Mexican Homecooking in Downtown Merced
Driving home through the heat of the Central Valley we decided to give ourselves a break and linger in Downtown Merced a bit - browse the shops and have some dinner. A sales person at one of the antique stores mentioned the Mexican place just a block away and I liked the look of it - so we tried Marie's Mexican Kitchen on 259 W. Main Street. The outside is classic and the 7 Up sign is beyond authentic. Inside there were whirling ceiling fans going and it felt a bit languid but smelled good. The back room has air conditioning so it's cooler but I liked the feel of the front area more and we could see into the kitchen ( semi open ). The chips were warm and thin ..... S.O. ordered the Chicken and Nopales salad - in a fried tortilla bowl. The nopales had a good texture and were vinegared ...... also had some grill marks ..... the chicken was very well seasoned - pinto beans were also part of the mix. The top was covered with shredded iceberg and shredded cheese but it was mostly nopales, chicken and beans. S.O. enjoyed it very much. I ordered the Chile Verde dinner plate with flour tortillas ...... the tortillas were great - served in a warmer and they had been griddles with nice char spots. The rice and beans were good - the beans especially creamy. The chile verde had some spicy notes and the meat was plentiful - a bit lean for my taste but it was a good honest version with a bit more chiles than tomatillos. There was also a small portion of salad with a creamy dressing. It was a generous portion - took some home and enjoyed it this morning. I'd stop by here again.
By gordon wing
on Jul 12, 2011 12:11 PM
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Thank you for this report!. this place is under new ownership/management (I never ate at the old iteration, but never heard anything good either). I have had it on my list to try since the change (if nothing else because I love the 7 up sign), but t has now gone to the top of the list and I will be trying it before the weekend.
(and next time you come to town, email me, see my profile, if you'd like to have company to sample more of the menu! :-))
Susan
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Susan, there were elements that I enjoyed and I;m interested in other dishes but there were only two of us. We chose this place over Trevino's .... did we miss anything? Love the look and feel of this place ...... hope you can find some things you like here. And thanks for the invitation ...... hope to take you up on that some day!
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IMO, you definitely made the right choice. Trevinos has great house made corn tortillas, but none of the dishes I've had there ever live up to to the promise of those tortillas. Of the Mexican places I've eaten at in Merced (and I've eaten at most of them, other than Marie's), my favorite is Los Panchos on G Street (not as convenient for those passing through town, and definitely not as atmospheric). The best food on Main Street right now, IMO, is at Bangkok Thai, in the back of a little strip mall just up from Marie's.
Assuming you were coming from Yosemite, you must have driven right by Ramon's Taco Truck in Planada. Would be interesting to compare the meats at Marie's to Ramon's (which is quite good. Even my non-meat eating BIL is proud of the Ramon's calendar that hangs on his fridge.)
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Los Panchos Restaurant
2217 Yosemite Pkwy, Merced, CA 95340
Bangkok Thai Restaurant
235 W Main St, Merced, CA 95340
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Yes, I saw Ramon's Taco Truck parked in Planada but we wanted some refuge from the heat ( Bay Area natives and accustomed to 55* July temps ) So we headed into Downtown. It's been awhile but when I looked at my old photo of the tacos I got at Ramon's - I would have to say that Marie's is not up to Ramon's level of deliciousness even though I would return because I want to try some more menu items. Here is a picture of the Al Pastor tacos that I had at Ramon's a year ago ( ? ) In all fairness, I haven't tried the tacos at Marie's and I see they are offering some specials - Taco Tuesdays! Tacos are only a buck ( $1.00 ) each. From 3pm until closing. Beer is $2.00 or $2.50 ...... domestic/imported. they also have a breakfast burrito special offered from M=F @ 6:30AM for $1.00 (bean & cheese) or for $3.00 : Egg, Papas & Sausage burrito OR Carne Asada Burrito OR Chile Verde burrito. Beverages are $1.00.
Other deals are the Lunch Special: One of the following: Taco,Enchilada, Tamale or Tostada - served with rice and beans - all for $5.50 To Go Only. M-F 11:30 - 2pm
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Adding a link (and testing whether this functionality has been restored with Safari):
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Marie's Mexican Kitchen
259 W Main St, Merced, CA 95340
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Made it to Marie's two weeks ago. We will be back.
Pluses:
I thought the chips were pretty good, and the salsa that came with them was incendiary and very good.
Very friendly service. Two women run the place, do the cooking, and wait tables, Definitely feels like eating at a favorite auntie's home.
A menu with more variety than many of the Mexican places in Merced. I particularly liked that it was not completely seafood centered (unlike my favorite, Los Panchos): I don't eat a lot of shrimp, and it is frustrating to see a menu of mostly shrimp dishes.
I wanted to sample more of the menu, but, as is often the case on my first stab at a restaurant, I never got passed the albondigas. They have a nice variety of other soups also (caldo de pollo, cosido and posole, IIRC). The albondigas were as good as any I've had in Merced; served in a rich broth that was both tomato-ey and beefy, with chunks of carrot and zuchini, and at least six medium size, tender, herbed meatballs.
Hubby's mole poblano, a special the night we were there, was rich and spicy; you could definitely taste the chocolate undertones. A huge portion for $6.95.(mostly dark meat, and I think it was four pieces of chicken, plus rice and beans). He loved it.
Total bill, with generous tip and tax and two Negro Modelos, was something like $23, and we were stuffed, plus hubby took home some of his mole.
Minuses:
the tortillas. Sigh. They were stale and clearly store bought (and not that day!). no char spots. really, really poor. Guess you had much better luck with those than we did, Gordon.
Air-con is a window unit in the back only, so pretty warm in there on a very hot day.
We were the only diners, on a Friday night at around seven. I think that might partially explain the tortillas. Hopefully they get more business at lunch time (I certainly would put it on my regular lunch rotation if I worked downtown.) Hope the local hounds (all three of you?) give the place some love so these ladies can keep cooking.
There is a nice front patio facing Main Street that would be a great place to dine once the weather cools off.
Thanks again for the report!
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Los Panchos Restaurant
2217 Yosemite Pkwy, Merced, CA 95340
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Glad to hear that you found some good items at Marie's. The albondigas sounds good and a well executed mole is always a treat. Sorry to hear that the tortillas weren't up to par - and sorry that they're not very busy overall. I hope they find their audience ......
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