Ah, La Rondalla, your history and reputation inhabit a friendly space in my memories. I used to eat regularly at your old incarnation, waited patiently through your remodel and drama and finally ate in the clean, spacious place you have become. Your food is great but I have some issues with both the food and the environment.
My suspicion is that this restaurant went the way of the old Roosevelt's Tamale Parlor on Mission - same place, same name, but gentrified and fusioned by different owners. La Rondalla used to be a "mom's-cooking-in-the-kitchen" kind of place, nothing fancy, just standard Mexican fare. It used to be dark, dingy, even a little dirty, with so many layers of years of decorations that you almost missed the archival photos of dead animals and fish on the walls. Almost.
It is not that now. So, I will refrain from comparison.
The Burritos Mojados De Chile Verde Y Chile Colorado (two wet pork burritos of chile verde and chile colorado topped with sour cream) were delicious. The pork was cooked to perfection and each sauce was a distinct delight, yet complimented the other. It came with a little salad with the Mexican version of Thousand Island dressing; nothing to write home about, just a little crunch of iceberg. The sauces were deep and flavorful. So, good food. Not homey Mexican good, more upscale, modern good.
As for the interior of the restaurant, it was cavernous, cold and loud. Even the warm colors and leftover St. Patrick's Day decorations (?) could not warm the place up. Sound ricocheted off the hard walls, ceiling and tile floors, so that any conversation had to be conducted in a shout. I cannot image what the sound level is like if the place is busy because it was pretty empty when we were there and we left soon after eating, just so we could talk to each other.
So, if you want some good almost-Mexican food, it is a great place to eat. But do not go if you are nostalgic for the old La Rondalla because it has gone through a metamorphose into something not better, not worse, just different. I actually resent establishments that are trying to attract folks back to something that no longer exists. I would prefer they be open about their new interpretation of an iconic destination and not try to pass themselves off as something they are not.
Eat, drink and be merry
Mary:
I’ve been hearing about La Rondalla for a long time. It’s
been shut for about ten years and whenever we walked past it’s empty self, I wondered what would become of that site. So it’s opened again, same site, same
name and the manager is a relative of the original owner.
The food was excellent. I had Fajitas De Carne Asada:
grilled skirt steak sautéed with tomatoes, onions and bell peppers served with
sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo. ($15.50) I ordered this dish because
it reminded me of my favorite meal at the now defunct Mom is Cooking. I wasn’t
disappointed. The meat was tender, and the vegetables were fully cooked and
crisp…pulled off the heat at just the right moment. Very delicious. A sweet old
gentleman passed by our table several times asking if everything was to our satisfaction.
We muttered that it was, with our mouths full. I wish I had spoken more to him
because I suspect that he was the original owner…but I was distracted by the
good food. I tasted from the plates of my tablemates, and everything was good
enough to consider ordering.
The décor was bright, clean. The ding to this experience was
the din. La Rondalla is large with high ceilings, so it’s almost impossible to
hear the conversation at a small table for four. La Randalla is definitely a
good place to savor good Mexican food. It’s definitely not a place to converse
and expect to hear or be heard.
Jesse:
At long last, La Rondalla is back!!!! WOOHOO!! I am delighted to see what the new restaurant is all about. In my twenties, I spent many hours, after hours actually, sitting in one of their booths after a delightful evening of dancing on Valencia St. I loved the decor. Their food was so so, but the decor and patrons were great. So many layers of Christmas decorations sparkled everywhere. I loved it. I'm a big fan of Christmas and Mexican food, but not so much the photos of the hunters, fisherman and their dead animals that also decorated the walls in this establishment. But somehow, it all worked and I was very comfortable here to eat, lounge and watch the people go by. Yum.
Well, the new place is very different. Same huge interior. The bar is in the main room now and there are still two large dining rooms with high ceilings. No more lovely funky decorations tho. I didn't really expect it, but I hoped it would have some character. This place looks like all the other modern Mexican food joints. A bit boring. Clean and boring. So, hopefully the food will be better. One good thing is the kitchen is open and you can watch while they cook. I always enjoy that.
As my friends have mentioned, the high ceilings let the place get LOUD really fast. It was maybe a third full and it was already too loud to hear each other.
So we speak really loud and commence to enjoy our food, which is really, really good. Much better than the old place. The waitstaff is knowledgable and helpful with food allergies. I ordered the Tampiquena, strips of tender beef sauteed in a home - made red salsa with sautéed potatoes (french fries), jalapeno chile, onion, tomatoes and bell peppers for $13.50. Yum. Would order this again even if I had to yell to do it.
They have two bathrooms and one has a diaper table. Boring but pretty clean.
Ratings:
Food: 3.7 stars out of 5
Ambiance: 3
Bathroom: 3
No comments:
Post a Comment