Bill Cianci's (Mostly) Burger Reviews: Casa Don Manuel

Where:
1292 Alps Road,
Wayne, NJ

What:
Queso Fundido - Blend of melted cheese and onions sautéed with garlic, your choice mushrooms or homemade chorizo (pork sausage) , served with warm corn or flour tortillas
Huarache - Traditional masa flat bread topped with refried beans, sour cream, queso cotija, tomatillo sauce, pico de gallo, avocado and your choice of al pastor, carne asada or carnitas
Enchiladas Verdes - Soft corn tortillas dipped in green tomatillo sauce, filled with choice of shredded chicken, beef, picadillo (ground beef), cheese or vegetables and covered with melted cheese

Pollo Tapatios - Chicken breast covered with special chipotle sauce, topped with queso fresco, onions, and mushrooms

Comments:

Hoping this would be our new go-to restaurant, we've been watching the coming of Casa Don Manuel with anticipation ever since we heard it was purchased at auction.

Both the interior and exterior were done quite well. The dining area and bar are warm and inviting. The staff could not be nicer or more attentive, perhaps a bit too attentive?

After water and margaritas were served with corn chips and salsa, our waiter asked if we needed a few more minutes, we did. However, after what was literally less than 2 minutes, he returned to ask if we needed a few more minutes, the reply was "yes". Needless to say, we unconsciously began rushing our decision making. When he returned (within the next 2 minutes), we ordered two appys, the Queso Fundido and the Huarache.

The appys were served when we had mostly finished our cocktails, perfect. The Huarache was served hot and fresh and my wife loved it immediately. I started on my appy choice, the Queso Fundido. The aroma coupled with my initial tasting was wonderful, until the salt set it. The more I dug into what could have been a 5-star dish, the more salt I discovered until it got to the point where I had to push the dish away declaring it "inedible". I'm sure this was a mistake and that this dish is never even close to being served as salted as mine was.

Here comes strike two...

Seconds after pushing the dish away, two waiters arrived with our entree's! WTF? We weren't halfway through our appetizers! There's not much to do in this case, since sending the entrees back to the kitchen would only put them under a heat lamp and who wants dried-out food? We accepted the dishes and noticed that neither waiter seemed the least bit concerned about the early delivery. Again, the entire wait staff was nice as hell, but it seems the server-to-kitchen communication needs to work on timing.

My wife and I give them a pass since they are a newly opened operation. We are looking forward to a second trip (in a month or two) to sample other dishes. Who knows, Casa Don Manuel might end up being our go-to place after all.

As for my wife's Enchiladas Verdes, she went wild for them. They were hot, fresh and delicious with authentic flavors throughout. Although the chicken in my Pollo Tapatios was very tender and plentiful, the chipotle sauce was a bit on the bland side. Other than that, a good dish overall.

Other than the saltiness of the Queso Fundido and the entree's arriving almost with the appetizers, there was a freshness of ingredients and taste of authentic Mexican cuisine that will draw us back again.

Please note, my comments are not meant to criticize, they are meant to be a help to the business owner(s) only.

Best of luck to the owners of Casa Don Manuel.