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Cancun brings Mexico to the mall

January 18, 2007 12:50 am

By NANCY DEARING ROSSBACHER and STEPHEN W. SYLVIA

For THE FREE LANCE-STAR

She: I can hear the phone call now. "U-Haul? We're moving. How much to rent a van?" "How far do you have to go?" "Oh, about 500 yards."

A van was likely unnecessary. Backpacks and walking shoes might've been all that was needed to effect the relocation from owner John Soto's previous establishment, Aztlan Mexican Restaurant in Spotsylvania Towne Center. The short move and complete name change took place last autumn when Soto and staff resettled in the former location of Ruby Tuesday in the mall.

He: Many of the architectural basics remain those of the previous tenant: the rows of booths alongside the windowed walkway on one side, the long wooden bar with brass rails opposite, the pressed-tin ceiling and the Art Deco white-and-black tile floor.

Gone are the ersatz Tiffany lamps overhead, replaced by less vivid but more restful hanging lights.

Some of the Mexican-theme wall hangings from Aztlan made the trip, and the aural attitude has shifted too, as Latin music now plays softly in the background.

She: When we arrived on a recent weekday evening, we were warmly greeted, quickly seated, and handed slick, colorful, multipage menus of the type more commonly encountered in chains than in stand-alone, family operations such as this. Several pages give a strong nod to the lunch trade, with numerous low-price and dollar-off items served until 2:30 p.m.

Lost in the labyrinth of taco-burrito-enchilada combinations, I made the only sane response. I leaned into a golden, ice-cold Pacifico Clara ($3.50).

He: They don't call it a margarita bar for nothing. Of the more than a dozen varieties described on the tabletop menu, I went for a "medium" Cancun Margarita ($8.99), a mix of Cuervo, Grand Marnier and a splash of orange juice.

The 24-ounce drink arrived in a glass the size and shape of a large-caliber artillery shell. Fortunately, it was slightly less explosive. Smooth, icy, and rimmed with turquoise salt, the drink made it clear that Cancun is serious about its 'ritas.

She: Accompanying the drinks and on the house--as they are for all diners--were tortilla chips and two sauces: a creditable traditional salsa and a sour-cream-based dip that danced from mellow to spicy after seconds on the tongue.

Our energetic server made several dinner recommendations, including El Casuelon (a grilled chicken and ribeye combo, $10.99), a Famous!!! BTO Loco (an ornate burrito, $8.99) and Yolanda's Dinner (a three-enchilada special, $8.99).

I peppered him with joking questions: Famous with whom? Who's Yolanda, and why didn't she rate three exclamation points? Full marks for the youthful, good-natured server, who grinned and whisked away with our dinner orders.

He: Which arrived in record time. The steak and shrimp entree ($13.75), an a la parilla (on the grill) special, weighs in as one of the most expensive items on the affordable menu. The ribeye, cooked perfectly to medium-rare specification, was somewhat slender but very tender, and topped with more than a dozen shrimp of moderate size. What set it apart was the addition of nicely browned onion slices atop and a generous, cheesy sauce.

While nothing was particularly spicy, a side option of fresh guacamole and sour cream salad was a good go-with.

She: The Super Combination ($10.99) was custom-designed for the indecisive. Not to mention those with an appetite the size of Central America itself.

A platter cradled a plump tamale, a beef-filled taco and a corn tortilla topped with an impressive tower of well-seasoned ground beef, crunchy lettuce and creamy guacamole.

But wait. There's more. Yet a second platter held a chile relleno blanketed with cheese, a cheese enchilada drizzled with tomato sauce, flavorful rice and ultra-smooth refried beans with a dollop of melted cheese.

With portions of such magnitude, it's no wonder that Cancun has a phalanx of to-go boxes stacked up on the onetime salad-bar island. I'll add that I'd tried the same platter at Aztlan in the past, and this was, if anything, even more generous than its predecessor.

He: Cancun offers several South of the Border desserts, and on this visit, I found the flan ($3.50) disappointingly rubbery. Were I to do it over again, I'd opt for the sopaipillas ($3.50) or the churros con cajeta ($4.50), a cinnamony, deep-fried dough confection.

She: A note on cleanliness. None of the health department inspections since Cancun opened has noted a single violation, minor or critical, which is a bit of a coup. (Yes, we check these things.)

He: Last thoughts: affordable, plentiful fare with a Central American flair.

She: Despite the fact that the site has been Ruby Tuesday for decades, this is not Martes Rojo. It's Cancun, which is putting its own, very personal stamp on the location.

Nancy Dearing Rossbacher and Stephen W. Sylvia publish a Civil War magazine together. She likes to cook. He likes to eat. To reach Rossbacher and Sylvia, e-mail them at
Email: editor@nstcivilwar.com. Or call 540/374-5448 with comments about today's restaurant review.