I just back from a weekend trip to Las Cruces. I visited International Delights Mediterranean restaurant and Double Eagle brunch. Those were delightful as always. But I wanted to write about my trip to the Pecan Grill. I wasn't happy.
The menu was different from the last time I went there. It looked like it lost a few menu items and gained a few new ones.
I dined with a lactose intolerant person and they noticed the menu wasn't as friendly for his kind. But for me, I went strait for a small glass of Pecan Beer. I had a craving for it, even though I don't drink. It hit the spot magically. I loved it! I also loved the shrimp ceviche appetizer. It came with a heap of seasoned tortilla chips and saltine crackers. It was fresh and tasty with avocados, onions, cilantro and tomatoes. Even the leftover juice was good with the crackers. We could have used a little more than a small bowl of ceviche, though (about 1/2 cup of ceviche).
Then the main dishes. . .
I ordered the stuffed poblano with green chile risotto. The risotto was very bland except for the explosion of green chile that burned my tongue. The first thing I didn't like was the mesquite sauce drizzled over everything. It tasted like concentrated bacon sauce. Think: bacon multiplied by five. And I'm a person who doesn't like bacon. So having this sauce, that tastes like bacon grease, wasn't pleasant at all. The second thing I didn't like was the stuffing in the poblano; undercooked chopped vegetables and a very spicy-hot spice. My tongue was on fire and I was disappointed in the assembly of the stuffed pepper. Usually, when you stuff something, it sort of keeps it's shape and the stuffing is something sticky that stays put. Not this one. The stuffing fell out all over the plate into that gross bacon sauce.
I returned the dish (something I rarely do) and got the burger instead. It was OK. The garlic bun stole a lot of the show because of the strong garlic taste. The thick paddy and healthy serving of green chile was nice, though. It's supposed to be a stuffed "Lava" burger with cheese in the middle of the paddy, but there was nothing but a small spot of cheese half way through. Last time it was like lava with cheese running everywhere.
My dinner partner ordered a stuffed chicken breast. She enjoyed it except for the burning hot spicy green chile.
My other dinner partner had a plate of soggy sweet potato fries with greasy vegetables. The beer braised chicken was delicious, he said. It was made with that nice Pecan Beer, that's why! I love that beer.
And somewhere in the middle of it all, we had a whole glass of ice water spilled over our table and onto our laps by the waiter. He said sorry and that dessert was on him. We ordered a strawberry mousse cake and a pecan pie with a scoop of ice cream. The cake and the ice cream tasted like a dirty freezer. They were unimpressive and almost gross. If there's something I really dislike, it's the taste of a dirty freezer.
What happened, Pecan Grill?!?!? I paid $30 (for myself) to wait nearly 30 minutes for a very disappointing plate and an overpriced stuffed burger. We spent two hours there just looking at each other like "really?" And then we did the ice bucket challenge without warning.
Our earlier experiences were awesome. I lavished in the thick and dense chocolate cheesecake and creamy green chile macaroni and cheese. I nearly swooned at the lobster bisque. My dinner partners went crazy over the kale salad. But those are no longer on the menu. What happened? My green chile mac-n-cheese was more butter than cheese, it was watery!
I'm not angry, I'm sad. I was thoroughly disappointed. I don't write in this blog all the time, but this experience made me want to sit down and type.
