Short Takes: Plaza Del Sol delivers unexpected value

By Maria G. Manio

With gas prices approaching $5 a gallon, never let it be said that I will pass a chance to dine on the cheap. This has been my dining 'strategery,' as George W. Bush might say, the last few months and it has served me well.

With this in mind, I recently received the coupon mailer “Only The Best” that had an offer from Elk Grove's Plaza Del Sol – buy one meal and get the second half-off. As coupon offers go, this is the bare minimum that will motivate me to visit a restaurant.

Located in the old Lucky Shopping Center on Elk Grove Blvd. and Hwy 99, I have enjoyed dining at Plaza Del Sol over the last several years. Armed with my coupon, my dining companion and I paid a visit on a recent Saturday night.

Although they were fairly busy, we were quickly seated and presented with warm chips and salsa. While munching away on our chips, we perused the menu which included all the standard Mexican dishes.

Our first inclination was for each of us to get a combination plate to share and take advantage of the coupon offer. But then one item caught our eye – a five item combination plate.

After doing some quick calculations, and being mindful of our waistlines, we decided that the five items combo priced at $14.95 would quench our appetite and stay within our budget.

The staff was accommodating when we requested an extra plate for splitting and there was no extra charge.

Along with obligatory rice and beans, the combo included a chili relleno, chili verde, chili colorado, beef taco and a beef enchilada. The meal was served hot and fresh in a matter a minutes.

As expected, the food more than satisfied our appetite and overall was quite good, with props for the chili relleno and chili colorado. The chili verde was tender and generally good, but could have used a little more kick and been a bit warmer.

Aside from enjoying a plentiful meal and one margarita for me (how can you not have one on a Saturday night?), our bill with tip was less than $25.

Turns out we didn’t need the coupon after all.

Plaza Del Sol is located at 8523 Elk Grove Blvd, Elk Grove. See link to Plaza Del Sol's site to the left under Elk Grove Restaurants