As a rule, the Weekly doesn’t review chain restaurants. But it wasn’t until I looked at the to-go menu the morning after our first visit that I realized this was the case with La Hacienda.
There were hints, I suppose: the huge, glossy menu with brightly colored photos of the food; the bland refried beans; the older, mostly white, diners.
Weirdly enough, all of the other units in the chain are in Washington state. According to the chain’s website, the first one opened in 1988 and most of them are in small towns between Seattle and the Canadian border, not exactly what comes to mind when you think of hotbeds of south-of-the-border cuisine.
La Hacienda’s dining room is open and brightly colored, and the small bar has the full assortment of libations. Artwork includes lots of metal pieces, including two that depict men in sombreros using a hoe and a shovel to dig up agave cactus. (I’ll let you decide the political correctness of that choice.)
On our first visit, we ordered a combination plate with an enchilada, chile relleno and taco ($11.75); the camarones La Hacienda ($15.25); and a side of guacamole ($3.50). According to the menu, you can also have the guac made tableside as an appetizer.
The dishes were uninspired. Missing were the great earthy notes that make Mexican food so popular. The guacamole was a prime example. The flavor of the avocado was weak and there wasn’t a hint of citrus. I’d been craving guacamole and this batch fell way short.
The same could be said of my shrimp. The menu describes the butterflied shrimp as “al mojo de ajo,” which means there should be plenty of garlic. But there wasn’t a trace of garlic and the shrimp were small. They came on a bed of sautéed yellow and green peppers, onions and mushrooms (a combo that appears often on the menu), which also lacked much flavor. The beans, although presented nicely in a fried-tortilla cup, were similarly unimpressive, as was the rice.
The combo plate was better, thanks to the large chile relleno. The chile was fresh and the egg coating was decent. But the taco and enchilada, both filled with a grainy beef mixture, weren’t up to Tucson standards.
We also ordered flan ($4.95). It was so overcooked that the bottom was burnt—disappointing, to say the least.
Lunch on Cinco de Mayo was just as mediocre, although the service on both visits was friendly, if a bit slow.
The special that day was the espreso (their spelling) burrito ($7.95), which came with rice and refries. The menu said the ground beef burro was topped with enchilada sauce, Parmesan, onions, tomatoes and guacamole. There was enchilada sauce, all right, but the cheese was thick and melted, resembling jack cheese. There was no sign of the onions, tomatoes and guacamole, and the ground beef was in short supply, making it a big loser when lined up against the big, fat burros found all over town.
The cochinita pibil tacos, however, hit the mark. Here, at last, was a dish full of flavors and authenticity. The pork was slow-simmered in achiote sauce—slightly thick, dark red and delicious. Although described as “pulled pork,” it was actually big chunks of tender meat that had absorbed the lovely sauce.
These street-style tacos are topped with pickled red onions, bits of tomato, a slice of avocado and a few thin slices of habanero pepper. Heat and sweet came together nicely and the avocado added a creamy texture. Although the salsa lacked heat, the flavors were fresh.
La Hacienda seems to cater to the timid palate. The food isn’t bad; it’s just not great. There’s nothing that would bring back people who appreciate really good Mexican food (although judging from the crowds during our visits, there are plenty of folks in Tucson who think bland is just fine).
This article appears in May 15-21, 2014.
I don’t know what’s worse, the review or your bias.
You knew what was going on here before you went, so por que? God forbid “old white people” were eating someplace, once again you knew the place before you even went in. I guess if there would have been a bunch of twenty somethings with fedoras on it would have been “cool”. What a crappy article!
I usually enjoy “Chow”; it’s the only part of this rag that doesn’t make my blood pressure rise.
Congratulations TW and Rita, you’re now at 100 percent on the high blood pressure scale.
As an “old white guy”, (who grew up on the southside in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, had a step-mother from Mexico and a former wife who was Hispanic) I think I deserve a little more respect. Especially from people who, relatively speaking, just blew into town.
As to the “men in sombreros digging up Agave”, who the hell do think harvests Agave so you can have your Tequila and Mescal, a bunch of “old white guys?”
So the food sucks, there are a lot of family-run Mexican restaurants that turn out garbage too. Tell us about the food and leave the left-wing politics out of it…oops, I forgot, this is the Tucson Weekly, never mind.
This viewer can be quite mean-sprited at time. Thinks
her reviews are the gospel.
Thanks for the lousy review. We are headed there tonight. I bet the food is great!
Uh-oh the old white chain gang is upset! Rita, I would stay out of Furr’s and Chili’s for a while, until this dies down.. At least during the early bird special hours.
Burnie muk stop being a spielferderber!
spielverderber? Oh no.. is this a nazi party?
yeah, i want to know what a spielferderber is!
Spielverderber {noun}
spoiler · spoilers · grinch · grinches · wet blanket · wet blankets · spoilsport · killjoy · spoilsports · dog in the manger · dogs in the manger killjoies
Agave is different from cactus. You should know that.
best cochinita pibil and al pastor tacos in town. and the sangria is good too. i’d like to see these on menus elsewhere, at least they try to have a few more choices.
Brilliant article! You nailed it. Old white folks want to be able to go out to eat but don’t want flavor. Salt raises blood pressure and pepper is too spicy. Anything beyond that is over-the-top…
Apparently it’s not PC to have figures “that depict men in sombreros using a hoe and a shovel to dig up agave cactus.” But it’s perfectly fine to insult a restaurant by noting that it attracts “older, mostly white, diners.”
Is it a stereotype, sure. However, it is also well documented in the Restaurant business that when the majority of a restaurants patrons resemble Betty White and Bob Barker, the food usually is less than stellar, as well as the tips from the diners. Please see such pop culture references as WAITING and SLAMMIN SALMON.
thanks for another rich and informative restaurant review, rita! maybe next you can tackle either the boar’s head deli or cibo express market at the tucson airport.
Thanks for the review and letting me know it’s a chain. I avoid chains like the plague. I’m an old white lady who loves very hot food. In fact, Poco and Mom’s is the only Mexican restaurant in town that serves food spicy enough for me. I do have friends though who suffer from terminal Gringo mouth.
I couldn’t disagree more with this review. Did the reviewer actually grasp the fact that this restaurant doesn’t serve Sonoran Mexican food? There are different Mexican cuisines, you know. Everyone I know (including native Tucsonans who are Hispanic) love this restaurant.
Each time I’ve been here, the staff is extremely efficient and friendly, the prices great and the food is wonderful.
This is Tucson. We don’t need no steenkin’ Mexican food chains. We have El Charro, Mi Nidito,Café Poca Cosa,El Guero Canelo,El Minuto Café,Guillermo’s Double L Restaurant,Lerua’s Fine Mexican Foods,Micha’s, etc. etc. And those are not even all the ones I’ve been to.
Although the restaurant originated in Washington state, if you go to their website: “La Hacienda Family Restaurants was founded by Marco Antonio Gomez Botello originally from Guadalajara, with the idea of combining great Mexican food, in a family setting and a Cantina Bar to suit our clientele.”
Not Sonoran. Not-not Mexican.
I don’t eat at chains either and likely won’t eat at La Hacienda… but suggesting that us white folk don’t like Mexican food is insulting and unnecessary. Do we really need more politics in food?
Paco and Mom’s is a New Mexican Restaurant! Not Mexican, there is a difference!
If your all going to avoid chains, then stop eating at Pita Jungle, Diablo Burger, El Charo, Sir Vesa’s, Molina’s, Guadalajara Grill…shall I keep going?
La Hacienda is owned by a gentleman who also owns two Mexican Restaurants in Washington where he lives part of the year and another here in Tucson where he also owns a home. He’s passionate about his food and he loves both places, so sue him for sharing it in the towns he resides? He also has introduced some Yucatan dishes to his Menu, which we rarely get in the Street Taco dominated ‘hipster’ Downtown scene or bland Sonoran Slop scattered across our Beloved Old Pueblo. La Hacienda is neither.
La Hacienda is not just for White Hairs, it’s just when you eat at a Eatery in-between Midtown and the Foothills… Guess what, It’s going to be filled with Snow Birds during the Winter Months? Demographics Rita, wake the bleep up!
Finally the Agave Art… Poor Rita, lets not get PC on even Critical on Historical representation of Mexico’s Proud Agave Culture in both the fermented and distilled beverages. Be it actual Mexicans that farm, harvest the crop? Oh no I can’t see that while I’m eating or drinking and be a white person in the process now, can I?
Robin West, if you like al pastor tacos, they ARE on the menu elsewhere. You should go to Taqueria Juanitos on W. Grant.
I have eaten them there donkiyoti, the pork is not as good and sometimes the place smells a little too much like chlorine to me, but not bad. also like them a lot at Calle Tepa but they only have them on weekends. just meant they don’t appear on most menus and cochinita pibil even harder to find, my favorite Yucatan taco!
tried it and was hopeful. Really mediocre food, slow service, and way too expensive. lots of better options for mexican food lovers in tucson. this place was a huge disappointment
El Torero is where its at. 2 x 2! Best tacos in the city
If TW “doesn’t review chain restaurants,” why did you write this one? It’s akin to writing a review of Applebee’s or Chili’s. People that go to chain restaurants know they will get standardized fare that, though bland, is consistent. You don’t go to Red Lobster and think you’re getting the same quality you’ll find at the Lobster Claw in Orleans, Mass.
I know, I know, you were already in and it was too much hassle to start over, right?
Generally, I agree that it’s silly to go to a Mexican chain restaurant in a town that offers such spectacular, local fare. La Hacienda certainly isn’t my favorite Tucson restaurant, but it’s perfect for a workday lunch or for an affordable, family dinner — or for the throngs of snowbirds or those relocating who are tentative about the heat of their cuisine.
Terry: We don’t generally review chain restaurants, but several people had requested we review La Hacienda (we get weird emails), so we did. While most chains aren’t worth reviewing (do you need details on what Smashburger is like, for example?) and we’ll likely review 50 local places this year in this space, sometimes people want to know what to expect from an establishment asking for their money and it’s not like there’s a ton of professional produced reliable info out there on La Hacienda. In that sense, it’s not akin at all to reviewing an Applebee’s, in my opinion.
Just as I thought. The food was excellent and quite a tribute to the Mexican food eateries in Tucson. This is an American Mexican restaurant and I for one love the duplication as it is the highest form of flattery.
What happened to the “tolerance” all you rascals whine about? Give some.
Ok, who wants to go to El Torero? 🙂
Oh, I get it now.
The new purpose of journalism is to produce hits. More hits must mean better journalism.
This has lead to a new breed of what I’d call ‘journalism trolls’. Their objective is not to produce new, factual information. It’s not even to avoid being wrong.
In fact, this new type of journalism actively seeks to be demonstrably wrong. In a perverse way, being wrong leads to more attention than being right. As Jon Stewart said of CNN’s mistakes–“It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.”
Journalism trolls actually *want* to be wrong, objectionably wrong, because that brings them attention. And, that is the path Ms. Connelly is treading.
As alluded to in an earlier post, this review, sans the experience of eating the food, was written no sooner had she walked through the door and was given a seat.
Someone needs to get some intel on when this writer is set to review a place so they can perhaps add a little laxative to her dish. I’m sure I’d enjoy reading about her experience in the shitter more than her predetermined hit pieces on the actual food itself.