Abuelo's Apps & 'Zerts!

For the life of me, I couldn't remember if I had ever reviewed Abeuelo's.  I decided that even if I had, there were dishes I hadn't talked about, so when Mark and I walked in, I expected to take pictures of everything and go from there.  Of course, when our actual meals arrived, I completely forgot about taking pictures.  As such, you get to hear about the appetizers and dessert.

One of the great things about Abuelo's is that shortly after you're seated, they bring you chips and salsa.  Now, they don't bring you just one type.  You actually get four.

Not pictured: the hot one

Now, I have no idea what they each are.  There is your normal salsa, a really hot one, a green one, and maybe a heartier one?  I must confess that I have tasted each one, but I'm not one for salsa.  We have been to Abuelo's many times, but tonight was the first time that our server suggested mixing the salsas.  She combined the green one and the normal one to make something amazing!*  I actually ate some salsa tonight because of that.

Of course, good salsa is wasted if the chips aren't good.  Luckily, the chips at Abuelo's are great.  They are light and crispy, served warm.  Our first bowl had a lot of broken pieces in it, and the server brought another bowl without even being asked.

Pure chip beauty

Her timing couldn't have been better, as my favorite appetizer arrived at the same time.  If you go to Abuelo's and try only one thing, make sure it is the queso.  Abuelo's was the first place I ever had queso, and I fell in love with it.

Bowl of cheese!**

Fun fact: dipping your cheesy mashed potatoes in this stuff actually makes them even better!

While I was busy making friends with the bowl of cheese, Mark was getting to know his jalapeno cheese fritters.  They come with a ranch like dipping sauce, which is nice because you have to have something to cut the spice of the jalapenos.

My pictures are not doing the

food justice.

Once again, our server went above and beyond.  She introduced us to a new dipping sauce for these beauties.  She brought out something that they actually use in one of the margaritas. It was mango chili puree, and while it sounds weird, it was actually kind of good.  The sweetness complements the spice exceedingly well.  It almost makes this appetizer into a dessert, but either way, you should eat these.

This is where everything gets a little hazy.  We both had meals that were good, but I didn't take pictures.  I didn't snap a shot at all until we were done eating.  Luckily, part of Mark's meal still looked relatively untouched.

Boring.

Mark considers himself somewhat of an expert when it comes to bread pudding.  He has had many, many different kinds.  His favorite is the banana bread pudding at the Kona Cafe in Disney.  Tonight, Abuelo's put up a strong contender though.  Called capirotada, it is bread pudding with pecans and raisins in it.  Of course, there is a caramel sauce, and they finish off the dish with some real whipped cream.

Hello Mark!

I usually do not eat bread pudding.  I don't care for cakes/bread with sauces.  It grosses me out when they get soggy, so I avoid bread pudding.  With my review in mind, I decided to try a little bite of the capirotada. Then, for science, I had another bite.  I had at least a third of it because it was so good.  The pecans were done perfectly, and the sauce was delicious.  When Mark told me there were raisins in it, I was put off, but when I actually tasted the dish, they were perfect.  Each component came together to create a great dessert. I think it's only seasonal, and that makes me sad.

In short, go eat at Abuelo's.  It's worth it just for the appetizers and dessert.  They also have flan, which Mark assures me is amazing.  Treat yo' self!

*Normal + Green = Awesome.

**That's not a very good picture, but the call of the queso meant that I didn't really care.