An Old Favorite Gets Better
One of the first Veggin’ Out entries I wrote was about La Botana, a Mexican restaurant on Hanes Mall Boulevard remarkable for its often vegetarian-friendly specials. The regular menu is fine, too, with plenty of choices for vegetarians. But the specials are truly special.
The first of these I tried way back when was the burrito caliente, a huge burrito stuffed with pinto beans, fried potato cubes, and onions; all topped with a spicy, smoky, plate-licking-good chipotle-cream sauce.
La Botana has seen some changes since then – it has expanded its dining space; it now says Casa Hererra on the menu (though not on the signs); and specials menus have come and gone (although they are happy to make any of your old favorites upon request). But the most important thing remains the same—there’s a dedicated, creative chef in the kitchen, dreaming up new flavor combinations to delight diners.
At my most recent visit, there were not one, but two, specials menus. The second one had me swooning with delight, with vegetarian dishes featuring such ingredients as goat cheese, asparagus, and tomato-merlot sauce…. I finally settled on the Queso Frito (cheese cutlets, seasoned and lightly fried; topped with that luscious tomato-merlot sauce, and served alongside grilled vegetables and rice). Friends tried an asparagus quesadilla, and a dish of cheese-filled tortillas with a spicy black bean sauce over them. We agreed that with these dishes, La Botana/Casa Herrera has reached a new level - reaffirming my opinion that it serves not just the best Mexican restaurant in town, but some of the best food of any kind in town.
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