House party

One Sunday evening in 2004, my boyfriend and I had our first date. With no reservations, it got later and later as we drove to various restaurants, finding most of them locked up for the night.

It didn’t help that I wanted not just any restaurant, but a Mexican restaurant, to be open. A date-worthy one, too, so taco trucks were out of the question.

You see, the Pumas, a Mexico City soccer team I’ve followed since I studied abroad there, had just won the league championship and I wanted to celebrate with people who knew what the hell I was talking about and maybe even wanted to celebrate, too.

We ended up at Casa Ramos in the Albertson’s shopping center on East Avenue. Our server fortuitously hailed from Mexico City. (The waiters at Casa Ramos wear nametags featuring their or their parents’ Mexican hometowns). He was more than happy to toast the Pumas’ victory with me, even as he wondered why a white girl like me followed Mexican soccer. The restaurant’s festive atmosphere and the friendly service was just what I was looking for.

In fact, my boyfriend and I returned with some friends the next Cinco de Mayo thinking it would be a good place for a party. The rest of Chico had the same idea—we waited for more than an hour before we got a table. This time the waiters put on a real show for the mainly white diners: Wide grins, goofy attitudes and floppy sombreros. The barrage of stereotypes offended me, especially since Hispanics perpetuated them for the entertainment of non-Hispanics. But I guess that sells.

On my most recent visit, with my brother this time, I didn’t see any of the shenanigans I remembered, but the waiters were still pleasant, attentive and cheerful. The service was so quick, in fact, that I wondered if the plate was ready before I even ordered it and they just popped it in the microwave.

Now, I don’t mean to cast Casa Ramos in a negative light; people love the place and it’s won Best of Chico for the last two years. It’s just that I would not judge Casa Ramos next to the spicier, more authentic Mexican restaurants I tend to frequent.

In its own right, Casa Ramos is a great family restaurant with satisfying food and great atmosphere. Colorful murals cover the walls and lively Mexican music tickles your ears. The prices here are higher than usual, but the plates are so big you definitely get your money’s worth, with plenty of leftovers.

A surprising array of dishes fills up the well-organized tri-fold menu, front and back. Have an appetizer, like the “award-winning” Ramos Deluxe Nachos ($5.50), and a cocktail if you have time to take it slow. With pricey entrees, you might as well go all out.

Don’t just get a burrito ($9.75) when you can fill that craving on the cheap at a taco truck. Instead splurge on something unusual, perhaps the chicken en mole ($10.95), strips of chicken breast in a rich, spicy chocolate sauce.

Most of the “Mexican Favorites” section is exotic, too. I recommend the sopitos ($9.95), a satisfying, tostada-like entrée with thick, soft fried cornmeal in place of a crispy tortilla, or the über-authentic tacos al pastor ($9.95), flavorful marinated pork corn tortilla tacos with lettuce, tomato, onions, cilantro and pico de gallo—just like the kind I used to eat down the street from my apartment in Mexico.

If you’d rather stick to the familiar, take advantage of Casa’s combination plates. One, two or three ($5.95 to $12.95) of your favorite dishes served with beans and rice, and a choice of either cheese, ground beef, chicken, pork, picadillo, chile verde or chile colorado.

My brother managed to clear his chimichanga and enchilada combo plate ($9.95), but I couldn’t finish my order of chicken sopitos to save my life. I must have eaten too many of the tasty chips and salsa (first basket free, additional $1).

If I had any room, I would have sampled one of the desserts. I never saw sopapillas or fried ice cream in Mexico City, but I’d be willing to bet they taste good anyway.