Critic's Review
I hadn't been to Casa Frida in 5 years, so the review on here was clearly stale; the overwhelmingly good reviews online didn't sway me one bit; Fort Lauderdale is a dishonest town loaded with people who've never had really good food. When Rocco's Tacos is the bar; the bar is low. Very low.
It started badly as the strip mall is under construction. There was heavy equipment in the middle of the lot and many parking spots had building materials behind them and it didn't appear safe. I had to go all of the way around the block again to enter via the north entrance to the center. They have a banner up indicating that they're open; the construction can't be helping business.
The outside space is really impressive here; you'd think after 5 years they could invest in at least some outdoor furniture that matches. Great way to get people into your restaurant.
Not much has changed here aside from some specials boards. Pictures of the widely unknown "Frida" still on the wall. There's no hostess at Casa Frida; the server tried to seat me in the middle of the room but I wanted to sit on the wall, so I had to wait for her to clear some tables.
While waiting for her to clear the tables, I grabbed a menu at the hostess stand. Their lunch menu is completely different from the one on their web site, which has kept me away for years. The menu is larger and less expensive. So all of my pre-lunch research had been wasted.
Finally I got a seat. I didn't consider the specials because there were no prices on the board. Some of it sounded interesting but asking someone who speaks broken English about them is too painful to consider.
They also have a little bar here, because part of the dream of owning a restaurant is to have a bar. I'm not coming here for drinks.
My server came by and I ordered an iced tea. "Do you have lemon". "Yes", she answered. And then she brought me this.
Do you see why I don't like to ask these people about the specials? Lemons are yellow, people. The tea was cloudy and it wasn't regular brewed iced tea. I couldn't tell you what flavor it was, nor was any explanation provided.
To avoid confusion, I ordered by number. "Number 6 Please", I said, pointing to the item on the menu. She took the menu and read the entire item off, as if it was the first time she'd ever seen the menu. I nodded as she read off the correct item. Remember this.
Music is a Gypsy Kings loop; All Gypsy Kings all of the time.
Unexpectedly, soup is put in front of me 5 minutes after getting the Tea.
I'm not quite sure what it was; chicken soup with too much cilantro? There was elbow macaroni in the soup. Chicken broth is good for you so I had some of that while I waited.
3 minutes later, chips and salsa arrived. Why does it take 8 minutes to get chips and salsa in such a small restaurant?
The chips weren't warm and had no salt or seasoning; the salsa was closer to tomato juice than salsa. I guess they're saving on tomatoes?
Easily the worst excuse for salsa I've ever been given. Surprising, because the salsa wasn't bad when they first opened. So I assume that they know how to make salsa; this is bad restaurant salsa from a place watching their costs without concern for the product.
There was also an unlabeled squeeze bottle of something on the table; I asked my server what it was: "House made Hot Sauce. It's good in the soup". When I was just about done with the soup I put some in the soup to try it. It ruined what was left of the soup.
They let people write on the walls; a gimmick that appeals to people who like to write on walls. People also write on the walls in bathrooms and in abandoned lots. Not sure what the big idea is with this.
My server came over and asked what kind of meat I wanted in my tostada. A confused look came over my face. "It says it comes with a chicken enchilada". She got a menu and pointed to #5. "No, I said #6". Good Grief. "Oh, good thing I came over", she said. Yes indeed.
I expected this to slow down the order, but Mexican food is highly prepped. The #6 didn't look too bad, except for the ridiculous and unnecessary cilantro leaf garnish.
But as I dug in, disappointment mounted. The refried beans were completely smooth and had no taste at all. I assumed that the white stuff was crema, but it had zero taste; as if it was milk and flour.
They have "rice of the day" here, and this stuff was some sort of cilantro rice (there was no description or explanation of this rice). Bottom line; it wasn't very good. I don't particularly care for cilantro rice.
My first 2 bites of the Chile Relleno yielded me no cheese filling; I had noticed that it seemed kind of flat. I cut it open to find that there was almost no cheese inside; what's the point of a stuffed chili if there is no cheese inside? The rancho sauce (the orange stuff) had an unpleasant, pungent taste.
On the other side of the plate, the chicken enchilada was filled with dry, flavorless shredded chicken. It was as if they boiled unseasoned chicken instead of braising it in a flavorful broth. There are a thousand ways to season chicken for an enchilada, and none of them were implemented here. Imagine shredding a boiled chicken breast and wrapping it in a tortilla.
So what I had was a plate of calories with not a lot of taste. I was offered a refill on my tea; I asked for my check and was out the door 50 minutes after arriving.
Conclusion
On my first visit I ordered a combo that included a Chile Relleno, enchilada and some pork; now the combo deletes the pork. Back in those days I was kinder to new small business startups; for reasons that are counterproductive. I thought it was terrible; like when you're a kid and your friend's Mom invites you to stay for dinner and puts some slop in front of you, and you say you like it. The food is actually a bit better now; they're certainly more organized. But the food now looks the same as the stuff you get everywhere else.
La Bamba, Jalisco and Cafe Tipico are all much better than this; their food has some taste. The narrative that this place is more authentic because it's run by Mexicans is total bunk; Authentic Mexican food is bursting with flavor. This food had no flavor at all.
I wouldn't trust the dinner menu on their website; the lunch menu is completely different.
Review 3/13/12
Casa Frida is a new Mexican restaurant in the storefront that used to be California Burgers and Shakes. With all of the Mexican fast food places opening on US1, I really didn't expect much here. But when you walk in, you can tell that this is no fast food joint.
The place has a small bar and nice tables and chairs; it's decorated with the artwork of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, which is where they get the name. The place is a little bright during the day with the big storefront windows; they have something in the works to make the place more intimate.
The restaurant is run by a couple who will serve you personally and introduce you to a bit of Mexican culture. They started me off with a sample of some of their home made Mexican "water"; The Agua de Papaya was my favorite.
They don't have seltzer so I had to get a pellegrino; the large bottle is $4.50. Next came the chips and salsa; freshly made chips and salsas that were a lot better than the stuff you get at the fast food places. I usually can't eat the green stuff; but this was very good.
While I was waiting they brought out some sort of chipotle concoction; I'm not sure what it was, but it was AWFUL.
I ordered a daily combo special, the El Gordo Diego which includes a Chile Relleno, Grilled pork loin steak and a cheese enchilada, as well as sides of rice and re-fried bean for $12.95. It came out pretty quickly.
The enchilada had chicken in it and the Chile Relleno was stuffed with beef rather than cheese (I don't see such an item on the menu); they probably should have clarified that on the specials menu. No matter, I was just sampling a few things, but most people like to get what they're expecting. The pork loin was better than expected, and I liked the fact that they had refried black beans instead of the usual alpo-like stuff. Even the red rice was pretty good, different for sure.
I don't think this is really "authentic"; it's Mexican home cooking and we all know that home cooking isn't always restaurant quality. it's not really what I'm looking for when I eat Mexican.
