Mexicasa: managing expectations [closed]
by Greg | July 28, 2009 | 18 Comments
(1.50 with 6 votes) 
Loading ...Mexicasa is located at 1501 NW 23rd Street in Oklahoma City (map). They are open 11am to 9pm seven days a week, with brunch served from 11am to 2pm on Sundays. For more information, you can visit their website.
PLEASE NOTE: Mexicasa is no longer in business.
Expectations can be a horrible thing. When I go into a movie, I try and convince myself that it’s going to suck before it even starts. Why? Because when it’s just so-so, I’m not disappointed. And if it turns out to be good, well, I leave feeling like it was a special treat.
Unfortunately for Mexicasa, the opposite can also work. People like us who fondly remember Tom and Jerry’s (see our past review of T&J’s) might visit looking for a fine-dining twist on Mexican food, the way Iron Starr has worked on barbecue. After all, Tom and Jerry still have their name and brand firmly on this new place (just check out the website). But high expectations are bound to be crushed and Mexicasa ends up disappointing.
There were a couple of highlights, which ought to be mentioned before the mediocrity begins. They do a pretty good chips and salsa at Mexicasa. That may not sound like much, but compared to some other spots around town, it’s a nice surprise. The chips were freshly fried, crisp and light, but hearty enough to stand up to the salsa (if you want something with more kick, ask for the hotter salsa, which is tasty, fiery and offers a more interesting flavor).
Also surprising, a pretty nice queso, free of charge. This wasn’t the “cheese jelly” you often get — it was real melted cheese, with a mild flavor. Not as good as queso you pay for, but the best of the freebies, by far. In fact, if free queso is the primary requirement for your Mexican dining experience, you should run, not walk, to Mexicasa.
Another good thing mentioned by Tim and Sam was the ranchero beans, which can be substituted for the refried variety. According to them, they were above average and offered a great alternative to the normal sides.
But sadly, the rest of the meal was just … average. My shrimp fajitas ($13.99) were fine. The shrimp was cooked and came in a good portion. But I was hoping for a bit more, honestly. A little seasoning — just a touch — could have done wonders for the dish. Again, this is the problem with high expectations. Anywhere else I would have said, “Mmmm, shrimp fajitas.” At Mexicasa, I kept feeling like a little innovation would have put them over the top.
And it’s something that is apparent all over the menu. From the standard enchiladas, tamales and tacos, I kept wondering where the vision was. Certainly, if you’re opening a new Mexican restaurant in a region where Mexican restaurants are in abundance, you’re going to have a point of view or an opinion expressed through the food. Other than a couple of pork stew dishes (like the Carnitas de Puerco for $12.99), the “street tacos” ($11.99 dinner, $7.99 lunch) which Sarah had and found pretty tasty, and the aforementioned chip set-up, I didn’t see anything to distinguish Mexicasa from Chelinos or Nino’s or any of the other ok-but-not-great Okla-Mex restaurants out there.
Andrew’s chimichanga ($9.99 dinner, $7.99 lunch) was pretty soggy. Sam’s enchiladas ($8.99 dinner, $7.99 lunch) were decent (he recommends the shredded chicken over the shredded beef). Tim’s tamales ($10.99 dinner, $7.99 lunch) were pretty dry and lifeless. And to top it off, we had pretty poor service. We don’t give too much weight to service since it can vary greatly day to day, but it’s worth a mention this time as it was noticeably off.
If we’d had the same experience anyplace else, we’d have said, “Meh. It was fine, but nothing to write about.” The difference here, and the reason we’re writing, is that we hoped for so much more from Mexicasa. It has the pedigree to be better and we wish it were.
As it is, if you’re close by and looking for some decent Mexican food, Mexicasa is good. If you’re thinking about making a trek across town for a special visit, you would probably be better off visiting your own local good-but-not-great Mexican restaurant and saving the gas.
Of course, we always want to know what you think, whether you agree or disagree. So, please let us know in the comments.
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July 28th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Disappointing at best.. almost an hour wait after placing our order in an almost empty house (Sunday brunch), the food and drinks showed no attention to flavor or presentation.
Mexicasa was a complete let down after Tom and Jerry’s. I really wonder why the owners would want to attach their good name to this.
July 29th, 2009 at 8:05 am
You are so right on about expectations. We were actually disappointed the one and only time we dined at Tom and Jerry’s and never went back. Have been curious about Mexicasa. Thanks for the review.
July 29th, 2009 at 8:12 am
I completely had the same experience as OKC foodie. I was totally disappointed that we had to basically beg our waiters to take our drink orders/food orders (even though we were the only table in the place). Then we waited a long time for yucky food that cost a ton. I won’t be revisiting.
July 29th, 2009 at 9:49 am
I may be the only one who says this in this thread, but I must say I think the place is pretty good! Good flavor, not super expensive, and the queso is unique. I do agree the service could be faster…
July 30th, 2009 at 9:44 am
I have to say I have no intention of trying Mexicasa, because the one time I tried to eat at Tom & Jerry’s, I was left with my wife waiting to be seated for ten minutes. This would be fine if a) they’d been busy at all, or b) someone had said hello and taken our name down while they wandered off to find a seat for us. Instead, the only server who made eye contact with us smiled vaguely and hen spent the rest of her time ignoring us. Mexicasa, as I am given to understand it, is owned by the same guys who owned Tom & Jerry’s, which means I won’t even bother any time soon.
If they can’t take the time to try and seat me, why the hell should I bother? I’d rather just head someplace else with my money.
July 30th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I share most of the sentiments expressed here. I ordered the enchiladas and it lust looked like soup on my plate. No effort in the presentation and the taste was “meh”, at best. Not to be mean, but the decor approaches comical. The service is horrible. I had the displeasure of listening to a server argue with patrons over their gift certificate’s validity when I was there. It got pretty heated and was uncomfortable for the rest of the patrons. It’s really a shame T&J are attached to this flop. I give it six more months, max.
August 2nd, 2009 at 11:32 pm
I haven’t been yet, because no less than 5 people have told me how horrible the service has been and that it was way overpriced for the quality of food served. I was disappointed to hear that, because after T&J, I had high expectations.
August 3rd, 2009 at 12:29 am
I totally agree. It’s the exact experience I had while I was there. I expected too much.
August 5th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Having been a fan of T&J, I went to Mexicasa and had a great experience. To compare Mexicasa to T&J is comparing apples and oranges. I went to Mexicasa with the expectations of eating a decently priced traditional Mexican restauraunt-not a culinary Mexican restaurant. The prices are fair, the chips, salsa, and queso are fresh- the food is hot and well/neatly prepared. I found the owners were hospitible and the wait staff went above and beyond in ensuring that my order was correct. If you are looking for a culinary/gourmet Mexican restaurant, then choose another restaurant.
There was a clean, creative, and artistic flare to the decorating. For the service, food quality, cleanliness, hospitality, and freshness, I would give it a 12 out of 10.
August 7th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Casey, your review is laughable. After moving here a few months ago from south Texas, I visited Mexicasa on a whim with no expectations since I’d had no experience with Tom & Jerry’s. I ordered the street tacos and later described them to my coworkers as cafeteria food. They were completely devoid of any type of seasoning (grease does not count). Dry, flavorless meat on gummy, poorly heated store-bought corn tortillas for $8? What a joke. And, like others, the service was atrocious. My server actually patronized me and said “Smile! Cheer up! Wait, let me guess… OCU?” I said with a blank look, “I’m from Austin?”, to which he replied, “Oh, okay! We get soooo many of those kids in here.”
What?
Do yourselves a favor and eat from authentic taquerias. The tacos are $1.50 at the most and they are muy delicioso because, without much of a marketing budget, owners must ensure reliably tasty food to stay in business. Also, do try Big Truck Tacos near 23rd and Dewey. Although pricier, these are the best gringo tacos I’ve eaten yet in the greater OKC area. This place more than deserves a review — stat!
August 11th, 2009 at 9:27 am
I never ate at Tom and jerry’s, so I have no expectations to manage. I have been to Mexicasa several times, and actually taken friends there more than once. We love the salsa and cheese setup. Every person I take is so excited by the real cheese sauce, they can hardly stand it.
I have never had bad service there. In addition, I also enjoy the decor’. It is colorful and unique. Much better than the poorly rendered murals on the walls of many Mexican restaurants.
August 11th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
I stopped in at Mexicasa sometime in early July on a weekday afternoon. Daylight revealed the shabby decor. Sad. I asked for a chardonnay. The server said she thought wine hsd not been delivered yet. She did offer, and I tried, a red. The bottle had been opened some time ago and was way past palatable. I sipped a bit and left it. I think I had enchiladas and as best I remember they were ok. Why, why can’t Oklahoma Mexican restauranteurs learn to season? Over and over again patrons plead and they never give us anything better than El Chico! A recent trip to the Tucson area taught me that there really can be something better out there!
August 14th, 2009 at 5:45 am
Not many places in this genre make me think of older country music titles, but Mexicase seems to bring to mind the tune crooned by Marty Robbins … El Paso City.
August 17th, 2009 at 10:41 am
It’s poorly managed, overpriced and the cooking is inconsistent at best. In that respect, it isn’t much different than T&J was.
I understand it can be difficult to find good, professional help sometimes, but they’ve had some seriously bad staff in recent years.
The menu at this new incarnation smacks of bottom of the barrel desparation and a need to squeeze more profit from cheaper ingredients.
This is really bad okie-mex with everything laquered in liquid cheese. Couple it with the same atrocious service many of us had come to expect at T&J’s, and you’re looking at a place that won’t be open too much longer.
August 21st, 2009 at 9:11 am
Come on Greg, you know this place is terrible, you can say it outright. I would like to think that Tom and Jerry must know too and this is only to buy them some time until their new Tom and Jerry’s locations opens. I have high Mexican standards, and this does more than fall flat. Even the margaritas were bad. I tried it 3 times to be sure, and frankly I think it got worse each time. Never again.
April 16th, 2010 at 8:58 am
I noticed they have painted the building again. I wonder if there are plans to put something else there.
Can anyone weigh in on this?
May 28th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Some sort of new Mexican place appears to be operating now at the old Tom & Jerry’s / Mexicasa spot.
Called Diego’s, IIRC.
August 11th, 2010 at 8:13 am
Mexicasa was a tad disappointing. The food was decent, if a bit under-spiced. My main gripe was the food always came out lukewarm, which made it less appetizing.
Mexicasa is gone, and it’s called Diego’s now. The food is MUCH better, and service is prompt and they’re generous with the chips and dip. The Aguas Frescas are freshly made and taste amazing. Prices are moderate and the place looks clean.
Please tell us what you think.