El Jimador

[Follett]

My wife and I went to El Jimador in Belmont the other day for lunch. What a nice experience it was. The place is quite large, split into 2 sections. One section has tables and a bar, the other section has booths. The restaurant was pretty crowded for a lunch with most of the booths taken, but we were seated right away. The waiter brought out some salsa and fresh chips and took our drink order. We took our time looking at the menu, which is quite large. The service was great, the food was freshly made and very good, the atmosphere was clean and very comfortable , and the prices were fair. What more could you ask for?

[phoenix]

to me it is the best Mexican food in lakes region.

[jetskier]

It is certainly the most authentic...not TexMex.

Frankly, we have never had a bad meal there. The service is sometimes a bit variable, but really not problematic. This is our favorite choice for Mexican food in the lakes region.

Jetskier

[nicole]

We really enjoy the food-it is great. The service-not so great.

[BroadHopper]

Question for you food junkies.

What's the difference between, Mex, TexMex and Southwestern cuisine?

[upthesaukee]

We went to supper between Christmas and New Years with friends and had a great night. Good food, good service. We'll be back.

[jetskier]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Question for you food junkies.

What's the difference between, Mex, TexMex and Southwestern cuisine?

Here is what Wikipedia has to say on the topic:

"Tex-Mex" (portmanteau of Texan and Mexican) is a term used to describe a regional American cuisine that blends food products available in the United States and the culinary creations of Mexican-Americans influenced by the cuisines of Mexico.

The Cuisine of the Southwestern United States is food styled after the rustic cooking of the Southwestern United States. It is also known to be very popular in the west coast state of California. It comprises a fusion of recipes for things that might have been eaten by Spanish colonial settlers, cowboys, Native Americans,[1] and Mexicans throughout the post-Columbian era; there is, however, a great diversity in this kind of cuisine throughout the Southwestern states.

The staples of Mexican foods are typically corn and beans. Corn is used to make masa, a dough for tamales, tortillas, gorditas, and many other corn-based foods. Corn is also eaten fresh, as corn on the cob and as a component of a number of dishes. Squash and chili peppers are also prominent in Mexican cuisine. Mexican cuisine is considered one of the most varied in the world, after Chinese and Indian.

Locally, I find that the difference between tex-mex and mexican food is that the tex-mex is usually very heavily focused on the cheese. Mexican dishes tend to be more focused on corn, rice and beans. Clearly, the recipes and spicing are different as well.

Hope this helps.

Jetskier

[Jonas Pilot]

... this definition of Tex/Mex food.


"Tex-Mex food might be described as native foreign food, contradictory through that term may seem, It is native, for it does not exist elsewhere; it was born on this soil. But it is foreign in that its inspiration came from an alien cuisine; that it has never merged into the mainstream of American cooking and remains alive almost solely in the region where it originated..."
---Eating in America, Waverly Root & Richard de Rochemont [William Morrow:New York] 1976 (p. 281)

For more interesting information on the culinary evolution with our neighbors to the south follow this link.

http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodmexican.html

[phoenix]

living in Phoenix we have sonoran Mexican which tends to have refried beans where Tex mex usually you get black beans

[trfour]

Nice to see that a new Restaurant in the Lakes Region is having a favorable reception.

To Quote phoenix; ' living in Phoenix we have sonoran Mexican which tends to have refried beans where Tex mex usually you get black beans '.

In Texas/Mex, the black beans start out as pinto beans, and through the cooking processes, with other things added, come out darker.
Charro beans are a great addition to a mexican meal. You can easily make these
at home. To do so you will need uncooked pinto beans, bacon, garlic, onion, roma
tomatoes, salt, chili powder, cumin, cilantro and cold water.


Tex/Mex gives you more choices on the menu. Wise?

Terry
______________________________________

[moose tracks]

We were there for dinner on New Year's Eve. Our second time dining at El Jimador and it was very good, food and service. We started with margaritas, stuffed jalapeno poppers, guacamole, salsa with chips, then ordered chicken and shrimp fajitas and the Camarones ala Mexicana with flan for dessert. Our only complaint was that the entrees were served before we finished the appetizer. We would go back.

[chefbrown]

Love El Jimador!! We have been there many times since it's opening and love the food. Service has never been an issue for my family and we can be picky most of the time. We reccommend El Jimador to our friends whenever good places to eat comes up. Love the Fajitas Viartas (chicken, steak, and chorizo). We get the homemade poppers every time!! Too bad the margaritas I like are $12. I would have more:-)

[chefjaysonm]

The folks are wonderful...we have been known to visit sometimes 3 times in week! Every time, the waiters come by our table to shake hands and say hi to us....treat us like the mayor on every occasion. Lucio makes a mean margarita

If you like pork....try the chili Verde...very authentic preparation, and it is the only thing I order now....you can even buy their Verde in pints and quarts to take home!

Over all....my family's #1 place to go eat....we've been there easily 40 times!

[mishman]

I agree with the postings. This is as good as Mexican gets this far north. Service was prompt and friendly and the food was very good. Prices can't be beat either. Definitely worth a trip if you like Mexican.

[Overlake97]

Chefjasonm took the words right out of my mouth:

"If you like pork....try the chili Verde...very authentic preparation, and it is the only thing I order now...."

I usually use Chili Verde as my mexican restaurant comparison dish, and El Jimador's version is better than any I've tried in the Northeast. Occasionally, I'll have something else, which is also great, but the verde calls me back every time! Interesting to know they'll sell it in bulk.

[AKADQ]

Finally got a chance to go to El Jimador for the first time this past weekend and I've got to say, I was impressed with the staff and the food . The Lakes Region is fortunate to have another great restaurant. Our server was Caguamo and he was attentive and professional and our total bill was $58.32 plus tip for three meals, two margarita's and a soft drink.
We definitely will be back...

[Slickcraft]

We stopped in today after reading the good reviews here and Google local. So maybe our expectations were higher than normal.

The decor was family oriented, clean and neat but nothing special. The service was friendly. We got chips and salsa right away, OK but not as good as Cactus Jack's. Our meals were also OK but not any better than OK. Both were of the nature that we would not consider ordering again. The draft beer selection was uninteresting and I defaulted to Sam Adams which was flat and stale. My wife's Dos Exes draft was much fresher. The background music was, well, after a while something we could do without.

Overall we are not sure if we will try it again. Definitely not on a par with El Centenario in Wolfeboro.

[braunbayboater]

I usually don't post unless I see something that I view as contrary to my thought of an establishment. I have to say we have had nothing but good food and great service at El Jimador. We first stopped there on one of our Friday afternoon trips to the Lake and were extremely pleased with everything we ordered. My favorite is the Chile Relleno combo - the peppers are cooked just right and the sauce is delicious! We don;t usually order mixed drinks when we stop there because we still have some driving to do to arrive at our destination and also I found them quite expensive! this restaurant is a great addition to the Lakes Region and we try to stop there every few weeks.

[Diver Vince]

In our past visits, they have consistently provided great Tex Mex cuisine, reasonable prices, good portion size and excellent service.

[RLW]

chefjaysonm, I just noticed that you are fairly new to posting on the forum and glad you have joined us. Have fun and enjoy the Winni Forum while making many new friends. I’m a tad bit late, but noticed that you had only posted one or two posts making you in my eyes a new poster to the site. I’m glad that you inputted you feelings of your favorite eating place. Please continue to post your inputs as we all enjoy what you have to say.

[RLW]

Diver Vince, I just noticed that you are fairly new to posting on the forum and glad you have joined us. Have fun and enjoy the Winni Forum while making many new friends. I’m very sorry for not getting this in earlier, but many sor’ta slipped by me, again sorry for being tardy with this.