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Type: Mexican
Good choices: Carnitas, pollo en salsa de mango, pollo cilantro, enchiladas verdas, mole poblano, combinacion sarape.
Hours: Mon-Thurs. 3-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11:30 a.m-11 p.m. Sun.1:30-10 p.m. Lunch also served Wed.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Credit cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Discover
Access: Fully accessible.
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EL SARAPE
5 Commercial Street, Braintree
(781) 843-8005
Restaurant reviewed 10/15/98 by Bella English
Affordable restaurants abound on the South Shore, but affordable good restaurants are a rarer find. So we were pleasantly surprised -- thrilled, in fact -- when we visited El Sarape, a Mexican restaurant on the Braintree-Weymouth line.
The storefront setting doesn't look like much on the outside, but step inside and the Mexican faces that greet you, from host to waiter, are a hopeful hint of authenticity. The owners, Guillermo and Javier Adame, are brothers; Javier is also the chef. No gringos here bringing you packaged Doritos. Instead, your waiter will set down a basket of crisp, warm tortilla chips and a bowl of chunky but light salsa, both homemade. The salsa, with its bits of onion and cilantro, was tangy without burning the taste buds into oblivion: just the right amount of picante.
Some of the best Mexican eating can be found on the appetizer menu, and although there are only four choices at El Sarape, three of them were splendid. The biggest winner was the carnitas ($4.95), a bowl of pork tenderloin pieces marinated in orange juice and chipotle sauce and grilled to spicy perfection.
For the nacho lovers in our group, the nachitos ($4.95) were a pleasing combination of textures and tastes: crunchy chips with creamy black beans, black olives, jalapenos, and a light frosting of mozzarella and muenster cheeses. Unlike many such offerings, the nachos weren't soggy and laden down with heavy Velveeta-type cheese.
The queso asado ($4.50) was a bowl of baked cheeses studded with chorizo, or spicy sausage. It could have used more chorizo to spice up the mild cheese.
At El Sarape, you can order from the large plastic menu or the smaller leather menu, which holds the house specials. Cheap Eats found a few specials in the upscale menu that fell below our $12-per-entree limit (as well as several others for $12.50). Our favorite was the pollo en salsa de mango ($11.95), or sliced chicken breast with mango, ginger, and orange juice sauce. The chicken was tender with a flavorful afterbite, but drowned in a bit too much soupy sauce.
Another hit from the regular menu was the pollo cilantro ($11.50), or chicken grilled in garlic butter with a hot coriander sauce. The green sauce was loaded with lime and cilantro and nicely presented with refried black beans and rice, which come with all entrees. With a slightly smoky flavor, the beans were a welcome variation, but we were disappointed that they weren't served with a portion of sour cream.
The mole poblano ($11.50) consisted of a large serving of chicken covered in a rich, spicy chocolate-based sauce. The fajitas -- both beef and chicken ($10.95) -- were spiked with garlic and served with flour tortillas, onions, and peppers; they were tasty and filling, but not particularly memorable.
The enchiladas verdes and enchiladas poblanas ($9.95 each) were outstanding, notably for the homemade corn tortillas that were wrapped around chicken and topped with their respective sauces. The tortillas were tender, not dried and cracked as you so often find.
The combinacion sarape ($8.95), a choice of any two dinner items from a menu of half a dozen, comes in a heaping platter. The beef enchiladas and beef tostadas were excellent, the spicy ground meat mixed with pieces of potato and topped with melted cheese and lettuce: All of your basic food groups in one delicious dish.
A tasty bargain is the combinacion grande for two ($19.95), a multi-course dinner of tostadas, tacos, quesadillas, and three different kinds of enchiladas.
On the menu, the churros, or Mexican fried dough, evoked those huge, greasy discs served at carnival booths. Fortunately, the El Sarape version was much more civilized: three rolled up bundles oven-baked --not fried -- and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. The platanos con cajeta was a plate of sliced bananas with a thick, rich rum-caramel sauce on the side, heavy on the caramel, short on the rum. All desserts are $3.50.
Naturally, Mexican food is meant to be washed down with certain beverages, notably the margarita. Here, you can choose from several different kinds, including the house margarita ($3.50) with Jose Cuervo Gold, a premium tequila. Our resident margarita snob gave it her seal of approval, impressed with its heavy ration of fresh lime juice as opposed to the sweet bottled mix. Homemade sangria by the glass or carafe and a full list of Mexican beers are also available.
It's a safe bet that you'll leave El Sarape with a doggy bag. The huge plates are heaped with food that can easily serve two. And the restaurant is family-friendly; one night, we saw a waiter pushing a high chair with one hand and hefting a beer in the other.
Tips & hits
