cook, like we do were I work. And that I was dissing (not sure that’s spelled right) Frederick restaurants, which I wasn’t. Good food isn’t rocket science, you just have to care. My daughter used to hate going out to eat with me, because I’d pick every plate apart (I cook for a living of course I’m going to look at everything with a critical eye).
I think that the Main Cup in Middletown, is one of the best restaurants in the area, nothing fancy, simple food, done well, and priced right (I know what they’re buying and around what they’re paying), you get your moneys worth.
For sushi or sashimi, it’s got to be Hinode’s on the canal, they’re the only place in town I’ve found that using fresh not frozen tuna, and the Uni (sea urchin roe) was like eating butter with a touch of the sea, when its not fresh it tends to smell and taste like used kitty litter. There’s a Salvadorian restaurant in the shopping center (by city buffer alt.40) that does a pretty good job as well. I also like Tajitu Ethiopian, however I have no idea if the food is true Ethiopian or an Americanized version. Best Italian I found in the area is Marsala’s in Walkersville. Looks like the wife’s honey do list is gonna have to wait, I’m going out for lunch!
April 21, 2008 at 10:39 am
I grew up in Denver, where there are many authentic Mexican restaurants, and few fake-mex chains. I think La Paz is “meh” and overpriced, but I love Fajita Grande’s food. I tried the chicken at Caballo Viejo (SP?) on 7th (behind Glory Days), and it was tasty; next time I’ll try the arrepas (corn cakes). There’s a new place in the Bloom shopping center on Rosemont/Yellow Springs Road. I don’t know the name and I haven’t been there yet. I think it used to be a Chinese takeout place.
May 3, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I dined at Mariachi restaurant this evening and was quite disappointed. I did not read any reviews or listen to comments from others so I could go in with an open mind. The service was positively awful. The waiter forgot to serve chips and salsa practically until our dinners had been served. The drinks (margarita and even a diet coke) took about 15 minutes to get to us, and we were never offered refills on them or our water. The chips were good tasting, but very greasy, and the salsa was more of a watery pico de gallo. When the meal finally arrived it was a disappointment also. The beans and rice were cold and the enchiladas, though warm, did not have a good flavor. All in all, the meal took two hours (due to slow service), and cost wayyyyy more than it was worth. I will never dine there again.
May 5, 2008 at 11:49 am
I will go ahead and add my comments as we went to see for ourselves about a week ago how El M faired among it’s other family members…NOT!
Our eves. was not as bad as the prev. commentor however, the place was not warm and cozy, seemed unfinished - more cafeteria style atmosphere. Food was so-so, they didn’t have their liquor lic. yet - so missed out on a margarita (w/booz!) Our waitress seemed friendly enough…as did the rest of the staff. We may try this place again-someday. I have high hopes they will improve, as it’s sister restaurants - Cacique and Mexicali are GREAT! Happy Cinco de Mayo!
May 6, 2008 at 8:07 am
Unless they can consistently deliver exceptional food and drinks–and provide exemplary service–Mariachi isn’t likely to survive.
Their location is about as bad as it gets. Sure, it’s on a heavily traveled (industrial) road, but when a new, unestablished restaurant is out of sight, it’s also out of mind.
An Loi, the dynamite Vietnamese restaurant that closed 3-4 years ago on TJ Drive suffered from a great lunch location but a ghost-town dinner location. Mariachi has neither going for it and, from reports above, has set its prices too high, while delivering inconsistent food and poor service.
I predict it will close before the end of the year.
May 6, 2008 at 8:09 am
Let me rewrite that to make it semi-comprehensible:
Unless they can consistently deliver exceptional food and drinks–and provide exemplary service–Mariachi isn’t likely ato survive.
Their location is about as bad as it gets. Sure, it’s on a heavily traveled (industrial) road, but when a new, unestablished restaurant is off the beaten path at lunch or dinner time, it’s also out of mind.
An Loi, the dynamite Vietnamese restaurant that closed 3-4 years ago on TJ Drive suffered from a great lunch crowd but was a ghost town at dinner time. Mariachi is in a similar spot and, from reports above, has set its prices too high, while delivering inconsistent food and poor service.
I predict it will close before the end of the year.
May 6, 2008 at 12:35 pm
This was probably mentioned somewhere earlier, but where is Mariachi (and the heavily traveled, industrial road it’s on)?
May 6, 2008 at 12:42 pm
It’s on Rte. 355, south of the intersection with rte.85.
May 6, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Duh… just now saw that Mariachi is on “355, in the old Rabbit’s Foot building.”
But, still not sure where it is…I know 355, but was never acquainted with the Rabbit’s Foot.
May 6, 2008 at 12:46 pm
It’s the big building that used to be painted multi-colored, near the Antique Station.
May 6, 2008 at 2:13 pm
That building’s had quite a history…
May 6, 2008 at 9:17 pm
The new restaurant by Bloom in Old Farm is called Pablano Grill and seems to be getting quite the business.
May 7, 2008 at 11:12 am
Sorry, that should be next to Old Glory Antiques, not Antique Station.
May 8, 2008 at 2:49 pm
I really enjoyed the place and its histroy is bittersweet for those of us that had gone to the Rabbit’s Foot. I thought the food was really good.
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