Eastside VS. Montgomery
El Picante
903 Loveland-Madeira Loveland
677-6209
VS.
Don Pablos
11363 Montgomery Road Symmes TWP.
489-8600
Every bustling “burg” has taken on a Mexican Restaurant.
Some are small mom and pop family businesses, others are giant corporate
conglomerates. We decided to see who would come out on top between the “David
and Goliaths” of the Mexican restaurant scene. So we put Loveland’s
El Picante against Montgomery’s Don Pablos.
Don Pablos (Montgomery Road) has a beautiful airy building. A large atrium
in the center, surrounded by brick balconys with views from above. Yet somehow
it has more of a “theme park” feel than an authentic Mexican
restaurant. The Mexican menu has a lot of pretty pictures but lacks any real
variety. The same choices are reconfigured in several ways giving the illusion
of an extensive selection when really it’s the same thing on almost
every page.
We opted for the “Pick Three”. You can choose from tacos, enchiladas,
tamales or stuffed pablenos (called rellenos) served with cornbread, black
beans, refried beans or charro beans. Our server suggested the refried beans
as they were the “tastiest” and the churros were the healthiest.
We opted for the tastiest to go with our two combos plates (One with a chicken
enchilada a cheese and onion enchilada and a relleno and one with a chicken
tamale, beef enchilada and a chicken relleno).
We snacked on complimentary chips and salsa while waiting about a half an
hour for our food, (strange because there was only four tables seated). I
found the chips dry, bland and tasteless. In fact, They were broke up taco
shells ( a good hint not to get a taco). The salsa was also equally bland.
When our food arrived I was actually excited about getting the taste of the
chips out of my mouth and finally get to eat something more palatable. The
relleno was a bit soggy but “still edible”, the enchilada was
stuffed with barely seasoned ground beef and the tamale was square, dry and
obviously frozen at one time (hence the odd shape).
Smothering the food with sauce helped out but it was a far cry from decent.
I’d bet dollars to doughnuts the “tasty” refried beans
were straight from a big can. $9.95 per meal seemed steep after we were finished
with the bland, disappointing dinners. I don’t see any reason to return
Now I understand why Don Pablos advertises so heavily...if they stop they'll
need a Realtor.
El Picante always seems busy, so I’ve been wanting to give it a shot
for quite sometime. Like many mom and pop Mexican restaurants, El Picante’s
menu is vast and numbered. In fact, these menus often seem overwhelming to
me so I just sat back sipped my Mezcal Margarita (they get big points on
the Mezcal, hardly anyone in Cincy carries it) and let the server decide
for me. He chose the shrimp Chimi and my partner went with a veggie burrito.
Both came out fast, (we barely had time to enjoy our fresh fried chips and
delicious robust salsa) and were dressed with big portions of rice and beans.
Flavorful sauces with fresh herbs brightened up these dishes. The chimi was
stuffed to the brim and crowded with grilled shrimp. This chimi was an excellent
variation on the usual meat choices offered by most. The veggie burrito had
similar salutations as well. El Picante has great specials and when you buy
6 meals you get a free one with your El Picante card (it gets a hole punched
in it after each visit). I liked the fact that the owners family was there
eating lunch and playing with the kids. You get a real sense of the value
in supporting local small businesses when you see the smiling faces of the
kids your money is going to. I also appreciated the attentive server, he
was most concerned with our satisfaction, not our tip. El Picante is about
a tenth of the size of Don Pablos with about one hundred times more heart.
Long story short, Don Pablos...why bother, Picante...perfect choice for those
mexi-meal cravings.
