at Maryland Heights Restaurant

            By Lisa Kampeter

Keeping with tradition, our May Dining Divas gathering took place at a Mexican restaurant, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, not because any of us are of Mexican descent. Because if we were, we would know that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of the Mexican army’s battle victory over France during the Franco-Mexican War. And we would know that it’s more popularly celebrated in the states and is not about the war but more of a celebration of Mexican-American culture.

I’m confident that none of the Dining Divas in attendance were familiar with the real reason behind Cinco de Mayo, but it didn’t matter. Our celebration started a couple days early at Casa Juarez. And we were just happy to celebrate. Casa Juarez is on Dorsett Road in Maryland Heights. Previously, the building was home to an Asian restaurant, and from the size of it, it probably could feed the entire Mexican army.

On this night, a white tent took up a big portion of the parking lot, in anticipation of the celebration over the weekend. If you’re ever looking for Mexican décor as well as trinkets, Casa Juarez has an adorable store as you enter the restaurant. The restaurant was lively and festive and as usual with most of our Mexican Dining Divas, the service was fast!

We barely had a couple drinks from the Margarita specials and 20-ounce bargain beer before our dinner had arrived. (However, we did have plenty of time

to down baskets of chips and salsa.)

We were excited to learn that the Absent Diva got herself a new boat and a new man. The Junior Diva had a birthday the next day, and we enjoyed the serenade she received from the staff. And the part-time Diva who can be a full-time joker kept her wit at bay this evening. May have been that she stayed away from the drink specials this evening, which almost never happens.

Half of the group loved Casa Juarez. The other half thought it was just okay. The salsa had a slight kick, which may have been why we devoured so may chips. And the guacamole was really good. The Picky Diva enjoyed the arroz con queso, grilled shrimp on a bed of rice covered with a cheese sauce. The Pollo Jalisco was delicious grilled chicken strips with onions and mushrooms and topped with spinach leaves and Monterey Jack cheese and served with homemade tortillas.

You can’t go wrong with a combination platter. If you don’t like something, there’s always something else to try on your plate! The chicken and beef quesadillas with rice and beans are an excellent choice. The taco, tamale, and enchilada combo is another good option. The Divas that ordered just enchiladas thought they were dry and nothing special as was the carne asada burrito.

We enjoyed Casa Juarez. The only thing we’d ask is for them to slow down. We didn’t have a lot of visiting time. At least until it came time to pay our bills. That always takes a while. But that’s okay. Many of us said we’d be back. A true testament to the restaurant happened only a few days later when a Dining Diva and another Diva returned to Casa Juarez to partake in the Cinco de Mayo celebration. Also along for Cinco de Mayo was a Diva who missed the earlier gathering. Crazy Americans! I’ll wait for Cinco de Julio.

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