Abi II (Huntington)

Salt and cilantro -- two great tastes that taste great...in moderation.  We can't overemphasize the moderation. We started with yuca con chicharones. Yuca! We love it. Fresh. Abi's version...not fresh, but freezer fresh...yum...ugh. Stale, frozen, and (given fried) a slight fishy flavor.  Not what we hoped for by any means. Chicharones! So hit or miss.  Abi's version...eh.  Fatty (go figure), but it was too chewy.

M ordered los gemelos (con pollo y carne).Tasty. Filled with good, slow-cooked (stewed?) meat. Nice, thin (but not too thin, just right!) tortilla. Plentiful portion! If it can be without cilantro, it'd be even better. Served with guac and sour cream. Too much cilantro, and after a while, the saltiness came through.

L ordered chuletas (pork chops). Served with beans and rice and topped with peppers and onions and a sauce that seemed like the juices, which is good in theory.  But the chop was drowning in this mix. It was like a game of find the chuleta.  And when it was found, then there was the challenge of finding the meat in the midst of bone and fat...quite a bit of fat.  Disappointing. Oh, did I mention that the chuleta and sauce were extremely salty? The beans were good as was the rice.

Cost 

$$

Cleanliness
Clean

Service
So-so. Would have liked to have a peek-in a couple more times.

Pluses 

Chips were great. The food is more authentic than many other places. Diverse amount of dishes. Open space in the restaurant. Large portions.

Minuses 

Food quality. Salt. Cilantro.

Overall value

Below average. It's a shame because we really want to like this place, but there are too many drawbacks and several options to settle for poor quality food.

El Paso (Rt 1 Mt Vernon)

El Paso is a sit-down, chain Mexican restaurant, but this location is our favorite (especially compared to the one in Woodbridge).  Aside from the always friendly service, the food is generally well-seasoned and well-made.  While they do have a slight tendency to over-sauce some of their food, it's generally not an issue.

Notable dishes: Carne Guisada, Chicken Colorado, also they serve arroz con gandules(!)
Dish to avoid:  T-bone (dry and grisly - very disappointing given their other entrees are consistently well prepared)

Cost -- $$
Service -- Very good people.  Andres is always nice, very professional and personable.  Rosa is always says hello and works very diligently.
Cleanliness -- Notably clean.

Pluses
1) Very consistent in terms of preparing the more seasoned foods
2) Good happy hour food specials

Minuses
1) Special steak dish was awful

Overall -- Very good
And worth driving a little out of the way to eat here