139980 Sun Feb 05 20:40:30 -0800 2006 2 11 South 0 749041 ok, we stopped here tonight based on something I read a while ago here and I we were sorely disappointed. Typical over cheesed Cali-mex food w/ a preponderance of refried beans...even served hot refried bean dip w/ the chips as a complimentary starter. Cocina Latina in Asheville is MUCH MUCH better. There have got to be better Mexican places in H-ville than this! Sun Feb 05 20:40:30 -0800 2006 0 leah 1 749043 i agree that tomato is superior, but i've enjoyed papas & beer a couple of times now. the first time were the steak quesadilla & steak sandwich leftovers that my wife brought home from lunch. even cold and several hours old both were still very tasty. the 2nd visit was last weekend when i ate there. i had a marinated & grilled pork plate that was a little greasy, but very good. none of the things i ate were excessively cheesy, in fact the only cheese on the pork plate was a little atop the refried beans. they offered a variety of sauces, the weakest of which i found to be the cheese & bean dip they serve with chips. i tried the jalapeno mayo, salsa verde & tomato salsa off the salsa bar. the mayo had a little kick, and the other two, while thin, were tasty. is it a place i would drive to from asheville? no. but i'll definitely go back when in h-ville. i found it to be superior to most of the "el chapala"-type places around here. Mon Feb 06 10:15:36 -0800 2006 749041 0 mark 1 749054 Agree with you that Cocina Latina is tops, but it's not Mexican food. Papas & Beer is as good as it gets in H'ville and much better than most in H'ville. Last Tuesday nite at 7pm there were 8 people in line with a 20 minute wait. I don't know how their typical mexican fare - tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc - is, but the special entrees have always been good. Try the Chile Verde or the Carne Adovada (I probably killed the spelling...). They also have something called "Cream Chicken" which oddly enough is pictured on the menu, but not listed. I've never had it, but it's the favorite of some friends. Note - there is a new mexican restaurant on Hwy 25 South in Arden called Don Papas, not related to Papas & Beer. It's where Mother India used to be. Tried it last week - just average. Noticed when I drove by it on a Saturday nite that it was closed at 8:30 pm. Mon Feb 06 15:47:00 -0800 2006 749041 0 Nancy