Luna de Juarez - 25-98 Steinway St, Astoria, NY 11103718.274.4350
N/W Train to 30th Avenue
Dan and I paid an impromptu visit to Luna de Juarez last night, after my intense craving for Mexican food. We were famished after a hectic day of shopping and needed something filling to tide us over. The food not only satiated us, it was absolutely delicious and came at a great value. Here are some of the dishes that we tried:
Mole Chicken Enchiladas - This is my favorite type of enchilada because it uses dark chocolate in the mole sauce. The last time I had it was in Austin and it was pretty phenomenal. Luna's version proved to be a fierce competitor with a smoky flavor and significant kick. The delicious white chicken meat that was nestled inside the tortillas was perfectly shredded and seasoned. I was also able to choose two sides with my enchiladas and so I picked tostones and refried beans--both solid. If you like fried plantains, you'll love tostones.
Soft Chicken Tacos - Dan ordered this and it was also excellent. The portion was gargantuan and reminded me of a fajita platter. I liked it slightly better than my mole enchiladas because it was milder. The chicken was tender and seasoned nicely, and the yummy fixins such as fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream and grilled onions further dressed this plate. Dan prepared each taco with care and he was able to get about 8-10 small servings out of the entire portion. If this isn't a great deal, I don't know what is.
Margarita - One of his beloved drinks of all time, Dan ordered a frozen lime margarita. He said that similarly to the food, it was of great quality and significant size.
Service and Cost:
The service was outstanding. As soon as we walked in, we were welcomed by a personable host who seated us and even held my coat while I got situated. Throughout our meal, the excellence and attentiveness continued--when I accidentally dropped my knife, it was replenished within seconds, without me having to ask.
Besides the lovely waitstaff, there was a boisterous mariachi band that played for about a half hour. They livened up the atmosphere and made our experience even more fun.
Luna de Juarez offers competitive prices. For the dinner that I just described, we payed about $36 without tip. The enchiladas were $15, the chicken tacos cost $13 and the margarita was $6. Not too shabby considering the generous portions that were enjoyed.
3 Mmmms
3 Mmmms
Judes, didn't you give this place a not so good review a while back? What's changed? Different chef? Different dishes? Some foods to avoid, some worth trying?
ReplyDeleteHey Margs! Well the first time that I went there, I didn't know what I was getting into and got dishes that were recommended to me (such as the aguacate, which I didn't like). However, I did like my enchiladas and observed that they do staple Mexican dishes really well. So I stuck to that this time and really enjoyed myself.
ReplyDeleteA brief list of do's and don'ts:
DO GET: Enchiladas of any kind, fajitas (although they're a bit expensive), soft shell tacos
DON'T GET: Aguacate or be aware of gourmet-sounding dishes.
One thing that I am very curious to try is their tropical fruit ice-cream - especially the mango, which comes in the original fruit shell. Pretty cool!
Foodista,
ReplyDeleteGlad you came back to Luna De Juarez.
The food does get better all the time and you will always have hit or miss dishes. You have to be one of the most enjoyable food bloggers I have come across. Kudos to you and the wonderful and constructive critiques you give.
Your comments are taken very seriously.
How important it is to try things more than once....indeed.
Thank you from Luna De Juarez
PS- The tropical fruit Mango is awesome
galonso/ofhandandsoul
Thank you George! My husband Dan LOVED Luna and that was his first time. We WILL be back--and especially for that delicious-sounding mango dessert.
ReplyDeleteTake Care,
Foodista