Chips and Salsa: My First Test

Now, this review is coming from someone with the cultural background to have some pretty strong opinions about what Mexican food should taste like, and chips and salsa are usually my first clue about what may be coming next.

The salsa had a noticeable citrus flavor that I enjoyed, while the chips were served warm and fresh. They were a little too salty for my personal taste, but at the same time, I cannot complain too much. If I sit down at a Mexican restaurant and the chips and salsa are completely bland, I immediately start worrying about what the rest of the food is going to taste like. Thankfully, that was definitely not the case here.

In my experience, I have eaten at some casino restaurants where the food seems to be seasoned more conservatively. Whether that has anything to do with the age demographic casinos often attract or whether it is simply coincidence, I cannot say. That is only my personal observation. Thankfully, Pechanga did not seem afraid of seasoning. We are not all on a low-sodium diet. 🙂

The Menu and What We Ordered

The menu offered a good variety of familiar Mexican dishes, including tacos, enchiladas, burritos, pozole, and several other options. Our server gave us a few recommendations, but I usually prefer choosing my own food instead of having someone else decide what I should try.

For an appetizer, I ordered the pozole. For my main dish, I went with the beer-battered shrimp tacos. My husband ordered the Enchiladas Tradicionales with Suiza sauce and carne asada.

The food came out fairly quickly, and the presentation immediately impressed me. Everything looked beautiful and thoughtfully plated. Just looking at the dishes, I had a feeling there were going to be some authentic flavors here.

The Pozole

I started with the pozole, which came with the traditional accompaniments of cabbage, onion, cilantro, oregano, and lime. Before adding any of them, though, I tasted the broth by itself because I always want to know what the base tastes like before covering it with toppings.

The broth had a pleasant savory flavor that reminded me of a combination of chicken and pork broth. It was not spicy, but I could taste the dried chiles that had been used to build the flavor. This was not exactly the style of pozole I am accustomed to eating, but that does not mean it was bad. I actually really liked it.

The hominy was tender, and the pork was extremely tender as well. Once everything was combined with the cabbage, onion, cilantro, oregano, and lime, it became a very satisfying dish. At $8 during our visit, I also thought the portion was an excellent value. Depending on how hungry you are, you could almost order the pozole by itself and call it a meal.

Overall, this was one of my favorite dishes of the night.

Beer-Battered Shrimp Tacos

Next came my beer-battered shrimp tacos, which were served with Mexican rice and refried beans. I tried the sides first. The beans were nicely salted and had good flavor, while the rice was a little dry and fairly average. Unfortunately, I find slightly dry Mexican rice to be pretty common at many restaurants.

My solution? Mix the rice with the beans. Problem solved. At least that is the normal way to eat them in my world.

The tacos normally came with guacamole and crema, neither of which I personally wanted on this particular taco. Instead, I had mine with pico de gallo and cabbage, then added some of the salsa from our chips along with fresh lime. The shrimp themselves were good. The batter was flavorful, the shrimp were cooked properly, and everything was working together nicely.

Then I got to the tortilla.

And that is where the taco lost me.

The Tortilla Problem

The tortilla was simply too thick. I believe the tortillas may have been handmade, but the masa did not have that recognizable corn flavor that I expect from a good corn tortilla. The texture was also unusual. It was thicker and stiffer than a traditional corn tortilla while somehow still remaining pliable.

Flavor-wise, it almost tasted as though corn and flour had been mixed together. Whatever the reason, I did not enjoy it, and unfortunately, the tortilla affected the entire taco. That was disappointing because the shrimp itself was good, the batter had flavor, the toppings worked, and the salsa and lime brought everything together.

But every bite eventually came back to that tortilla.

As sad as this is for me to say, I honestly would have preferred a regular store-bought corn tortilla. The filling deserved better.

Enchiladas Tradicionales

My husband ordered the Enchiladas Tradicionales with Suiza sauce and carne asada. He thought they were moist and flavorful, and the carne asada was well seasoned. Most importantly, the meat was not dry.

He had the same criticism I did about the rice because his was also a little dry. His solution was exactly the same as mine: mix it with the beans. Problem solved.

Overall, he enjoyed the enchiladas and had very few complaints about his entrée.

Fresh Churros for Dessert

We decided to order the churros for dessert. I already had them in mind, but our server convinced me even more when he told us that every batch was made fresh. I love hearing that because if I am ordering something like churros, I would much rather have them made fresh than sitting underneath a warmer waiting for someone to order dessert.

The churros came out surprisingly quickly, and they were scorching hot, so yes, they were definitely fresh. The presentation was beautiful, and they came with three dipping sauces: caramel, chocolate, and Nutella.

The caramel was easily my favorite. It had that familiar Mexican-style caramel flavor that immediately reminded me of eating churros in Mexico City.

The churro itself was also very interesting. When I first bit into it, the center was so soft and moist that I thought there might actually be a filling inside. There was not. The dough itself had a noticeable vanilla flavor and such a soft interior that it almost created the illusion of being filled. I really enjoyed that.

My only criticism was the amount of sugar coating the outside. There was a lot of sugar, and with almost every bite, pieces of the sugar coating were falling off in chunks. Eventually, I started removing some of it because the three dipping sauces already provided plenty of sweetness. Reducing the sugar slightly would have made these even better.

Service and Atmosphere

Our service throughout the evening was good. Our server greeted us quickly, gave recommendations without being overly pushy, and checked on us throughout the meal. His churro recommendation was also a good one.

The atmosphere was another highlight. The dim lighting created a cozy and relaxing environment that worked perfectly for a casual weekday date night. You are still inside Pechanga Resort Casino, but once seated, the restaurant feels comfortable enough that you do not have to be visiting the casino specifically to enjoy dinner here.

Was 1882 Cantina Worth It?

Overall, I thought the prices at 1882 Cantina were reasonable, especially considering the restaurant is located inside a major resort and casino. The food was also more authentic than I expected.

Not every dish was perfect. The rice was somewhat dry, and the tortilla used for my shrimp tacos was easily the biggest disappointment of my meal. However, there was considerably more that I liked than disliked.

The pozole was flavorful and generously portioned. My husband’s enchiladas were moist and well seasoned. The shrimp itself was good, and the freshly made churros were absolutely worth ordering. Most importantly, the kitchen was not afraid of flavor or seasoning.