Consuelo Mexican Bistro

377 Santana Row
San Jose, CA 95128
Phone 408.260.7082
website

Vitals:
Open daily for lunch generally from 11:30-3
Open daily for dinner Sun-Thurs from 3-9, Friday and Saturday 3-11
Credit Cards accepted
not really kid-friendly

This is list a tapas version or fancy version of Mexican food or "Mexican cuisine". The decor on the inside is very dark, with dark wood and dark iron chandeliers that hang from the high ceiling, it makes me think that they are trying to recreate the old style restaurants from the late 1800s.

First, the service is terrible here. I was here on a weekday evening and it was surprisingly full of patrons, but sadly, it seemed understaffed as I only saw like 2 waiters for the entire restaurant. Our waiter hurriedly put down our dishes and seemed to dash to the next patron, and didn't even bother to ask if we needed anything (um, the small bread plates are too small, we need larger ones to eat our food, please). We literally had to get up from our table and walk to a waiter to ask for larger plates and to take away the stone that held the guacamole. It took them a while to even ask how we were doing and fill up our glasses of water.

But on to the food. The guacamole is a definite must. They make it fresh and to your liking. The waiter comes with a tray with different ingredients and you can specify how spicy you want it, and whether you want tomatoes, onion, cilantro and lime. With the handmade tortillas, it's such a simple treat that is so yummy.

Appetizers are good but portions are tiny. The cerviche de pescado was good, but it came in a small martini glass. I guess it's artful and presentation was unique, but it make for a skimpy offering.

I've tried most of the entrees or "Especialidades". Favorites include the "Pechuga rellena de guitlacoche" or chicken breast stuff with a mixture of different vegetables and the standard carnitas. I'm a pretty simple gal and most dishes that impress are pretty simple.

If you want to get a side, definitely get the "Arroz blanco con platanos fritos" or while rice with fried plantains. You have to like plantains, but they were soft, sweet and hearty. An interesting side was the "Torta de elote" or savory corn bread with a savory sauce.

As for the kids, the kid menu is very limited. It only had like 4 options. Of course, they had the standard quesadilla with cheese and a rice with beans dish, but I wish it had more choices.

This a pretty pricey place to eat, but I was able to use a coupon to Restaurant.com. Generally for $10 you can get a $25 coupon. Sometimes there are specials and you can get the coupons for up to 80% off. Whenever I use a coupon, there are always a few restrictions (ie, I had to order at least $45 worth of food and they add an automatic gratuity of around 18%), but it definitely saves me a lot. It's great, it enables me to go to restaurants that I otherwise would pass up.

So, if you're in the mood for Mexican and want to try more classical dishes in a nice setting, Consuelo is a good bet. It may be a date place (depending on whether you need to go somewhere) since the service is so slow, you'll be able to linger a long time at your meal and chat with your date.