Los Comales

Los Comales
4774 Summer Ave
683-9530


I don't think it's any secret that Team Oster plans to eventually eat at every restaurant along Summer Avenue, so it shouldn't come as surprise to you that our latest meal was at Los Comales, a Mexican restaurant that is near Edo.

There were a ton of cars at 5pm on Sunday, which I took to be a very good sign. (Once inside, I don't think all of the cars belonged to the smallish, but still respectable crowd, unless each person had their very own vehicle or there were a lot of people back in the kitchen, again with their own individual car.) There's a newly constructed (but not necessarily finished), enclosed patio at Los Comales. Since it was one of those fabulous February days in the upper 60s, I suggested we sit there.

The patio kind of reminded me of Warren's multi-year patio project at our old house, save for the fact that Warren did actually finish his project. The Los Comales patio had some Christmas lights, plastic ferns, tables, and chairs. It was cute despite the unfinished walls and windows. (Warren also noted that the patio narrowed quite a bit from front to back.) Most of the tables were in need of bussing, so clearly we weren't the first people to ask to sit there.

The waitress cleaned off a table for us and took our drink orders. I noticed a refrigerator full of Jarritos on the way in and asked which flavors she had. Jiro (age 4) chose pineapple, and Satchel (age 6) chose mango. I got a Diet Coke and Warren went with water. Soon another woman brought us chips and salsa. "Where's the cheese dip?" the monkeys demanded. "I haven't ordered any yet," I said attempting to appease them. (We all skipped lunch.)

Once our drinks arrived, I put in our request for cheese dip and then attempted to figure out what Satchel wanted to eat. "Read me everything," he said. The menu was quite extensive, so I refused. (It also was NOT one of those standard numbered menus that you see at several Mexican restaurants in town like El Porton, El Mezcal, Los Compadres, etc.) I did read the kids menu (quesadilla, taco, or chicken nuggets) and a few highlights that might entice him. Eventually I was able to get him to agree on two steak tacos ($2 each), which is his usual. I didn't bother negotiating with Jiro, I just ordered him the quesadilla, which came with rice and beans.

Warren and I were both in the mood for something different. He happily announced that they had menudo on the menu. I smiled and secretly hoped that he would not order that. (He also noted that they had oysters on the half shell and whole fried tilapia, another one of our favorites.) Thankfully he decided on a pork huarache. The word 'huarache' literally means 'sandal' because of the oblong shape of the masa flatbread base. Before googling that information, Warren mentioned he thought that it was the same word as the shoe, but I told him I thought he was wrong. (Sorry, honey!)

I was torn between the deluxe nachos and the shrimp tacos so I ordered both. The tacos are really just side items anyway since they sell them a la carte. Besides, I fully expected to be sharing my nachos with Warren.

After the cheese dip arrived, the chips quickly disappeared. The monkeys demanded more, but our actual dinner arrived before I could request some. Everything looked really good (see pics) and we soon ran out of space on the table. "Where's my rice and beans?" Satchel asked. I offered him half of Jiro's but he wanted his own. They came out in a flash, moments before Jiro officially rejected his. Jiro looked at his lunch and said, "I only want to eat half of my quesadilla. I don't want that, that, or that (pointing to the other half of his quesadilla and his rice and beans)." He really just wanted more chips so he could commence with the cheese dip.

Warren offered me a bite of his shoe, and it was very tasty. He gobbled it right up. I ate my shrimp taco first. Warren and I both liked the added touch of radishes and grilled onion and a whole grilled jalapeno on the side, but the taco itself was just okay. There was way too much cilantro and it almost tasted like they added salt. My deluxe nachos on the other hand, totally hit the spot. Beef, chicken, beans, cheese, avocados, sour cream, tomatoes...yum!

While Warren and I were happily stuffing our faces, the monkeys were going crazy. They both had ants in their pants, couldn't keep their hands off of each other, talk in a normal or tone, or anything. I was really glad that we were on the patio. However, as the sun set, it cooled off quite a bit. I think the fact that both monkeys were "freezing" added to their squirminess. Had we not had so much food, I might have considered moving inside. To appease the monkeys, I let Satchel wear my jean jacket and I raided the "extra clothes" stash in the car for Jiro. (Sadly I could only come up with two short-sleeved shirts, but he happily put them on.) Once warm, the monkeys finished most of their dinners and then relinquished their leftovers to Warren. Warren and I absolutely stuffed ourselves. I tried stopping, but kept picking away until there was nothing left.

Our meal ended with two separate trips to the little boys' room. It gave me a chance to check out the inside of the restaurant. Upon entering there is a cute little bar (but no alcohol as far as I could tell) and to the left is a small dining room with a giant TV in the corner. It's painted a nice red and has a faux finish of some sort. There's black bead board and standard issue Mexican restaurant photos as well as some other random, but nice, decorations. The bathroom itself was a one top, but there was a visitor's chair inside, which was a welcome addition in my opinion. (I've spent my fair share of time trapped in a restroom waiting on one of the monkeys.)

Our final bill was around $34 ($41 with tip). The service was good. The food was even better. We'll be back to check on the progress of the patio, I'm sure.