Ixtapa Mexican Cuisine (Zona Rosa, KC)

Last week, my aunt came to town from New York City to finish and handle some family business with my mom. While she was here, we went to a number of Kansas City staples [namely Arthur Bryant's]. With the snow storm rolling through the NE, she ended up being here an extra day due to delayed flights, which gave us more time to hang out. Always a plus! Before taking her to the airport, we decided to have Mexican for lunch and, of course, I used this as an opportunity to expand my taco venture.

We googled around to find somewhere up north to try so we could go on our way to the airport/not waste time. Ixtapa Mexican Cuisine had been recommended to me before by people in my area, and when we saw it in our preferred location for the day, we landed on it.

I'll be honest, the average diner may be less than impressed with the restaurant based on first glance. Ixtapa is in a strip mall across from Zona Rosa, rather than inside the shopping center itself. It's kind of a "run down" looking area, and the parking is a nightmare.

As far as the food itself...

 

I ordered the Tacos Rancheros [$8.49] off the lunch menu. The meal consisted of two soft corn tortilla tacos filled with steak that was marinated in onion, jalapenos & tomato. Served with rice, beans, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

I enjoyed the marinade of the meat itself - it had great flavor! It was obvious that care was taken when preparing the steak. I also liked that the veggies on the taco were cooked with the meat, and the tortilla itself was pretty good too. My complaint about the taco was that it it had too much juice/grease.

The sides left a bit to be imagined though. The beans were not smooth refried beans as I'm used to and the rice almost tasted like it had been made in a cooker and left to sit for a while before being served. It was seasoned well, but was a little soggy almost.

The service at the restaurant was pretty good! We got our waters and chips/salsa soon after sitting down. Our food came out quickly and our server checked on us a few different times during our meal.

As a whole, it was a pretty good meal. Definitely a Tex-Mex vibe, if you ask me. Kind of an upscale-ish feel as far as decor, meal options, and presentation.

Rating (out of 5):