Blog

June 28, 2011

By Lisa Kampeter

First impressions.  They can make or break deals or friendships, and in the case of the Dining Divas, they hugely affect our opinions and our decision to revisit a restaurant.  This month’s restaurant of choice was Rosalita’s Cantina, and there were many first impressions that impressed upon us.

Rosalita’s is a Mexican restaurant in downtown on Washington Avenue.  This night, upon entering, we noticed a group of women gathered together to eat, drink, and jewelry shop!  Three of our favorite activities.  What a great idea!  Combine good food and fun drinks with shopping, and you have a winning combination.  Our group wasn’t a part of that group, but the idea of a jewelry party did resonate.  So far so good on making a first impression.

Of course, Rosalita’s menu only offers Mexican food, not jewelry, but it was still fun to take a look.  The next step to making a good impression was our seating location.  They put us in a large booth.  It was good for conversation, but we felt isolated from the rest of the restaurant.  This place was hopping with activity.  People gathered outside on the patio or at a street table to enjoy happy hour.  Dates, groups, and girlfriends dined inside while the energy of Rosalita’s (and Washington Avenue) vibrated.  It’s good to see downtown succeeding, and it was great to be able to enjoy a beautiful spring evening.

Regardless of our waiter’s given name, “Delicious” is what came to mind for a few Divas.  With all due respect, his attractive qualities brought smiles to many of us, but he wasn’t overly friendly.  The Aggressive Diva didn’t mind.  She had no issues with requesting him back to our table to answer a multitude of questions or to deliver additional side items.

The “almost” hands-free restroom made another good impression on us.  The flush.  The soap.  The water.  The paper towels.  The door to leave the restroom.  Practically all of the basics are hands-free.  We debated how you tackle a hands-free method of what you actually use the restroom for.  No surprise.  We didn’t have a solution.

We were concerned with the first impression we made on the Guest Diva.  Had the “dinner knife and cleavage trick” scared her off?  Or the talk of the Aggressive Diva’s peeling skin due to her sunburn?  Or the harassment of our innocent waiter?  Perhaps.  But there’s no denying the entertainment of it all and especially the entertainment from our “Blonde” Diva.  First she asked our waiter about margaritas.  “Are all margaritas made with tequila?”  His blank stare made us laugh.  I’m not sure he thought she was seriously asking the question.  Then she asked if they had any specialty sodas.  His response, “Like Diet Pepsi?”  Her response, “No, like root beer.”  Not sure I’d consider either a specialty.

The conversation turned serious when the Teaching Divas discussed education.  Both women shared sad stories of the struggles their students go through just to get to school.  The Grade School Diva rejoices when her students make it to school everyday.  Having a home to go to, running water, or electricity shouldn’t weigh on the minds of these kids.

The Community College Diva is thrilled when her students can find daycare for their children or nursing care for their ailing parents so that they can get their education.  For these teachers, their jobs aren’t isolated in the classrooms.  Many times, they are involved in their students’ home lives, and unfortunately, many times the home lives aren’t good.

The chips and salsa make a first impression, and after adding a little salt, Rosalita’s was doing well.  But we ate too many.  Probably because we ordered the Guacamole, and it was a hit.  And we ordered Rose’s Favorite dip.  It’s layered with cheese, carne asada, avocado, and sour cream.  We asked our waiter if what we got was what we ordered because the dip did not come out layered.  It was runny, but we all enjoyed it.

We should have stopped there, but we ordered the Jalapeno Corn Muffins at the recommendation of a “regular”.  They were disappointing and dry.  Had we added some butter, they probably would have been okay.

The Part-time Diva suggested the Taco Salad.  Disregarding her recommendation to order it without the cayenne tortilla chips, the salad was tasty but too spicy.  Next time, the Taco Salad with plain tortilla chips will be perfect.

The Picky Diva ordered the Tingo Chicken Chimichanga served with rice.  The Chimichanga was moist and delicious.  Skip the rice.  It was on the bland side.

Try another side.  The Italian Diva tried the Carne Sabana which was a flat iron steak with shrimp and cheese and served with squash, zucchini, and rice.  She can’t wait to go back for more.

Even though our stomachs were about to bust we couldn’t resist the Mini-Churros with chocolate.  With or without the chocolate, they were delicious and served piping hot.

Overall, our first impression of Rosalita’s convinced us that’s it’s worthy of another visit.    Now regarding the first impression we made on our waiter, the restaurant, or even the Guest Diva, that’s still to be determined.

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