Casa Moreno

See Gone, But Not Forgotten

Casa Moreno, was a restaurant at Park Point at RIT, which dedicated its menu to southeast Mexican street foods. According to the D&C, the "menu had tortas (grilled sandwiches), fish tacos, sopas, huaraches (grilled flat breads, similar to pizzas) as well as classics such as chalupas and fajitas".

Comments:

Note: You must be logged in to add comments

2010-12-12 11:10:26   Went last evening and found a full house around 7:15PM. The food was excellent, lots of flavor and reasonable portions. CM has some different selections than the average Rochester Mexican, and is perhaps a little spicier than most. The pork soft tacos were delicious, and the pickled onions on top were a real hit. On the other hand CM still needs to work out the kinks in the service. Food was served randomly as it was completed in the kitchen. My food came 5 minutes before my wife's. At a nearby table, one gentleman's fajitas came a full 15 minutes before the fajitas for the other three at the table. I can sometimes see different stations in the kitchen getting out of sync and wanting to serve food while it is hot, but this seemed a little extreme and left some awkward moments with polite folks letting food get cold on the table. Also, after being presented the check and providing my credit card, I was returned a credit card slip with a higher $$$ total (sans check). I noticed the difference and politely inquired as to what caused it (service charge?). I was told that they had charged me for a second beer (when I had only one). I politely noted that I had had only one beer and was only going to pay for what we had consumed. The server reduced the credit card slip to the original amount, but never apologized for the error. Overall the food was good enough to deserve a second visit, but I will wait a few months to see if the service gets better tuned. —JGerek

2010-12-27 21:10:26   Went to Casa Moreno for lunch. Very cool decor. The menu is interesting, particularly the tortas. There are nice authentic touches such as pickled onions. However, I think the prices are too high for lunch. I had the chicken huarache, which was very well prepared and tasty, but was $6.99 with no sides; too expensive for what I got. If I ordered chips and salsa, two tacos, some rice and beans, and a soft drink, it would have cost me over $13.00. Way too high for a quick lunch out during a work day. And, it most definitely was not a quick lunch. It was 50 minutes from ordering to receiving our food. I'm sure the service issues can be worked out, but if they want people at lunch they should offer some free chips and salsa and some good lunch specials. —MWilson

2011-01-14 21:23:16   We visited Casa Moreno tonight and it was not good. I had high expectations based upon The City Newspaper review, but yet for the third time, it has disappointed me when it comes to Mexican food. I don't believe their Mexican food critics have ever been to Mexico to appreciate what good Mexican food is....Casa Moreno is not it. Besides being squeezed behind a booth, in a corner and the wait staff not being prepared for the number of patrons that night, the salsa and chips should always be plenty ready to arrive at a table when you sit down, wasn't...20 minutes later, the beer was slow and the entrees even slower. When the food did arrive, my companion's fajitas were not flavorful at all. I think the cook just threw some vegetables and chicken into a pan with some hot oil and cooked it until it was done with no seasoning, no creativity. My platanos appetizer was good. The salsa did taste good once it arrived...good mix of different flavors, but my tostados were just like the fajitas, lacking in any flavor. Go to Mexico and taste some real Mexican, then you can actually be a good Mexican food critic at The City Newspaper. —kaybee

2011-01-21 22:34:58   Don't go here - you'll pay a lot of money for bad food. I feel really bad for the waitresses at this place; they were very kind and apologetic, but will be out of a job soon when Casa Moreno closes. When we arrived, I ordered a pineapple margarita from the drink menu. After 20 minutes and still no margarita, I asked where it was and was told they don't make pineapple margaritas. So I tried to order a grapefruit margarita from the menu, and was told they don’t make those, either. (The pomegranate margarita that I finally ended up with when I was halfway through my meal was good, though.) My entrée, the pulled pork torta, was just AWFUL. The pork was so chewy and tough that it was like eating jerky, and there was no flavor whatsoever elsewhere in the sandwich. I sent it back in exchange for the Cubana torta, which was basically just a plain old ham sandwich with cheese, mustard, and a pickle. But, at least it was edible. My husband ordered the chicken and beef enchiladas, which were tasty, but definitely not worth the $14. The portion he received was an appropriate dinner size, but should have only cost $10, max. (You’d get twice the amount of food and the same quality at Salena’s for $14.) I’m sticking with my standard advice on this one: if you want a real torta, and a real cocktail, go to Dorado’s on Park Ave. (Also note that the menu link on this page is only partially accurate - many items listed on this menu are not available.) —AJH

2011-01-29 21:26:42   Went on a recent Friday and found the place very busy. I had the enchiladas and a pork torta while my wife had fajitas . We both thought that the food was good and I didn't think the prices were out of line. The service is what you would expect for the style of restaurant they are trying to run.Not a place I would recommend for the bar or atmosphere, but it gives us a good alternative to having to drive to Monte Alban for our Mexican fix. —almorinelli

2011-02-01 18:45:58   On January 9th, my partner and I went here and we loved it. Food was great, service was good, prices were a bit high (but we felt it was worth it). Everything tasted fresh and bright, cooked perfectly. Some unique items on the menu (escabeche, a kind of pickled garlic and vegetables and a torta with pulled pork and pickled onions) were delicious. We raved about the soup. And we ended it with one of the best bread puddings ever.

Twenty days after this, we went again, expecting to have the same great experience. Nope. The menu had changed. No more escabeche (the waitress said it was a pain to make), and the pulled pork torta I loved some much was replaced. Most of the food was overcooked— the tender chicken in the soup was more rubbery, my partner's rice was mushy and bland. The salsas were still good, but honestly, that's not much of a culinary test. We didn't bother getting desert this time.

In twenty days, Casa Moreno went from being a place we raved about and would take friends to to being a place that is just... there. It's possible that they've always been so-so, and our first time there was a happy accident. But more likely, the fact they changed the menu kind of suggests they're tweaking things. We'll go again— we'll try most places three or four times on different days to see how consistent they are. But if it's like it was the last time, then it will probably end up being a place we go only when we're in the area and feeling hopeful that it will be as great as the first time we went there. —JohnPassaniti

2011-02-04 13:57:54   The guac was pretty underwhelming; which is a bit of a surprise since it takes almost zero talent to make incredibly good guac, the ingredients do all the work for you. Nothing really "wowed" me — 4/10. —ErikWilliams

2011-02-11 18:27:39   Not a fan. I've had much worse in rochester, but if you take the love out of the food to cater to american palletes, you're going to lose to taco bell and on the border. they've got the market pinned (and we dont need another one of those). —jberna

2011-03-22 12:06:11   Casa Moreno is a nice place to eat. I visited there few weeks ago. Nice area but service is okay, not bad. They still learn. I'm honest with you. The price is too high for small portion of menus. Also, no free chips and salsa. If the price is too high, the number of visits is likely less. Thank you. —PaulinoPatinoJr

2011-06-29 12:58:35   Went today (a Wednesday) for lunch and was sorely disappointed. The menu currently listed on their website was not the menu we received - we received something labeled a "concert menu" which contained about 12 items. The tamales were completely gone, as were most of the other appealing vegetarian options. I asked the waitress if there was a different menu, and she said there was not. Apparently they made a change last weekend; I don't know if it is temporary for the summer or whether it is permanent. We left without eating. —AJP