Puerto Vallarta is dependably delicious
Whenever I want good Mexican food, I know I can depend on Sol Rio or Puerto Vallarta. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems Sol de Rio is a corporate franchise, while Puerto Vallarta is locally-owned? Please post a comment to correct me if I am wrong on that.
So last night the family wanted great Mexican food, and I was in the mood to help a local business. It had been awhile since I stopped in their west side location, and they’ve painted the interior a bright lime green! The seats are all reupholstered with some cool fabrics that sport Hispanic images. The decor is very colorful and ethnic. The staff was fast and courteous as always. The prices were reasonable, and I will definitely go again.
One thing they could improve was their seating. Maybe I got lucky with the bad seat, but my booth seat back was unsecured and the guy behind us kept moving it whenever he shifted. I don’t know if that is how many of their seats are, but it distracts from the mood and could use some reinforcement. The seats were very comfortably cushioned, though.
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I heard Puerto Vallarta was moving over to the old Remo’s building (the one that looks like a castle on Anderson).
I peeked in the windows one day and the place is stocked with furnishings and not a speck of dust, so it looks primed for business. However a for sale sign is still on the lawn, and I peeked in there a few months ago.
Any word on what might go in there? I think it could make a great nightclub if not a restaurant.
There is only one other Sol Rio and it is in Seattle.
For the record, Morenita’s is the best Mexican food I have had in this town.
davin is correct about Sol Rio.
The owner is from Mexico and owns four restaurants in the Northwest. Apparently, he has homes in each city where he has restaurants. And, they aren’t all Mexican restaurants. He visits all of his businesses regularly to make sure they are up to the standard he wants.
Their food is great. It seems there are more choices for “good” Mexican food locally. I still can’t decide what Chinese food is the best. Perhaps the business moving from Bend, OR to Idaho Falls will bring a new kind of Chinese Cuisine.
Just to be clear, I’ve never been to Happy’s, but use to love the food at the Bonneville, essentially the forerunner of Happy’s.
Excellent post! I’m always looking for great “locally owned” places to eat. And finding good Mexican, Chinese & Italian restuarants are always difficult in a small town. Coming from S.Florida where there’s such a diverse population, it was never hard to find a great family owned restaurant from just about every nationality. Since I’ve been here though, I’m slowly finding all the great local restaurants. From the fine food that The Cellar & The Sandpiper offer to the tasty sandwiches at the Sandwhich Tree, to the great pastries from Bakers Dozen & Geraldines. I look foward to trying Puerto Vallarta’s. If anyone knows of a great Italian restaurant, please let me know. The Olive Garden just doesn’t do it for me. I have also found it difficult to find good Chinese food in this town as well. But hopefully as Idaho Falls continues to grow, more and more diverse family owned restaurants will open in and around our town.
Thank you everyone for your input and great post Joe!
After this post, I had to go get me some Puerto Vallarta. Lovely as usual.
I think I like Puerto over Sol Rio for one reason: The salsa. I like everything else at Sol Rio better, but a great bowl of salsa’s something that should be cherished, loved, protected, and celebrated. Therefor, Puerto has it.
Oh, and Davin’s pretty much right about Morenita’s. Their salsa’s delicious.
We have fantastic Chinese food in town. Try Ming’s on Shoupe Ave. Everything is made to order and is delicious. It is nothing like the cheap, deep fried, MSG’d, Chinese buffets we have around. The owners run the place and are great people.
Ming’s is great, don’t forget about The Thai House downtown. So good and the owner is from Thailand. Try the sweet rice with homemade coconut ice cream…..oh yeah.
What about ‘A Little Bit of Mexico’? That’s one of my favorite mexican food places.
And actually, I have also rather enjoyed Jalisco’s Mexican food also over there in that little Teton shopping mall across from the Grand Teton Mall. That lil gal has built herself up quite a business, and the inside decorating is quite fun!
Just wanted to add my two cents on Morenita’s. Based on the recommendations from other commenters, we went there last night and, without exagerration, it was unquestionably the worst restaurant I’ve been to in Idaho Falls. We ordered a chili relleno (okay, but greesy-style low-grade Mexican cooking smothered with an icky Tex-Mex tomato sauce), bland beans & rice, and beef enchiladas (the meat was very suspect–very low quality, gristly, poorly seasoned– and it came with virtually no sauce–an enchilada??). All around, a terrible meal. And the salsa was a disappointment to both of us–lacking in flavor complexity and just too hot. Imo, Puerta Vallarta has far better salsa than Morenita’s (although I think their food stinks too, so I’d just order a container of their salsa to-go). I miss the authentic Mexican food I grew up on in my home state of Arizona, but when I’m in the mood for Mexican here in town, I head to Bajio’s (delicious honey shrimp tacos!) b/c it has a much fresher, coastal culinary style and excellent meats.
I really like Bajio. Puerta vallarta used to be my favorite, but I have felt that quality and taste has gone downhill in the last few years while prices have taken a dramatic jump. I’ve tried both Jalisco’s and haven’t liked them as well either.
My only complaint about Bajio is that the last two times we have been there, we haven’t been able to get in because of the crowds. But I guess this is just a testament to how good they are. Have heard a rumor that they are opening another one in the Taylor Crossing Area, so that should help if the rumor is true.
ok4now - Great Hunan, personally, I love the General’s Shrimp. Also, that new mongolian restaurant located in the old Checkers on 17th Street is awesome.
The worst Chinese restaurant in Idaho Falls is that Chinese place on the corner of Woodruff and 17th. (behind the Chevron) I don’t remember the name, but they’ve got the absolute worst food in town. We should have realized it when we went to eat there one Friday night and the place was dead. And we all know how hard it is to get a table at any restaurant in town on a Friday night. Just about every “sit-down” restaurant in town is packed on the weekends. The food at this place was disgusting and everything had a “freezer burn” taste to it. Don’t waste your time OR money eating here.
CR67 - That would be the Chinese Garden. I haven’t eaten there in 20 years. Last time I attempted to eat their food the sauce tasted like dirty dishwater and the vegetables generally looked like leftover scraps from the trash. Sounds like it hasn’t changed much! I can’t believe they are still in business.
Oops forgot to login again.
CR, I can’t say the food was awful there but I can say that my order was totally wrong and I think because she didn’t understand me. I had to repeat what I wanted several times and the gal still didn’t get it. I tried pointing to the menu, shaking my head, nodding, nothing was working.
Whatever the case, we seem to be hitting that mongolian restaurant (in the same parking lot) a lot.
We also frequent Puerto Vallarta a lot. It used to be Sol Rio but when they charge extra to put cheese on a burrito, I have issues. And $4 extra for guacamole seemed a bit outrageous.
Frankos on First Street (the old collage) has a great Calzone. I prefer the little mom and pop places like this one over the chains and it’s all homemade from what I understand.
I’ll take Olive Garden over Johnny’s any day, and I’ll take homemade italian over both.
Thanks for the info Abby. I definately agree with you there, I much prefer the “mom & pop” restaraunts over the chains as well. I can’t stand Olive Garden and I’m not a big fan of Johnny Carrinos either, so I’ll definately have to give Francos a try as I have yet to find decent Italian food around here, other than what I make myself.
I agree with CR67 that the Chinese Garden is the worst in town. I did see they had a big sign up stating they are under new management. We should all give the new guys the benefit of the doubt and give ‘em a try.
Good places to go and my favorite dishes:
Mings- Peking Noodle Soup-Jethro Bodean size bowl with lots of shrimp & chicken.
Thai House (when there’re open) - Chicken Curry- Never had any better.
Happys: Not everything is good there but….Kung Pao Chicken- Order this #5 hot and you’ll pay for it twice. I haven’t found anything in town that even comes close. This is not gringo hot, even if you think can handle hot, this will make you cry.
Great Hunan- It’s all pretty good but I like the Pepper Chicken.
Other great restaurants in the area:
Stan’s in Blackfoot- The best fried chicken in Idaho.
Rutabagas- This is a great place and just about everything on the menu is excellent.
The Cellar- This is another great place and just about everything on the menu is excellent.
Hawg Smoke- I absolutely loved this place. Some of the best meals I have ever had but I’m pretty sure he isn’t open anymore. Anybody know ???
ISU, I know Dave has had major health problems the past couple years. It’s my understanding that they planned to reopen but haven’t heard when that might happen (or if perhaps it has). Dave at the Hawg Smoke is a very gifted cook. Unfortunately, it’s the waiting for the food that turned me off. We were lucky to have a meal two hours after ordering. If he could pick up the pace some, it would be awesome.
Has anyone tried the Collage since they moved? I’m wondering if the increase in size has affected the quality of their food.
CR67 - what don’t you like about Olive Garden? We’ve eaten there several times and haven’t had a bad meal. The long wait for tables on weekends is extremely annoying since they have a very small waiting area. Some meals are better than others but overall I’ve been happy with their food and service.
The Collage food is just as spectacular as it always has been. The move didn’t afffect the quality at all. I just saw last night a story about them in the Idaho Falls Magazine May/June issue and the food looks great there as well. I can hardly wait to get back to visit them.
I guess it’s just the Italian in me, but I’ve never enjoyed the food from the Olive Garden. Where I grew up there were numerous genuine Italian restaraunts everywhere. Mom & Pop places run by Italians that served real Italian food. The Olive Garden isn’t real Italian to me. Their food is bland and there’s just no comparrison after growing up eating authentic Italian food. I know alot of people that enjoy eating there and that’s great, I have nothing against the place, it’s just not for me.
I did have a crazy experience there once when they first opened up. My g/f at the time wanted me to take here there, so being the gentleman that I am, I did. So we’re sitting there and they told us the wait was 45 minutes, but we actually sat there for just over an hour before we finally got a seat. During this time a couple walks in the door and this guy was dressed up with his suit and tie, walks in like he owns the place and goes up to the girl and says “I need a table for two”. The girl politely says, “no problem, it’ll be about a 45 minute wait, whats your name”?. The guy than proceeded to yell at this poor girl saying, “do you know who I am? I don’t wait anywhere for a table! I want a table now or you need to go get me your manager”. The poor girl looked like she was about to cry, so she went back and got her manager. When the manager got up there he shook his hand and said “oh, I’m so sorry for the wait, please come back I can have a table cleaned off right away”. Me and all the other people sitting their waiting patiently for an hour just looked at each other in complete shock. Now I don’t know who this guy thought he was, but he made him AND his wife or girlfriend look like complete idiots. I’m not wealthy by any means, but I’ve lived in S.Florida where there are some obscenely weathly people, and I’ve never in all my years seen somebody act that way in a restaruant in order to get a table without waiting. Granted I’ve been witness to some guys quietly slip the maitre di’ a c note to get a decent table in a really fancy restaraunt, but I’ve never witnessed anybody make such a scene as this guy did, and at an Olive Garden of all places! It was quite pathetic to say the least.
That’s pretty sad, sounds like he had the whole “I’m a VIP and you better kiss my feet” act down pat. Better to have quietly slipped the hostess a bill but people here don’t generally do it that way. Talk about a tantrum! And of all places, Olive Garden? Sounds like the jerk is either new money or totally tacky, most of the real wealthy are much more quiet and sophisticated in the restaurant arena. Next time I go into Mcdonald’s I’ll try slipping the manager a $5 and maybe we’ll get a few extra happy meal toys and choice seating in the play yard…
On the Collage, still LOVE their food (the goat cheese appetizer with cherries is awesome) and we like the location much better. They serve lunch now but I haven’t been there that time of day yet. Get a window seat on a night the theater has something going, it’s fun to people-watch.
LOL….that’s exactly what we were thinking reader.
I mean yeah….i’ve met my share of stuck up snobby rich folks, but none as brash as he was…..and at an Olive Garden of all places. I like your McDonalds suggeestion….sounds like a plan! (you know how crowded those indoor playgrounds get!)
guest was probably celebrity ,if manager put them ahead anyway.any ideas? napoleon dynamite maybe?
There was a story in the local news a few years ago about Bubba’s in Jackson Hole. It seems Ahhnold (pre-Governor days) and Maria decided to drop in for a bite and just presumed they could walk up to the front of the line and be seated ahead of everyone else. The manager informed them they would have to wait in line like any other customer. That’s what the Olive Garden should have done. Especially when some jerk pulls the “do you know who I am” routine. Personally I would have just told them to leave since you can’t please someone like that anyway. They were probably obnoxious and rude to their server as well.
CR67 - I don’t consider Olive Garden or Carino’s authentic Italian either but I still enjoy much of their food. As far as I know there are no real Italian places anywhere within a hundred miles. I wish we had a few to pick from. Oh well it’s a good thing I can cook!
The day I wait an hour to eat at an Olive Garden will be the same day I go in for elective prostate surgery. I liken restaurants like Olive Garden, Carino’s, Texas Roadhouse, Applebees, etc. to MacDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Arbys, etc…and it has never ceased to amaze me to drive by these chains and see people standing outside to get in while our locally owned eateries go out of business.
These are places have no more emotional investment in Idaho Falls than they do in the hundreds of other towns they occupy. They are here to make money for the sake of making money. The menus are designed for the masses and prepared by high school kids making minimum wage. The only difference between the upper end chains and the fast food joints is the atmosphere and the price. Get in, shovel our “gruel” in, pay us, and get the hell out. NEXT!!
Frankos, Collage, Vinno Rosso, The Villa, and so many more locally owned places that need our support, come on Idaho Fallsites. Screw the chains, Buy Idaho. The food is better, you’re helping out your neighbors, you won’t have to wait in line for an hour, and it’s a lot easier than booking elective prostate surgery at Mountain View….
I wonder how the Manager of the Olive Garden, who was there every hour for the first few weeks after opening, who had only recently moved from Cedar City, Utah, knew who his guy was. In fact when they first opened, all the managers at the time were from out of state. I am going to take CR67’s observation with a grain of salt. Like my hero Judge Judy always says “if it doesn’t sound true, it isn’t!” Just my opinion.
Best Italian in Eastern Idaho? Buddy’s.
Italian we no longer have that was incredible? Drive in near the high school in Blackfoot. The gentleman running it died.
There are some incredible locally-owned Italian restaurants in Salt Lake City and at least one in Boise. I hope people patronize them when they visit those places.
Idaho Falls has a lot of choice in the Mexican and Asian categories, though.
Steve Piper? when? how?
Last time I ate at Buddy’s was 3 or 4 years ago and it was utterly disgusting. I was really surprised since the food had always been really good the many times over the years I ate there before. There were 6 in our party for lunch and none of us had a decent meal. My Italian sausage sandwich was so tough and dry I couldn’t even chew it. The salad was even bad! Who ever heard of a bad Buddy’s salad? The server didn’t even ask how our meal was, she just threw our check on the table on the way by. We haven’t returned since. I hope that day was just a fluke and not a trend or their long history will soon be history.
CafeDelSol-
As much as I hate to say it, the last two meals I had at Buddy’s were crappy as well. That was my college hang-out back in the early eighties and the food was really good. When I moved back to the area about 10 years ago I couldn’t wait to eat at Buddy’s again. It wasn’t as good as I remembered it and at this point it’s just plain sub-par.
What do you do? Go to Buddy and ask what happened - why does your food suck these days?
On the bright side, Portneuf Valley Brewery is serving some innovative dishes as is the new place (can’t remember the name) next to the food co-op on First St. in Pocatello.
I’m definitely going to give the London a try this weekend.
If I had witnessed that scene at the Olive Garden I would have asked for the manager and told him off, then left and never returned. If he wants to give angry whiny line-jumper folks preferential treatment he doesn’t deserve my business.
I have always hated that behavior in any business. Whenever I have a poor service or poor food complaint, I make it a point to tell the manager or the server, but I always refuse any free offering they make because I want my point to get across. I didn’t make the comment to get free food, and free food won’t make the situation better.
I’m afraid sometimes they just think the complaint was not valid, that I was only angling for a freebie. However, if I refuse the offering, they may take me seriously and realize that my reason to complain was a genuine effort to notify them of a situation that they may not be aware of.
If they treat me with respect I will return to give them another chance. If they dismiss me they have lost my business.
On the flip side, I am quick with praise to a manager, too, and even emails to corporate HQ.
I think it was the local owner not from here by the way.arrived in a limo, manager new he was coming.
Good try, but an “owner” wouldn’t make a scene in front of everybody and tell the maitre di’ that he “doesn’t wait for a table anywhere” and then demand to see the manager. An owner would walk in and quietly announce his presence and nicely ask for the manager. And no….it wasn’t the “Napolean Dynamite” kid either.
It was just some jerk that thought he was better than everyone else and was trying to show off in front of his date. He was obviously over compensating for a lack of something else. A real man wouldn’t act like that, no matter how much money he has. Especially at a restaraunt like the Olive Garden. What a sad life he must live.
But thats just my opinion.
I hope you don’t mind if I try to refocus this discussion.
What is the absolute BEST restaurant in Idaho Falls? Let’s skip talking about those who can’t do it right. What about those who can? YOU tell ME what is the BEST restaurant in the city.
I want to know so I can go there, pay them money and have a great time and not be insulted or pi**ed off because somebody did something wrong.
Just tell me what it is, I want to know!
The Volunteer
The Cellar
Hawg Smoke Cafe….the cook is a biker. The food is awesome. The atmosphere…interesting and not what you would expect…..maybe this is the weakest link. Try it out though.
I heard Dave was ill and not running Hawg Smoke as much, so if he’s up and going, I should visit. I like his style.
I also like Johnny Carino’s, it may not be authentic Italian but it’s good service (usually) and they have several dishes that I really enjoy. I like their food better than OG.
I’ve never been there but I’ve only heard good things about Cellar’s.
For fast food, I like the Gang Plank on Holmes/Elva.
For Chinese food, I tend to go to the Great Wall on 1st St. I’m not a fan of the buffet line but they have a good fresh stir fry (Mongolian Style) that I enjoy. For regular Chinese dishes, I like Canton in the strip mall on 17th.
For food from India, I travel to Poky to visit Sanju’s on Main St. He is a good host.
Volunteer, for the most part, what one person likes another may not enjoy (and I’m not talking menu items per se). Let us know when you find a place YOU really like, and why!