SEBASTIAN — Around last year’s Cinco de Mayo celebration, Mexican food surpassed Italian and Chinese as the most popular ethnic cuisine in America.
Fortunately, Sebastian area residents have an excellent way of satisfying that growing appetite for Mexican food at Ay! Jalisco at 1814 U.S. 1.
The restaurant is part of a small chain run by Jalisco native Gloria and her husband.
Jalisco is a western Mexican state. Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city, is the capital.
Guadalajara is the origin of Mexico’s famous mariachi musicians, but Ay! Jalisco offers much more than just regional Jalisco dishes or mariachi music.
Actually, the ambience is much more typical of northern Mexico with the decorations and paintings on the walls and the tables, and “ranchera” background music.
It is sometimes said that you can judge the authenticity of an ethic restaurant by whether people of that particular ethnic group actually eat there themselves.
By that standard, Ay! Jalisco would fail the litmus test because when my better half and I and a companion walked in on a recent Tuesday evening, the place was full and we had to wait a few minutes for a table.
But it appeared to be full of “gringos,” or “norteamericanos” as they call us.
By any other test, however, Ay! Jalisco passes the authenticity test for Mexican food with flying colors.
The extensive menu offers most typical Mexican dishes; the TV in the background is permanently on a Mexican sports channel from a satellite dish, and the entire staff appears to be Hispanic, mostly Mexican, although they all speak excellent English and are very capable of explaining the finer points of the dishes to the uninitiated.
On this evening, Luis from Veracruz, brought us bowls of chips and salsa immediately after we sat down, followed by big glasses of ice water when we requested them.
Then Tony, a very knowledgeable and experienced waiter who hails from El Salvador took over. He knew what he was doing, to the point of keeping us informed when one of the three appetizers we had ordered took a little longer to arrive – it was worth the wait because it turned out to be the “piece de la resistance.”
For starters, I chose a cup of the classic tortilla soup ($2.49), which had lots of chicken at the bottom and was very tasty, and our companion went for the refried bean dip ($3.49), which he found smooth and accompanied by chips with just the right crispness.
But the winner among the appetizers, ordered by my better half, was definitely the quesadilla de mariscos (seafood), a very pretty-looking plate at $6.49 with the side accouterments of lettuce, sour cream and pico de gallo arranged in the green, white and red colors of the Mexican flag.
For his main entrée, our companion chose the tacos de asada, a classic dish of sliced beef arranged in three corn tortillas ($11.49), and he reported the meat was seasoned and cooked just right for his taste.
I went for the tacos al pastor ($10.79), which was probably the least successful of our three choices that evening for a main dish. This pork meat sliced off vertical spits – al pastor means shepherd- style – is supposed to be moist and juicy, but mine was a little dry.
Once again my better half showed she had a knack for ordering just the right thing with her pollo poblano (Puebla-style) dish, clearly the best of the lot at $11.79. The chicken meat was delicious, the sides of zucchini and onions were crisp and tender, and the sauce was simply to die for. She took half of it home for the next evening’s dinner to leave room for dessert.
Ay! Jalisco apparently likes to add whipped cream and cherries, because all three of our desserts came with them, our companion’s flan ($3.29), which was just what he expected from this typical Mexican custard; my better half’s sopapillas ($2.99), crepes sprinkled with cinnamon, and my own Mexican fried cheesecake ($4.99), which this time proved to be the best of the lot and was shared by all.
Ay! Jalisco has a head chef and five cooks at each of its restaurants, including our own in Sebastian, to ensure consistency of the dishes on the menu.
Our Sebastian restaurant has a few outside tables in addition to the roomy inside which guarantees you’ll never have to wait long for a table. It’s ideal for small groups or families and children seemed to be having as good a time as the adult diners.
The restaurant also has a full bar and makes a decent margarita, which my better half attested to. But the main reason to come is for the great Mexican food at very reasonable prices.
A three-course dinner for three with drinks, tax and tip barely came to $80.
If the name Ay! Jalisco makes you think of strolling mariachis with fiddles and trumpets, you’ll be somewhat disappointed. But if you want great Mexican food in an authentic ambience with friendly, efficient service at prices that won’t hurt your wallet, Ay! Jalisco will live up to and probably exceed your expectations.
The reviewer dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of the Sebastian River News.
