Here are some reasons I've come up with as to why I could not find a parking space at Don Pablo's in Owings Mills at 6 p.m. on a Friday.
People love inexpensive Mexican food: The proof is the line forming inside the restaurant, which opened Feb. 1. This Don Pablo's is the newest to open in Maryland, the 141st for the Mexican chain that started in Texas. We who wait are an anxious group, grasping CD-sized pagers that will light up in a swirl of red when our table is ready. When we leave two hours later, we comment on how little our meal cost.
People like noise: They must. The noise is the first thing we notice. It's a cacophonous brew of clanking plates, mariachi music and a crowd trying to talk above itself in this warehouse of a restaurant. It is so loud that our conversation actually feels intimate. There is no way another table can hear what we're saying. In fact, we're not sure we can hear what we're saying.
Americans are loco for salsa: I have a friend who loves the food at Don Pablo's, not necessarily for its inherent worth, but because he can spoon the restaurant's extra-hot salsa chili macho all over it. Both the regular and the extra-hot salsas taste freshly made, enlivened with cilantro and onion. The salsas are the main reason we are forced to ask for a second basket of warm tortilla chips.
Appetizers rule: We like the homey flavor of the tortilla soup with chunks of chicken and strips of tortillas, and the delayed heat of the prairie fire bean dip, a broad bowl of chili-and-cheese-spiked pureed beans. The dip is served with the lightest, fluffiest flour tortillas you'll ever try. They are literally hot off the tortilla griddle, which you can check out under an awning of corrugated metal near the kitchen. The vegetable quesadillas are the hit of the night. These giant golden wedges of tortilla are packed with cheese and a terrific assortment of crisp-tender vegetables. Try them as a meal, with a cup of soup or a small salad.
It's hard to resist a combination platter: You should try, though. So often, it's difficult to figure out what you're eating, and none of it's very good. That's the way we felt about El Matador, a jumbo combination of greasy chicken flautas, an uninspiring beef taco, a cheese enchilada with salty red sauce, and even saltier refried beans. A chicken enchilada filled with moist, white-meat chicken and covered in fresh-tasting sour cream sauce is the only decent thing on the platter. That said, the fajita combination with beef and chicken is a good pick. It's grilled over mesquite for a sweet, smoky finish. It comes with plenty of sauteed onions, but the side accompaniments of cheese, lettuce and sour cream are pretty paltry. And where's the guacamole?
Americans need to lose weight: The menu says much of the fat has been removed from Don Pablo's traditional Mexican dishes. The fat grams and calorie-counts of some dishes are listed. The tortilla soup and Mama's skinny enchiladas with pinto beans are the leanest things on the menus. Those enchiladas aren't bad. They're filled with bits of chicken and covered in a chunky red sauce and melted cheese. The pinto beans are a big improvement over the salty refried ones. By the way, there's no mention of the fat content of the sopapillas, the fried Mexican pastry served warm in honey sauce. But they're the best dessert option, so order them anyway.
Everyone knows four servers are better than one: Folks, this is not necessarily true. The team approach to service can be frustrating here. (Who was it we asked for an extra plate? Where's the beer we ordered?) Service is not the reason to come to Don Pablo's. To refresh your memory, go back and reread this list.
Don Pablo's
1 Restaurant Park Drive, Owings Mills
410-902-0300
Hours: Open daily for lunch and dinner
Credit cards: All major cards
Prices: Appetizers, $1.99-$7.89; entrees, $6.69-$12.99
Food: **1/2
Service: **
Atmosphere: **1/2
Ratings system: Outstanding: ****; Good ***; Fair or uneven **; Poor *
Pub Date: 03/25/99