Rios Mexican Food

Rios Mexican Food
2715 Franklin St.
Michigan City, IN 46360 MAP
(219) 878-1802
Hours:
Monday – Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

August 15th, 2005. 6:30 p.m.

No frills and to the point. That’s the way food is served up at Rios and that’s the way this review will go. Residing in a former location of the now defunct Hot ‘N Now restaurant chain, customers can either walk up or drive through to order. You can obviously eat in your car or at one of the picnic tables if you wish (as I did).

Chips and salsa are not complimentary and can be ordered in sizes small and large for $1.77 and $3.46 respectively. I didn’t order them so there’s no comment.

The burrito was pretty good with a good steak flavor and no fat or gristle to be found. The beans were quite flavorful as well. Additionally, the burrito contained lettuce, onion, tomato and cheese. The menu stated sour cream and avocado were included, but I didn’t encounter either. Mild and hot salsas were offered and were both of the verde variety. I preferred the hot as the mild was quite watery and bland. My only quip would be that the steak could have been a little juicier.

You can get a pretty solid steak burrito at Rios. The value isn’t the greatest due to the lack of included chips and salsa, but your food will be cooked up fresh and served quickly. They also have a second location in New Buffalo, Michigan at 901 W. Buffalo Street. Adios.



Weight: 17.1 ounces
Length: 8.25 inches
Circumference: 9 inches
Price: $5.19 or 30.4¢ an ounce
Beer availability: No

Flavor: 7/10 sombreros
Value: 6/10 sombreros

Morelia Restaurant

Morelia Restaurant
208 Lincolnway
LaPorte, IN 46350 MAP
(219) 325-8855
Hours:
N/A

August 8th, 2005. 7:15 p.m.

Morelia is a restaurant/grocery store located almost directly across the street from Colima. The evening of this review found the restaurant devoid of customers (I believe it hasn’t been open too long). I was, however, greeted by a near blaring TV tuned into a typically overdramatic Mexican soap opera.

The chips were served up warm and were very good. Unfortunately, the salsa that came with had a taste that can only be described a cigarette ash-like. Very bizarre and quite unappetizing. For some reason, I still ate plenty of it.

While waiting for my burrito I recognized the familiar sound of a microwave door slamming and then a beeping soon after. This happened 3 or 4 times and my burrito arrived soon after. Yes, my burrito was nuked, not grilled up fresh and wrapped in a steamed tortilla. The thing was so hot I couldn’t even hold it (being served suiza didn’t help either). The burrito contained steak, rice, and a minute amount of beans while lettuce, tomato, and runny sour cream were on the side. As far as I can guess, they nuked the steak then the rice, wrapped it and nuked it again after throwing cheese on top. So I guess the ingredients were sitting in the fridge after being leftover from some earlier dish. The steak was dried out (who would have thought?) and actually had an OK flavor.

Also of note were the uncomfortable warmth of the restaurant and the lack of water served with my meal. Morelia might be better once they get on their feet and more customers are around to ensure fresher food. And oh yeah, they really need to do something about the salsa. Until then, no thanks.



Weight: 19.4 ounces
Length: 8.5 inches
Circumference: 10.25 inches
Price: $5.50 or 28.4¢ an ounce
Beer availability: No

Flavor: 2.5/10 sombreros
Value: 8/10 sombreros