Casa Maria - 4327 S 1st St 3.9/5

 The boys met up with old bandmate John Cocke ( pronounced "coke", dangit) and everything lead to enchiladas. They went to Casa Maria, just around the corner from their secret headquarters. When preparing for a jam session proper nutrition is essential!

The Three Amigos! John, Steve, Rusty.

 The chips and salsa came out in good time and the boys reminisced about good old times. The chips weren't particularly stand out but the salsa was. Casa Maria graces you with two salsas, a fresh red salsa and a spicy, green avocado salsa. They are both mighty good with the avocado salsa serving up an extra punch in the spice department. Steve was especially enamored of the smooth and spicy avocado salsa. 

 John is a big fan of chicken verde enchiladas, his litmus test for a good enchilada. He likes the firm texture of the chicken as opposed to the picadillo or cheese enchiladas. So naturally, John ordered the chicken enchiladas with green sauce.  Rusty went with one of his favorites, suizas with beef enchiladas (an off menu recommendation!). Steve went with the enchiladas supremas, beef enchiladas and red sauce with a side of guacamole.

chicken with green sauce

John was very pleased with his enchiladas. While he wouldn't have minded a little more sauce (an ¡Enchiladas! peeve) he found the enchiladas to be quite tasty. He really liked the bacon flavor of the beans and the fluffiness of the rice, as well.

 "It was a clean place with a nice decor. The chips were average, as was the red salsa. Their green salsa however was very good with a creeping, lingering heat. The enchiladas verdes had good flavor and were sauced just enough to not be dry. The rice and beans were solid. Overall I enjoyed the meal and would happily go again." - John Cocke

 Steve made short work of his enchiladas supremas. Like John, he wouldn't have minded just a little more sauce, but the sauce was rich and flavorful. The fresh guacamole was a nice touch and the ample picadillo filling was spiced quite nicely. Steve really liked the chunky texture of the beans and the flavorful rice.

enchiladas supremas

enchiladas suizas

with beef

 Rusty was tipped off to the beef suizas once before by an astute waitress. While they are not on the menu there was no trouble ordering them. The flavors blended together very well and reminded Rusty of why he always comes back to the suizas. The sour cream was like an extra dose of sauce and really kicked up the whole plate. Rusty added some to the beans and to the rice with spectacular results, He was jealous of Steve's guacamole but didn't need it.

 Casa Maria serves up a good enchilada. The menu is ripe with enchilada options and they have proven to be tasty all around. The service was attentive and multiple salsas is always a plus. At $8.99 the suizas and supremas aren't a bad deal at all, and at $7.99 John's chicken enchiladas were a pretty good bargain. Whether they are around the corner from your secret headquarters or not, Casa Maria is a great choice for lunch. -¡!-