Rock’n
Mexicana Cantina and Grill – January 2012 (dt)
6.59 – 7.5, 7, 7, 7, 7, 6, 5.75. 5.5
Rock’n Mexicana, at Windham’s edge, greets incomers to
town, with some of us remembering the former Windham Arms and,
most recently, Trail’s End. DP8 ventured into a rare dinner
date at a no-reservations establishment but we found ourselves
seated at a round table in the corner of the bar area within five
minutes, a plus for our experience.
The menu,
as the name projects, is Mexican, or, I’d say
Mexican-inspired. We judged our our choices worthy, with a few
votes for excellent:
· braised pork chimichanga, with tomatillo salsa
verde, scallion crema, black beans & rice: Chay, Deb K, and
Kerry ...;
· chicken fajita, with sautéed peppers and onions,
sour cream, chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, warm tortillas: Don
and Julie ...
· carne asada (skirt steak), with grilled street
corn, braised black beans, scallion crema, pico de gallo: Ken
(good corn, good steak);
· chicken enchilada, with ranchero sauce, queso
Oaxaca, scallion crema, black beans & rice: Deb T;
· and the grilled split chicken, with fries and
coleslaw: Kriss
Don and Deb split a side order of yuca frites, with guacamole
emulsion – a good alternative to the usual
“American” fries.
It is possible that the real Mexicano aficionado might want more
authentic sauces, seasonings, and flavorings, but the blended
style worked well for this group, especially when the mention of
Mexican cuisine (Thai, Chinese, and others) provokes
automatic allergies for a couple of us.
The menu even has a burger, with “Mexican” toppings, to
accommodate the most fearful eaters, and a kids’ menu should
please the youthful palate.
Our usual drink (wine) played a role in only one order, with the
rest of the table imbibing the on-tap beer, diet soda, and the
house specialty – a Margarita.
Ken’s coffee was regularly filled, albeit, in a small-ish
glass mug, with a coffee that Ken described as almost too strong,
a verdict that surprised most of us.
We even ventured into the dessert
world, again worthy, that
accommodated the gringo world.
· fried ice cream: a first for Deb and Don;
· vanilla sundae: Kriss, who looked at the big salad
bowl full of scoops of ice cream and whipped cream, and realized
her Saloon lunch had done her in;
· chocolate sundae: Julie, and we all slightly
gasped at the mountain of ice cream (Kriss, you were right, we
should have ordered dessert first!)
· banana cream chimichanga: Deb K (to die for!)
· churros, with chocolate dipping sauce: Ken, Kerry
(would have been better with the promised caramel sauce which did
not exist);
· Sambuca: Chay, as usual; black Sambuca was ordered
but none found at the bar.
The bill—food,
tax, drinks, tip (already included)—came to $66 per couple,
quite an economical evening for us.
Service was good to excellent for a casual eatery. Katie, our main waiter, was
friendly, personable, attentive, and still learning all the
details but handling it well. Thanks, Katie. Circling the room
every few minutes was one waiter who checked tables for
re-supply, clearing, and questions; another one circulated with
the water pitcher. All together, service proved to be as good as
many “finer” places would like to be.
The minor grumbling ensued after an order was taken, only to be
told that the item was not available (not fatal with Sambuca; the
caramel sauce was a key reason why that dessert was chosen).
Ambience is fun – almost a sports bar, with strands of
Mexican thrown in, and ski country pervading all. Entry from the
parking lot side ushers you past the thirty foot long, dark wood
bar, with comfortable chairs lined up. A dry mortar,
floor-to-ceiling, stone wall sets off the first fifteen feet of
entry on the right, with most of it being the back wall of the
glass-shelving of liquor. More dry mortar stone work is the
centerpiece – a 10’ x 3’ fireplace with a gas
flame. On a winter night, with a five minute snow squall, it was
as classic ski country scene as one wants.
We walked past the chair-line, up to the central guest desk, gave
our best sad look “please find a table for eight hapless
beings” look, looked past into the other dining room (which
looked a bunch quieter), and within five minutes was ushered to
our corner round table, a sturdy, serviceable wood-particle
table, located by one of the TVs and just under one of the
non-Mexican music speakers that we begged to have turned down a
little for the old-timers getting hard of hearing.
The chairs were an expansive, “wood” framed, cushioned
cloth that proved comfortable. Water glasses and a knife-fork set
had been pre-set before Katie started her service, followed soon
by another waiter with two checkerboard-paper-lined baskets of
chips and salsa – a welcome welcome (how often do I get to
use a word consecutively as two different parts of speech?). And
the round table in the corner served us well, with noise
competition mostly from two sides. We were surprised we heard
each other reasonably well, considering so much noise.
Large, faux-paneled windows, about 4’ x 8’, three on
the east wall and six on the south wall, make for a grandly open
feel, probably even more dramatic during daylight. Wall color is
mostly a roasted-tomato/clay-tile combination, meant, I think, to
evoke a Mexican spirit. The ceiling was trimmed with a light
color, contrasting with the expansive insets of black, divided by
the faux large beams, all of which created a darker tone.
Lighting came from recessed lighting, usually in trios in each
recessed panel, with four sconces on the long wall, one more each
on the short walls, each sconce a three-paneled front, with
upper-half panels of mottled cream, the bottom halves of a burnt
desert sand tone, with the same color combination in the several
enclosed lights hanging above the bar.
The crowd was, to us Greene County valley folk, obviously an
urban crowd, with tables and chairs filling up after 8
o’clock, and an accompanying noise level that we hoped was
also being played out in the town’s other venues.
On the way in, and out, the ring of the raised gas fire pit might
have encouraged walkers-by to slow down and feel the warmth.
Some noted the very long walk to the bathrooms, enough to qualify
for exercise.
For one five minute stretch, a mini-blizzard blurred the outside
lights, leaving a dusting of snow and then wetting the roads for
the ride back, dirtying the virgin blackness of the Monteverd
BMW.
The pacing of the meal, although not exactly timed, always seemed
within our comfort zone, and after two and a half hours, we left
the noisiness of a busy night scene to venture past Point Lookout
and a clear look of the valley lights below, and back home. (A
few of us wondered how a change to the quieter room would have
affected our experience.)
Rock’n Mexicana provides
another worthy choice for dining in the Windham community, made
more poignant for those of us who witnessed Irene’s
destruction. RnM left the imprint of a place we would want to
revisit on some not-too-distant casual night.
Earlier, we gathered at the Teator abode, where Don and Deb
proffered cheese and crackers, hummus, a vegetable bowl of
carrots & broccoli & cauliflower & celery, and a
plate of creamed cheese topped with sauces. (Oops, we forgot the
empanadas!) Drinks included soda, a little red wine, a little red
wine, and Coors Light in the silver canisters.
Of singular note was the anticipation of Kerry and Julie Quinn
joining in, filling in for the RVing Adamses, only the third time
a change of chairs has happened in over nine years. Thank you,
the Quinns, for joining us, and contributing to a worthwhile
experience. You felt like long-time naturals!
Conversation had to cover a month’s absence, and cover it we
did, with a breadth of topics – school stuff, of course,
with a fire drill, a lock down, no snow days, Regents exams and
testing days, some of our colorful characters, and more; news
from the Adams, and a phone call before our departure; Quinn
news; a little teasing of the Quinns; lying to the Quinns about
the bill ...; parents, and family, and kids; a Christmas vacation
that is long past; the upcoming school break in February; Kriss
reassuring us that retirement in June will be welcome; Ken’s
retirement plans; Kerry’s tie (worth a photo to be sent to
Judy and Tim); ...; ...; the usual car chat, with the changing of
back seats like we usually do; Kalli and cats; Deb T’s
pocketbooks; our extraordinarily mild and open winter, so far;
... oohing and ahhing over the Monteverd car (and the large GPS
screen); and more of the ordinary, funny, and possibly profane
scattering of topics, both serious and humorous.
....