Another Trip to Ruthie's

With the minishment of my erstwhile favourite North Central taquería, the search resumes for a good place to have breakfast tacos in the area between the Loops, along 281. Today, stumped for a place to go, we decided to try Ruthie's again, at the corner of West Avenue and Patricia. I know, it's a little far from 281, but we're getting kind of desperate for a reliably good place out there in Loopland.

We'd been to Ruthie's a little over a year ago and liked it, but it's location is a little out of the way for us. Still, the incomprehensible dearth of acceptable taquerías out that way made us give it another go.

We were greeted cheerfully by one that I take to be the manager, and by two waitresses, who invited us to take any seat in such a way that we immediately felt at ease. In fact, throughout our time there, the staff were remarkably cheerful, and sincerely so. It pains me to have to rate the service so badly, and I am confident that the problems we encountered today were not something that happens routinely; they just, unfortunately, happened to us.

We arrived just before the lunch rush. There were two waitresses handling sixteen tables, which is easy, even without bussers, when half the place is empty. But at 11.30, we got the next-to-last table. Our waitress brought menus and utensils almost immediately, and returned momentarily with our drink orders. We weren't ready to order at that point, so she went off to tend to the other tables. We had enough time to make our decisions and finish our coffee, change our minds, change our minds again, then change our minds yet again before she made it back to us. It was a longer interval than it should have been, but we could see the place was understaffed. The responsibility for that is the manager's, not the waitress's. It may be that someone didn't show up for work, or that a recent vacancy has yet to be filled; or it may be that the manager's too concerned with costs to hire the necessary labour. Whatever: a third waitress did come on duty around noon, but by then the ground was laid, the staff was behind.

Ruthie's serves breakfast all day, but by the time we ordered we'd both gotten out of the breakfast-taco mood. My table-mate went for the super nachos ("I wonder what makes them super," he idly wondered), while I opted for enchiladas suizas a la carte, forgoing the rice and beans, and extra tortillas, that come with the lunch special (since I'm trying to lose weight, or at least not gain any, ahead of beach-related activities planned for later in the year). 

Our first cups of coffee, by the way, were too cool to be satisfactory. Refills, though, were nicely hot, and the coffee itself was good, neither weak nor acidic. Soon the waitress came around with trays of chips for all the tables -- they were apparently just now available from the kitchen -- and then made a round with salsa for everybody. Ruthie's makes its own salsa, using serrano peppers, and while the result is a little on the thin side, it has a strong flavour and a wonderful kick to it. The chips are very thin, crispy and tasty, and not at all greasy.

see text regarding service rating

My co-conspirator's super nachos made their appearance in good time. They were tostadas piled randomly on a plate and liberally doused with well-made beef fajitas and cheese. The side plate of sour cream, jalapeños and guacamole wasn't skimpy either. My only complaint would be that the meat should be cut into smaller chunks, so that it's possible to get some in every bite without the customer having to cut it up; a messy proposition.

My enchiladas suizas also arrived promptly. Unfortunately, they arrived at the wrong table, where the old man who had ordered beef enchiladas didn't notice he'd gotten something else until he'd started on it. I passed the time while my order was being re-made, noshing on the chips and salsa that I'd planned, in my blubber-avoidance efforts, to avoid; and in analyzing, through repeated samplings, my table-mate's nachos. At last my dish came -- and I still ended up finishing first -- and it was very good. Two enchiladas of well-seasoned shredded chicken wrapped in tasty corn tortillas and covered with a mild sauce and a goodly amount of cheese. A few soft chunks of lightly-fried potato added a little variety to both taste and texture, and probably not too much in the way of what my mother would have called empty calories.

The pleasant attitude of the staff, despite the problems I've described, goes a long way in making me think kindly of this restaurant. If I'd had the same kind of misfortune at Blanco Café, for example, I'd never go back (not that I'm likely to anyway). But I expect I'll be giving Ruthie's another chance to impress before too long. 

Ruthie's