Loading ...The Split Between Promise and Execution
Posted by Foobooz on April 6th, 2009
Craig LaBan turns down shots at El Camino Real and suffers through the kitchen’s inconsistencies.
The raucous pace of which also seemed to unsettle the kitchen, where culinary ambitions were too often sacrificed to sloppy execution. The homemade chips were so greasy, I could see a reflection. The guacamole had the dull olive gloss of avocados mashed too long before dinner. The nachos were ordinary. The desserts? Fried buñuelos as heavy as leaden dough. Gelatinous cobbler. “Seasonal” shaved ice featuring watermelon and pineapple. (Stick with the pecan pie.)
There were a number of promising dishes gone wrong. The cheese-stuffed enchiladas, supposedly baked to order, were so dried out from the heat that their crusts buckled up around the edges like an orphan forgotten in the oven too long. Still, the flavor of the chile-stewed gravy was spot-on earthy with roasted ancho and guajillo peppers, tomatoes, and Coke (a.k.a. “Mexican demiglace”), a reminder that this chef has the right ideas even when the execution doesn’t hit. Similarly, I loved the taste of the meaty Texas chile, with its habanero kick and sassy cinnamon-cumin kiss. It’s a shame it wasn’t adequately reheated.
One Bell – Hit or Miss
El Camino Real [Philadelphia Inquirer]
El Camino Real [Official Site]
Related Tags: Barbecue, Craig-LaBan, El Camino Real, Mexican, Northern-Liberties, Reviewed
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Horrible….Went on a not so busy night and the service was horrible. Not just that but rude wait staff and manger. The date was May 24. The manager should be fired! The bbq sauce holders, tried 3 off them were stuck and they squirted all of us and the table. We asked for the manager and he offered to clean our clothes, told him we could wash them and then he quickly walked away…not even I am really sorry!
At the end the waiter just shoved a bill at us and did not even offer coffee or dessert for us to purcahse. And by the way the table and booth were also filthy….if they don’t take care of what patrons see can you imagine what goes on behind the scenes? Never again!