MARYSVILLE – For all of you who like Mexican food but don’t like hot spices, Tres Hermanos has a menu designed just for you.
11605 State Ave., No. 100, Marysville; 360-657-4273
Specialty: Mexican Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Price range: moderate ($7 to $14)
Liquor: full bar Vegetarian: numerous selections
Reservations: recommended for large parties
Disabled accessibility: easy access
Credit cards: Master Card, Visa
Tres Hermanos
The restaurant was a little difficult to spot because it doesn’t face State Avenue; it’s in the back of a small strip mall.
But after finding our way there, we were instantly greeted in the spacious waiting area and seated in a forest green booth.
Tres Hermanos, which means three brothers, is a well-designed restaurant with the bar discreetly tucked in a corner away from families in the main dining areas. The warm papaya and mustard walls trimmed with elegant white-plaster arches make you feel like you’re in the tropics.
The host also waited our table and he was very attentive throughout our meal. My friend began with a “regular margarita” ($4.75) and I had a Mexican beer ($3.85). We munched on warm chips with pico de gallo and salsa. I added an order of guacamole ($2.85). While munching, we decided the margarita was acceptable, but if we could do it over again, we’d order one of the other five ($5.95 to $9.50) on the menu because the tequila would be of a little higher quality. By the way, the menu lists 11 tequila choices.
For our dinner, my friend ordered his favorite, chicken fajitas ($11.45), which he uses to test Mexican restaurants. I have always thought a combo plate is one of the best choices when ordering Mexican food, so I selected No. 23 on the “Large Combination” plates – enchilada, chili relleno and tamale ($9.85).
The menu has all our favorites – Mexican soups, burritos, tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, carnitas, chicken in mole, prawns with onions and garlic, along with the traditional rice and beans. I noticed that some of the dishes are marked “spicy” and ordered around them because I thought they’d be too hot for me. More on that in a minute.
My friend’s fajitas were still sizzling in the pan when they arrived, and my dinner was too hot to eat. While waiting for my food to cool a little, I enjoyed the last of the guacamole, which was creamy and delicious. My dinner partner fell to the task of combining his fajitas ingredients – grilled onions and chicken plus guacamole, sour cream and tomato chunks – into folded corn tortillas.
The first few bites of my cheese enchiladas were mostly long strands of very hot cheese, but it was tasty. I especially like tamales and I thought mine was a very good combination of lightly spiced, shredded pork inside corn masa. My friend thought the masa was too dry.
About a third of the way into my dinner, I noticed I had two cheese enchiladas and a tamale, but no chile relleno. I didn’t complain but did check my receipt later. The server had it right. Substitutions by the kitchen without asking are a big no-no.
Around the time I discovered two enchiladas, I asked my friend about his fajitas. He said the chicken was a little tough but had the right flavor. There wasn’t a chili zing, though. My dinner was similar – tasty but missing the zip and heat of red or green chilies or jalapenos.
Then the notes on the menu about some selections being spicy made sense. These three brothers designed a menu for those who like Mexican food but not necessarily the heat of chilies.
Herald restaurant reviewers accept no invitations to review, but readers’ suggestions are always welcome. Reviewers arrive unannounced, and The Herald pays their tabs.
Contact Anna Poole at features@heraldnet.com.
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