Avocados Mexican Restaurant bills itself as “fresh and healthy.”
This means the kitchen staff uses canola oil and fresh ingredients, including the spinach in our quesadillas and the avocados in our ice cream. (Ice cream? Yep, read on.)
But with enchiladas smothered in sauce, the typical white-rice side and plenty of cheese to go around, don’t take this to mean low-calorie fare throughout. The typical Mexican dining experience can be found here, along with healthier vegetarian options and substitutions, such as sweet potato fries and house-made whole black beans.
As far as local Mexican restaurants go, Avocados meets expectations and at times exceeds them. This restaurant is worth a visit for fans of Mexican food and those who want to have some relatively healthful options when they eat out.
We were served a basket of tri-colored tortilla chips as soon as we were seated, but instead of one dish of anemic salsa we were given three dipping options: a moderately spicy salsa, a freshly chopped pico de gallo and bean dip. We cleaned them all out over the course of the meal.
The spinach and mushroom quesadilla appetizer ($8.25) stole the show for our small table. The fresh spinach was cooked only slightly, leaving it bright green, and its flavor came through beautifully. The mushrooms were far from wimpy and pleased my earthy palate. Besides flavor, the plate was impressively large, with a heap of guacamole, sour cream and olives in the center for toppings.
Portion sizes again earned good marks with the entrees, including our 3-year-old’s Mexi-rice bowl ($4.95 from the kids menu), which included grilled chicken and shredded “cheese!” as our daughter happily noted. Kids meals come with a small dish of fruit on request.
The entree options are many, including soups ($7.99 to $12.99), salads ($6.75 to $13.99), burgers ($7.49 and $8.49), combinations ($8.25 to $10.25), nearly two dozen meat dishes (averaging just over $15) and specialty enchiladas and burritos ($9.25 to $14.99). Several vegetarian options are available.
I went with one of the restaurant’s specialty enchiladas, a mole ($9.25) whose rich sauce was full of chocolate and peanut flavor. It easily overshadowed my husband’s burrito verde ($9.25), whose pork and green tomatillo sauce came across as fairly bland by comparison. Both came with the expected sides of rice and refried beans, which didn’t draw any real acclaim from either of us but were sufficiently satisfying.
We left full, but opted to take home an order of house-made avocado ice cream ($3.99), which came with a crisp wedge of cinnamon and sugar-dusted tortilla.
How to describe this ice cream? We found ourselves taking bite after bite to explore its flavors, both with and without the sweet tortilla crisp. We loved it, but leave it to the culinarily curious to decide for themselves. I’ll have to try the avocado and lime cheesecake ($4.25) next time.
Throughout the meal, we admired the tasteful renovations made to this building, a former ski shop. The space feels much bigger and has a warm feeling compared to when racks of winter gear filled every corner. As someone who often judges restaurants by their bathrooms, I give the newly installed facilities at Avocados very high marks (bonus points for new Dyson air hand dryers).
Avocados also has a lunch menu until 4 p.m., including portabella mushroom fajitas ($8.95), which the owners say is unique to their restaurant. Beer, wine, sangria and a full bar also are available.
Owners Miguel and Sonia Gonzalez opened the restaurant April 15 and held a grand opening celebration with kids’ activities and a mariachi band on Wednesday.
The menu has evolved in the restaurant’s first month as the Gonzalezes hear from customers and see what people order. Deep-fried chimichangas, for example, will be added, since several requests were made. Fruit for kids’ orders will be on request only, to avoid waste.
Sonia Gonzalez is a nurse, and she told her husband that if he was going to get back into the restaurant business, he had to “make sure it’s good food” so she wouldn’t feel guilty taking their children there to eat when they say hi to Dad.
“We have both food that is healthy and food that is not healthy, but we want to give people the choice,” she said. “It’s a business, so we have to give people what they want.”
For her, that means grinning and bearing the addition of deep-fried burritos or the sight of more cheese than is perhaps necessary.
The restaurant’s name was her own concoction. Avocados are a healthful food, providing a host of nutrients such as fiber and potassium, she said. And there are fond memories, too, of visiting her parents near Puerto Vallarta, letting the kids climb the avocado trees there to grab some fruit and making fresh guacamole on the spot.
“I just knew it had to be called Avocados,” she said. “They’re always in my kitchen.”
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