It’s My Fiesta And I’ll Eat How I Want To
By Catherine and Kaellen/ foodie@longislandernews.com
Everyone may know about Pancho
Villa’s, a Huntington village staple for 30 years, but
what they may not know is just how easy it is to customize
each dish to your taste.
Take the Guacamole Al Molcagete ($10.95 dinner) for example.
The dish is prepared right in front of you, making it easy
to leave out ingredients you’d rather not have included
– voilà, custom guacamole.
This colorful dish is a family favorite enjoyed by everyone,
especially children who like to watch and learn how this traditional
Mexican appetizer is prepared, said Henry Abbarca, a manager
at Pancho Villa’s for 10 years.
“This is the closest thing you can find to original Mexican
food,” Abbarca said knowledgeably, comparing it to his
native Mexico City. “It makes me feel like home.”
The warm, rustic décor and old, sepia photographs certainly
made us feel like we just stepped south of the border.
Even before the guacamole arrives, the chips and salsa jumpstart
your taste buds. Tortilla chips come with two homemade salsas,
one mild with a piquant aftertaste, not overly laden with
vegetables, while the other gives you an immediate fiery kick
in the mouth.
Like the “muy caliente” salsa, dishes can be prepared
to your preferred spiciness. Abbarca said meals are usually
prepared mildly, although you can request otherwise.
Something the thirty-year-old restaurant is unexpectedly famous
for is its homemade chicken noodle soup, or Sopa de Pollo
($3.95 lunch/$4.50 dinner).
“We get people who come from all over the place –
Northport – all over the place for the soup,” said
Abbarca.
We can understand why, with tender, juicy chunks of chicken
falling apart in your mouth, and pieces of carrots, celery,
and even potatoes and zucchini included in the mix.
This wintry soup made us appreciate the summery Miami Vices
– a combination of a strawberry daiquiri and piña
colada ($3.95 virgin/$6.50 with alcohol).
The Arroz con Pollo ($11.95 lunch/$14.95 dinner), came loaded
with avocado, red pepper, oranges and onions, which added
variety and color to the classic Mexican meal. While most
people are used to pushing garnishes to the side, at Pancho
Villa’s, we found a garnish can add an excellent and
unexpected taste. For this dish, squeezing the orange onto
the chicken made the dish zestier.
Next up were the Tacos Al Carbón, or steak tacos ($17.95
dinner), which we squeezed lime on, a trick learned from the
previous dish.
For dessert, we tried a sampling of churros ($3.95 lunch/$4.50
dinner), flan ($3.95 lunch and dinner) and deep fried ice
cream ($3.95 lunch/$4.50 dinner). Our favorite was the cinnamon
covered churros, crunchy on the outside, but warm and soft
on the inside and not overwhelmingly sweet.
Head to Pancho Villa’s Monday nights for the all you
can eat $9.95 special, or Tuesday and Wednesday for two for
one margaritas and half-price fajitas.
After our lunch at Pancho Villa’s, all we have to say
is “Ole!”
Pancho Villa's
311 New York Avenue
Huntington village
631-549-0022
www.panchovillalongisland.com
Atmosphere: Casual
Cuisine: Mexican
Price: Moderate
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. lunch;
4 p.m. to 12 a.m. dinner
Main
Menu
|
