COLUMN: Restaurant Review: Heidi Knapp Rinella

The old neon sign at El Sombrero has faded over the years, but the food is brightly flavored.
Photo by Ralph Fountain.


HEIDI KNAPP RINELLA

MORE COLUMNS

      Every now and then I'm asked how I can give the same rating to an upscale restaurant that I give to an around-the-corner joint.
      That's pretty simple: I look at what a restaurant is trying to do and how well it's accomplishing that. That evaluation applies to menu, food preparation, service and atmosphere. How much it's charging in an attempt to carry out its mission also is part of the picture.
      Sometimes, a restaurant doesn't seem to know what it's trying to do -- which generally can only spell trouble. Things get muddled, and muddles are never pretty.
      Which brings us to El Sombrero, which is anything but a muddle. El Sombrero's mission is clear: "good Mexican food," as the menu states. And it's been doing it since 1950 -- since 1964, except for two years in Vietnam, by the current owner, who is the nephew of the original owner. You get the picture.
      Longevity usually tells. So does customer loyalty, and when I recently asked readers for their favorite independent Mexican restaurants in Las Vegas, El Sombrero was the subject of the most replies. That many readers can't be wrong, and as it turns out, they weren't.
      El Sombrero is, as most everyone mentioned, not in the part of town where the tourism guys like to send out-of-towners, but that's somehow part of its charm. It's a tiny little place, with a faded old sign on the outside and Mexican art and sombreros on the inside. The interior's a little plain, but when they moved the jukebox to work on it, I noticed it was clean as a whistle behind it.
      As is the case with most Mexican and pseudo-Mexican restaurants, dinner started with chips and salsa. Except these weren't those "New York" salsas disdained by the guy in the commercial. We were served two -- one a classic chunky salsa cruda with a serious kick, the other a smoother puree-style that had pretty much the consistency of tomato paste and, we thought at first, about the same amount of flavor.
      Oh, but we were mistaken. Our mouths on fire from the salsa cruda, we again dipped into the other for solace -- and discovered a surprising sneaks-up-on-you zing. These were no wimpy salsas produced for the masses; we were off to a very good start.
      A bowl of red chile ($4.50) was big in size as well as flavor. Filled with lots of tender beef chunks, it was a fine way to begin, and filling enough to constitute a light meal.
      The guacamole salad ($2.75) was a decent mixed salad topped with a nice pile of smooth guacamole true to the rich flavor of the avocado, brightened with a little seasoning.
      Huevos rancheros ($8) are among the dinner offerings (as well as the breakfast ones) -- a nice touch for somebody looking for something light, and after that chile, were we ever. The eggs were prepared as we requested (up) and the green chile sauce was nice and zippy.
      We also chose a combination dinner, the No. 1 ($8.25), which consisted of an enchilada, a taco and a choice of relleno or tamale, plus beans and rice. We chose a chicken enchilada, a shredded beef taco and a chile relleno. The enchilada was properly soft and filled with big chunks of meat; the taco was folded into a pliable, hand-fried tortilla instead of one of those pre-made dealies that shatter when you touch them; and the batter on the relleno was wonderfully light.
      Our only quibbles were that everything on the combination plate had sort of joined forces to the point where it was nearly indistinguishable until we were halfway through each, and the beans could've used more seasoning -- like more of that cumin that flavored the rice.
      But as we munched our puffy, honey-filled sopapillas, we reflected on the fact that it had overall been a fine meal, and that we were stuffed.
      And that, with wine and beer, we'd spent just about $35.
     
      Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are unannounced and done anonymously at Review-Journal expense.
     
      Review
     
      What: El Sombrero Cafe
      Where: 807 S. Main St.
      Phone: 382-9234
      Overall: B
      Food: B+
      Atmosphere: B-
      Service: B
      Pluses: Authentic food and music.
      Minuses: Service a little frosty at first, though things warmed up soon enough.