Move Over Taqueria El Rodeo

By Como Whine and Dine

It’s funny that I blogged just this afternoon about “some new place going in where Casa Grande used to be.” As one of our readers pointed out, the new place’s name is La Terraza. It’s open, I went, and I’ll be honest, I was blown away by it.

We had a party of six tonight. Each of us had something different, and it wasn’t just me; every single person was wowed.

We started with “Mexican guacamole.” Instead of the usual green paste this was a plate with large chunks of rough chopped avocado mixed with a finely minced pico of very fresh tomato, onion and cilantro, a healthy squeeze of lime juice and lots of sliced jalapeno on top. The flavor was bright, fresh, clean, and very light. A perfect starter.

The table salsa was fairly smooth but had really good flavor and quite a kick (more kick than the guac actually). I had the mole chicken. The mole sauce was so dark as to be almost black and had a deep, dense flavor that was almost bittersweet. No cheese on it, not needed. Instead it was sprinkled with a few toasted sesame seeds. The side rice had chunks of grilled peppers. The quesadillas served to my friends were super crisp on the outside and stuffed full. The chimichangas were not the traditional deep fried, but a lighter exterior. The gentleman who had those said both the chicken and the steak were really good, but he gave a small edge to the steak.

Service was very fast. The atmosphere is a huge step up from La Tolteca as well. Though for those of you who used to frequent Casa Grande, the seating area is decidedly smaller.

We met the chef before we left and told him how much we liked the food. He was thrilled. He said he really wanted to bring Mexican to Columbia that was what they ate in Mexico. The restaurant will be open 7 days a week, and he said each Sunday they would feature something new and different off menu.

Is it truly authentic? Don’t ask me, I haven’t been to Mexico. Is it the best Mexican I’ve had in Columbia, and perhaps the best Mexican I’ve ever had? Yes.

To get to La Terraza, take Providence South to Nifong and turn Left (West). Turn left (South) between the Robinson’s Cleaners and the Peak Performance store; you’ll see signs on the road. Go behind them to reach the restaurant.

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