|
View
Rigo's Mexican Food's Menu
|
Restaurants: Rigo’s Mexican Food
Where: 457 W. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia
Phone: (626) 599-9071
Reservations: Not required
Cocktails: Yes
Service: Full table service
Atmosphere: Casual
Outdoor Dining: No
Credit Cards: MC, AMEX, Visa, Debit Cards
with MC/Visa logo
Kid’s Menu: Yes
Senior Discount: Special Senior Plates
offered 8:30am – 3pm
Food to Go: Yes
Catering Menu: Yes
Hours of Operation: Mon. – Thurs. 8:30am –
9pm, Fri. 8:30am – 10pm, Sat. 7:30am – 10pm, Sun. 7:30 – 9pm
Price Range: $2.50 - $12.95, avg. lunch $5 -
$8, avg. dinner $8 - $10 |
|
Nachos, ordered no lettuce or tomato, guacamole and sour cream on the side |
Taco,
ordered no tomatoes |
|
Carne
Asada Tampiqueno con Enchilada Queso |
Chicken Tostada |
|
One
of the better flans I've had |
|
|
|
Rigo’s Restaurant in Monrovia –
Great Tasting Mexican Food
By Bill Coburn
With tomorrow being
Cinco de Mayo, I thought it would be appropriate to put the spotlight on a
Mexican restaurant this week, and I chose Rigo’s Mexican Food in Monrovia. I’ve
eaten there several times, and have never been disappointed. Plus, I updated
their menu on the website this week, so the timing seemed right.
Since the history
and background on the restaurant hasn’t changed since I last spotlighted Rigo’s
back in January of 2005, and since I doubt you remember what I wrote that long
ago, I’m going to use it just as I wrote it then. Rigo’s Mexican Food opened in
1986 on Huntington Drive in Monrovia, and in 1999, owner Primitiva Serrano moved
the store to its current location at the corner of Foothill Blvd. and Mayflower,
also in Monrovia. Business was good, so when the location next door became
available, she decided to expand, adding a much larger dining room and greatly
expanded seating; with plenty of room for large parties. In April, 2003, Rigo’s
added a liquor license, allowing them to offer margaritas to complement your
meal. And they have happy hour from 3 to 6 Monday thru Friday, with several
reduced price cocktails (including $1.99 margaritas) and some under $2.00
appetizers, as well.
Rigo’s offers its
breakfast menu all day long, lunch specials Monday thru Friday from 11am to 3pm,
and a full dinner menu. There is also a kid’s menu, special senior plates for
65 and over from 8:30am – 3pm, and a full catering menu. For those looking for
the traditional Mexican dish Menudo, it is available at Rigo’s on Saturday and
Sundays.
I have eaten at
Rigo’s on several occasions, and have always found everything to be quite
enjoyable. I especially remember once having ordered the Camarones a la Diabla,
which consists of shrimp sauteed in a spicy salsa, and being impressed not only
with how good it tasted, but with how much shrimp there was in the meal. I’ve
also tried the Camarones al Mojo de Ajo, a chicken enchilada and a shredded beef
taco combination dinner (with rice and beans), and several other items. In the
past, Keelan has enjoyed the shredded beef flautas, and Katie a chicken
tostada.
A plus at Rigo’s is
that when the chips are brought when you sit down, they bring two salsas, the
traditional pico de gallo and a hot one. I have always enjoyed the hot salsa at
Rigo’s, and consider it one of the better hot salsas I’ve had. But it paled in
comparison to the heat I enjoyed in my entrée, the Carne Asada a la Tampiquena
con Enchilada de Queso. This was a good sized portion of Carne Asada (beef)
smothered in onions and sliced jalapeno. I upgraded the Enchilada de Queso to a
Chicken Enchilada. The carne asada was so tender I thought sure it had been
simmering for a really long time, until I cut into it and was surprised when I
saw that it was pink in the center. This was a really tasty cut of beef, and
while I’m usually happy when a meal makes my bald head sweat, this meal actually
had sweat dripping down my cheeks, which has only happened to me once before,
that I can remember. It was most excellent. The white meat chicken enchilada
had a nice (mild) red sauce and plenty of chicken. Rigo’s does put some bell
peppers into their shredded chicken and their shredded beef, but not much,
they’re not trying to use it for filler, just for flavor, and the chunks are big
enough to easily pick them out if you need to. The Mexican rice was light and
fluffy, and the beans were also quite tasty. I enjoyed both with a generous
helping of that hot salsa I was telling you about earlier. Rigo’s also makes
their corn tortillas on the premises, they’re nice and fresh. I also ordered a
shredded beef taco, ala carte. The taco had a nice crisp, freshly fried
tortilla, and plenty of well-seasoned meat, cheese and lettuce. You may notice
the pictures look a little boring, I ordered the taco no tomatoes, and Keelan
and Katie both ordered their meals with the guacamole and sour cream on the
side, so what you’re seeing is not the usual Rigo’s presentation.
Keelan’s Nachos with
carne asada were plentiful, with lots of carne asada, refried beans and melted
cheese. I asked him how they were. “Good, meaty.” “You got a little more than
a two word answer for me?” “Yeah, they’re also cheesy, and chippy and beany.”
He ate most of them, but there was really a lot of food there, and it was just
too much for him.
Katie’s chicken
tostada was piled high with chicken, fresh crisp lettuce, and plenty of jack and
cheddar cheese, and as I said guacamole and sour cream came on the side. She
said there was a lot of white meat chicken on it, and she really enjoyed it. Of
course, she knew she would, she was ordering it because she’d enjoyed it on a
previous visit.
If you read this
column regularly, you’ve probably figured out that two of my favorite desserts
are flan and crème brulee. Rigo’s doesn’t offer the latter, but I have to say I
think the flan I had was the best I’ve ever had. It tasted great, and was
cooked just right, with a smooth creamy texture. And I think, though it may
have been my imagination, that it was larger than most of the flans I usually
get.
For Cinco de Mayo,
Rigo’s will be offering drink specials on shots of tequila, and the kitchen will
be serving a special item with carne asada, chicken and shrimp, served with rice
and beans, called. I’m happy to recommend Rigo’s for Mexican food, and am sure
you’ll enjoy yourself if you stop by tomorrow for the Fiesta. But if you don’t
make it by tomorrow, be sure to put it on your list of places to try soon.
You’ll find Rigo’s complete menu online at
www.rigosmonrovia.com.
Bill Coburn is owner of SanGabrielValleyMenus.com,
a restaurant website featuring dozens of restaurants’ menus, as well as
downloadable coupons. He has nearly 20 years experience in the restaurant
business, and has been eating for much longer than that.
|
