Los Jarritos -- 3191 N Garey Ave Pomona, CA 91767

My Meal Cost: $35.22 for 3 plus tip. Health Rating A. Yelp 4 stars

Shortly after I started this adventure, I was contacted by David Allen at the Daily Bulletin who suggested that he might want to do a column on my adventure, if or when, I was about at the end. I sometimes forward him little items about Pomona that I collect so we've had a friendly relationship for a number of years. As a matter of fact, I'm mentioned in this morning's column as well. And he indicated that he plans to feature Los Jarritos as his restaurant of the week on his blog tomorrow. Since this week's post is the third from the last (unless something new opens in the interim), I invited David to join me at Los Jarritos for a leisurely lunch.

Since this place is also a favorite of the Lovely Mrs. C, I also asked her as well (she could also keep me honest). We met David at 1:00 pm and I have to say that, probably because the conversation was all about me, that I had quite an enjoyable 2 hours.

This restaurant is a full-service, sit-down restaurant. We seated ourselves, but once seated the waiter showed up almost immediately with a bowl of chips and salsa. If you've read this blog in the past you know that I like a chunky salsa with my chips and this one was a fully liquid version with nothing to scoop up on my chip. However, it was not overly spicy, so it was OK for the Lovely Mrs. C.

Their are actually two rooms for dining. We chose the main dining room with the view of the open kitchen. It is bright and airy with sunlight (even on a very overcast and threatening day) streaming in floor to ceiling windows on two sides. The smaller room isn't quite as light. The place was fairly busy for a Tuesday lunchtime but not so busy that the wait staff was crushed.

Photo of all of the dishes ordered by the three of us.

The menu includes burritos, nachos, breakfast items, sides, salads, and a dinner menu of combination plates, including Chili Rellenos, Enchiladas, tacos, carnitas, and most of the regular items you would expect. They also serve menudo on the weekend and if you bring your own pot they will fill it for you.

The Lovely Mrs. C decided on her favorite all meat, carne asada burrito with cheese and guacamole only on it. She also decided on a side order of the beans which she really enjoys. Our guest, Mr. Allen decided on a combination burrito which came with rice and beans inside. Both of their items came with a small salad on the plate.

For myself, I decided that I needed to order a full meal so as to properly compare with the other Mexican restaurants on this blog. I ordered a combination with Chile Relleno and chicken enchilada, and a diet coke.

This was my combo plate.

The combination plate also came with rice and beans. 

First, the rice. I've had it before and was always pleased with the moistness and garlicky flavor of this version. It did not call out for the addition of the salsa, which, being more of a sauce would have worked here, but I didn't even think to add it. The beans were creamy and smooth and had good flavor, just what I look for in my Mexican sides. 

The enchilada could have used a bit more sauce as it was a little dry, but it was loaded with tender chunks of flavorful chicken. The chile was covered with sauce and cheese (which seemed to have kept more of the sauce on the chili) and was an excellent example. Sometimes the batter on the chile is overpowering, but this batter was light and didn't detract from the flavors of the mild pepper, the cheese stuffing, nor the sauce.

Both David and Mrs. C seemed to like their offerings as well. As mentioned, David is going to list Los Jarritos as his restaurant of the week on his blog tomorrow, so I imagine we'll get a better idea of what he thought by checking there.

A place that I'm sure I'll come back to time and time again.

UP NEXT:  Jack-in-the-Box

Only 2 left! Jack-in-the-Box next week (yay?) and then Castenedas Mexican Restaurant. A little over a year. Whew!