Restaurant Review: Authentic Mexican Food at La Parrilla Suiza

UPDATE JUNE 2013 - MY FAVORITE LOCATION NEAR PV MALL HAS CLOSED. THERE ARE OTHER LOCATIONS (TRY 35TH AVE AND PEORIA), BUT THIS ONE IS GONE. I WRITE THESE WORDS THROUGH A PRODIGIOUS FLOOD OF ALLIGATOR TEARS.

What does that mean to you – “authentic?” I’m not a food snob, not in the least. As a child of Arizona and the Southwest, despite my northern European bloodlines, I am probably more like my Mexican neighbors in tastes and attitudes than I am my American cousins from the eastern USA; and… just like there are differences in American cuisine (meaning USA, and no slight intended to all the other Americans) from one part of the country to the next here in the good old US of A, our neighbors to the south can boast massive differences in their cuisine from one state to the next, from east to west, from south to north, and all along the long Mexican coastline!

Authentic, to my way of thinking, is simply this… does the food or dish use the tastes and ingredients common to that place? Here, in El Extremo México del Norte más allá de Sonora, authentic is most likely going to elicit opinions that Sonoran-style food is what is auténtico! Broaden your horizons, my friends! If you find someone from Jalisco to cook for you there will be subtle differences in tastes and styles from those of their neighbors in Tamaulipas.  Likewise, if the chef is from a coastal town farther west, say in Colima, you will find differences there as well.

Around here, with our strict blinders on for las comidas del Sonora, if a cook prepares a dish that is in some way not common to the far north of Mexico, well, some folks will say that dish isn’t authentic… it’s just not MEXICAN food. Hogwash. Food and its preparation changes over time, and a new-fangled chimichanga made in Tucson is just as Mexican in style, ingredient and spirit as the simplest, homeliest tamal. Get over it – and chow down!

So, with this in mind… my favorite Mexican food restaurant here in Arizona is La Parrilla Suiza (for the remainder of this essay, simply La Parrilla). This being so, I will try to remain objective while I review it for you; this will be difficult for me, as I get quite excited just thinking about going there... Later on, I will tack on a quick suggestion for those who simply want excellence in the basics of Sonoran-style Mexican cuisine (a different place altogether). La Parrilla, by the way, has several locations in both Phoenix and in Tucson. "Mine" is located near Paradise Valley Mall, in NE Phoenix.

La Parrilla serves what they term “Mexico City-style” foods. Those of you not familiar with a little Español might not know the name means “the Swiss Grill.” Why Swiss, I don’t know. Most people understand “grill” though. Much of the food is slightly different than the Arizona (or Sonoran) norm – but La Parrilla also makes a few of the Sonoran dishes for those folks who are trapped in the Sonoran rut! You can get your enchiladas, your tamales, your refritos, but if you really want to taste the foods La Parrilla excels at, try one of the Mexico City-styled dishes! If you cannot pick them out, ask your server; I have never met even one at La Parrilla who was not gracious and helpful. They are even patient enough to patronize my sad attempts to speak Spanish (despite the extra time that this takes!).



The dining room with a view to the kitchen through the glass

I have my favorites. I find quite frequently that a simple dish can often be as good as one a little more complex. I find this especially true when it comes to the flavors of Mexico. There are several things that I usually order to get a feel for a Mexican place – for Sonoran food it is usually a green corn tamale, the green chile, chiles rellenos and flan; maybe a simple enchilada.

Except for the flan, I rarely order these things at La Parrilla. Here, for me, keeping simple means something grilled -- something in the "Mexico City style" -- perhaps a taco alambre, a bowl of charro beans (and the obligatory flan). This is enough food to satisfy me for several hours – on the other hand, if I order a plate, so much food is included that I can barely walk out the door. I try not to do this so much; I have learned that enough is as good as a feast -- bastante bien.  Unfortunately, in my quest to get some good pictures, I did order more than usual today... and I almost ate it ALL.

Tacos Alambres y chilaquiles, arroz tambien!  Combo No. 17, pienso.

A taco alambre (ordered a la carte) is a small fresh (soft) corn tortilla, open face on the plate. It is topped with an abundance (in relation to the tortilla) of your choice of diced chicken or beef (I much prefer beef) and onion, peppers, bacon and seasonings. I may order an extra tortilla as there is enough of the meat mixture to split it between two of the little corn delicacies. About the only thing I add to them is a bit of the salsa (perhaps the pico or the green avocado) and a slight bit of the lettuce that is served on the side. More likely, I ask for a side of the house dressing, and make a little salad out of the garnish. The dressing is a sweet vinaigrette and it is very tasty.

Charro beans are a simple bean side dish – pintos (or perhaps pinks) simmered in a rich broth with a bit of (bacon?) for flavoring along with other herbs and spices. I’ve been trying to duplicate these at home for over ten years with no luck. Mine don’t even come close. At La Parrilla, all I add to attain perfection is a touch of black pepper.  These beans are very flavorful... ¡Muy sabroso! If you click on the photo, you get a larger view and you can see the beans in the little bowl beyond the plate.  They even look delicioso!



Flan with caramel sauce

Dessert for me is always flan – a rich egg custard somewhat similar to Crème Brulee except the sugar is not carmelized on the top – it is nestled underneath while the custard bakes. When the custard is tipped out onto a serving plate, the caramel sauce drips over the top and down the sides. This dish is a bit of heaven on Earth. Sometimes the custard is velvety smooth – other times it is a bit thicker and “mottled” in texture (more correctly, the cream curdles a bit when baked). There are people on both sides of this issue – some are upset if it isn’t mottled – others think it’s not right at all if it isn’t perfectly smooth. Hey, I like ‘em both.


Chips and the salsas!  ¡Me gusto mucho!

Finally, the beginning! Like most Mexican establishments, La Parrilla serves tortilla chips and salsa at the beginning of the meal. These are complimentary for the first round and one refill. After that there is a charge for them. This doesn't bother me; if you eat more than the 1st refill of the chips and salsas, you're not only a pig you're not going to have room for your entree either.  So there. The chips are served with three (count ‘em!) salsas, whereas the norm with other places is one.

Upscale places usually serve a pico-style salsa (chunky and sometimes fresh or raw); more traditional Mexican cafés serve only a spicy red sauce. But at La Parilla, you get the red sauce, you get the fresh pico de gallo, and you also get a green avocado-based sauce. All three are great and I cannot name a favorite – although I tend to eat more of the green with the chips than anything else. I try to save the chunky fresh pico for the meal – I’ll likely put some on the top of my tacos. The green salsa is cool and smooth and subtle to start, then the heat grows on you a little bit. None of these are hot enough to burn you too badly, but they are not totally mild either. So if you are sensitive to such things, start slowly. I’m just sayin.’

There are many other entrees and selections that are very good -- from the combinations to the appetizers. I have many times enjoyed the chilaquiles, the fajitas, or La Parrilla's very different take on "Taco Salad." Chilaquiles are a house specialty and they are like a cheese enchilada in a bowl -- layers of tortilla, sauce and cheese. The sauce is a very light tomato-based mixture and has a delicate and bright tomato flavor.  It's a stand-out in terms of great flavor.

The more you stay with the specialties of the house, the better your experience will be -- in my opinion. As you leave, be sure to grab one of the lime and cream hard candies in the bowl by the door. These are not your normal restaurant peppermint. Perhaps, like me, you’ll find yourself addicted to them soon.  Oh... like most places these days, many of the beverages are bottomless.  Not the specialties of course, but the soft drinks, teas, etc.

Now, for all of you folks who just cannot abide anything that isn’t just like every other Mexican food place in Arizona, you maybe won’t like La Parrilla all that much, perhaps. That’s fine, less of a crowd I’ll have to deal with when I go there! There are a few places that are simply better than the others when it comes to Sonoran-style food, and I cannot name them all here. Probably every Southwesterner who loves Mexican food has their favorite. But if Sonoran is your only thing, you might try El Bravo on north 7th Street in Sunnyslope. When it comes to Sonoran, there simply isn’t a better place. It’s inexpensive, the operation is friendly (run by La Familia Tafoya), and the food is great. Sometimes the service is a little slow, but those of us who love the place don't care about that so much. Try the green corn vegetable tamal or a relleno. You can’t beat it. If you go at dinner time, expect a crowd and maybe a wait... everyone else knows this "secret" place too.

But when I take visitors or friends for the best Mexican food to be found north or south of the Gila, an authentic taste of the real Mexico, I take them to La Parrilla Suiza.