Mexico Lindo -- 1060 S Garey Ave, Pomona, CA 91766

Apology

First, I wish to apologize for missing last week. Monday, when I usually would have lunch at the next sport, I was involved in the setup and presentation of the Historical Society of Pomona Valley's Memorial Day Program at Garfield Park. As if that weren't enough, this past Saturday we had a retirement party for the Lovely Mrs. C which required a lot of work and a full schedule for the week. So again, my apologies, and I'm back on track, although the delay here (and a trip to the east coast I'll be making in July) will probably carry this effort into 2017

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Plagiarism

Another thing that has happened in the past week also requires a response here. As part of the Measure Y campaign for billboards in the city, the Hews Media Group, publishers of the Los Cerritos News, have been sending Pomona voters a "Pomona Community News" newspaper which is mostly advertising. In the third of these, my last blog post on Taqueria Santa Cruz was printed without permission and without attribution. A clear case of plagiarism and theft of intellectual property. While I'm not sure how good my argument would be that it's "intellectual," it is a product of my personal experiences and this blatant theft should be noted. Special thanks to friend and neighbor Megan Gearhart who, though a post on NextDoor, informed me of the inclusion of my blog post in their advertorial. Hews Media Group should be ashamed of themselves. These blog posts also appear on the Pomona Proud news web site with my full permission and with full attribution that it is me who created them.

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My Meal Cost: $20.55 +tip. Health Rating A. Yelp 4 stars

What a wonderful experience it was to visit Mexico Lindo. After weeks of fast food, pizza, not great Pupusas, and only moderately good Mexican food, a restaurant that made me feel good on entering and served up a delicious meal at a reasonable price (not cheap, but reasonable for what I got).

I arrived at about 12:15 and the very small parking lot was full so I parked a few houses down on  the side street. The restaurant had a good lunch crowd and stayed busy the whole time I was there. As I entered two tables of Pomona's Finest were just leaving. All a good sign. A waiter or busboy came to me immediately after I was seated to get my drink order. I got ice tea and it was delivered quickly, along with salsa and chips, and as soon as it arrived my waitress showed up to take my order. The salsa was interesting in that along with acid from tomatoes, spice from jalapenos, it also had a cooling element provided by cucumber. Went really well with the chips.

The atmosphere was pleasant with Spanish language music in the background and a television showing Futbol (soccer) with the sound turned down. The music wasn't so loud that it would discourage conversation, but was a pleasant background.

Noting that this was not only a Mexican restaurant but a seafood restaurant, I decided I would go outside my comfort zone and look at the seafood options. They have ceviches, cocktails, and several different seafood platters, as well as the usual Mexican burritos, tacos, etc. I was contemplating the shrimp, scallops and squid platter when the waitress came to take my order. But the waitress seemed friendly so I asked her to recommend something. She started to steer me toward the lunch specials, but I emphasized that I wanted something SHE thought was really good. She suggested to Tres Fajitas, which was steak, chicken, and shrimp with the requisite onions and green peppers and included soup of salad, rice, and beans along with guacamole and sour cream.

I opted for the albondigas soup which was a meatball soup with chunks of vegetables and a well seasoned meatball. The small cup was just the right amount, with the chips and salsa, to whet my appetite for what was to come.

The fajitas came sizzling in a pan and the odor immediately set the mouth to watering. The rice was about as good a Mexican rice as I've had and the beans were also excellent. I actually at half of each before I even thought to add a little of the salsa and a slight squeeze of lime to add some additional flavor.

The fajitas also came with my choice of tortilla. I chose corn so I could make tacos from the fajitas. Each taco I built had a few shrimp, a couple of slices of steak, and some chucks of chicken (along with the peppers and onion), which I then topped with the sour cream and guacamole. The first bit was wonderful with the crisp flavor of the grilled shrimp being accented by the soft texture of the pieces of chicken and the woodsy flavor of the steak. The sour cream and guacamole added that bit of extra and created the "runs down your arm" juiciness that means good eating.

After chips, soup, rice, and beans, there was a bit too much fajita for me so I ended up not finishing my plate. I asked the waitress if the next time I came in, if I bring the lovely Mrs. C, if I could split the fajitas and still get the sides. She was very friendly and assured me that they could accommodate that request, so I anticipate that we will probably stop by for dinner sometime soon, and probably also try the margaritas.

Mexico Lindo is the same people who have Tropical Mexico out on East End St., where we've enjoyed meals in the past. I think I actually liked Mexico Lindo better as it was a little cozier and the food was a little better.

UP NEXT: La Fuente Family Restaurant