Escondido

[dimsumgirl]

Not very familiar with this area. Does anyone have any recs? We tried Hacienda de Vega last year and liked it. Other than that, I don't know of any restaurants in the area but will be staying in Escondido and would like to treat my hostess to dinner not too far from her home. The ideal place would be reasonable in price, family run and ethnic (Mexican, Italian, Asian) but open to other ideas. Thanks!

[beth1]

If you're into wine, Tango and Vinz on Grand are both nice.

[aafflyer]

+1 Tango

+1 Vincents

Both family run on Grand.

[kare_raisu]

Dimsumgirl -

I think Cocina de Maria would be the perfect fit for your description.

[dimsumgirl]

KR: Do you have any favorites there? Suitable for lunch and/or dinner?

[kare_raisu]

Yes - great for lunch and dinner. Its a beautifully, painted cozy family run place. I like almost everything they have there but my favorites are the:
> Pambazos
> Huaraches
> Mulitas
> Menudo
> Mole (homemade)
> Daily Specials

Make sure you taste the green salsa!

[dimsumgirl]

We enjoyed our meal at Cocina de Maria. A great find. Their mole was delicious. I ordered the camarones empanizados and it was just right for the light dinner I wanted. The homemade corn tortillas were a nice touch. Thanks for the recommendation.

[kare_raisu]

Great! What did you think of the green salsa?

[dimsumgirl]

To tell you the truth, we got there late on Tuesday night due to picking up keys and the vehicle late before making the first large run to IKEA.

By the time we got to Cocina de Maria, all of the chairs were turned upside down and placed on top of the tables as though the place was already closed. They were already mopping the place down.

They did us a favor and fixed us a quick meal and closed the door and turned over the closed sign right behind us. In the rush, I forgot to ask for the green salsa. We wanted to go back the following night but apparently they are/were closed Weds and we have plans for our remaining nights in the area.

Thanks for the rec. Geekyfoodie also said to try huaraches so I have that on my list for next time.

[maestra]

We went there today for another great meal. There was no green salsa to be found this time, though. It was what I was most looking forward to, but the pozole quickly took my mind off of that disappointment. In its place were 2 salsas that were different from previous trips. The first was a regular tomato salsa, but lighter in color than before. The other was special. It was VERY hot and was clearly ground on a molcajete from toasted and reconstituted chiles secos, probably guajillos and de arbol or japoneses. It was good, but a little went a long way.
Funny thing --
After tasting the 2nd salsa and going back to the first, my husband and I simutaneously commented that it tasted strongly of beer! I asked our server if there was beer it in; we were expecting an affirmative answer and a conversation about a regional speciality. She said there definitely wasn't, though, which made the flavor very suspect. I switched to the second salsa for good after that.