I bought a button long ago that said, “Life is uncertain, eat dessert first.” If that were socially acceptable, I'd do it more often! One place where you must save room for dessert is Mariachi on Wilmington Ave. in Rehoboth Beach. The Tres Leches cake is out of this world. Tres Leches (Spanish for Three Milks) is a sponge cake soaked in evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk. It's sweet, but not too sweet. Rich, but not too rich. And tastes divine. Of course they have other desserts, Sopapillas, Flan, Fried Ice Cream and Chocolate Mousse, and they're lovely, but for me, the standout is the TLC.
I love a menu that has an entire vegetarian section. Then you're not sitting there asking “are the beans made with lard?” Blah, blah, blah. I enjoy being a vegetarian, but I don't like making a big deal out of it. There are six lovely entrees listed in that section. They include a Vegetable Burrito, the Garden Quesadilla, a Vegetable Fajita, and the Ensalada Primavera (taco shell filled with steamed garden veggies, black beans, ranchero sauce and topped with cheese). This section also features thePlato Rojo: green poblano peppers filled with cheese, dipped in egg batter and lightly fried. My personal favorite is the Plato Verde: cheese enchiladas covered with green tomatillo sauce, a crispy guacamole taco, rice and black beans. Let's talk about the sides first. The black beans are average, the rice is good and the guac taco is very tasty. But the cheese enchiladas are the best I've ever had, anywhere, any time. Seriously. (And this vegetarian has eaten her share of Mexican food!) Mariachi's corn tortillas are so fresh and so flavorful they just melt in your mouth, and when you add the creamy cheese filling and the green tomatillo sauce, it's nirvana. I find it hard to order anything else.
Several of the appetizers and salads are vegetarian, including the Nachos, the Quesadillas, Platanos (fried plantains), the Guacamole and the Chili Con Queso. Three of the four salads are vegetarian, including the Brazilian Salad which contains hearts of palm, red onions and eggs, along with lettuce and tomatoes and the house dressing.
If there's something that you really like, but you don't see it on the menu, it doesn't hurt to ask. I'm a big fan of pupusas, a traditional Salvadoran dish made of a thick, handmade, corn tortillas filled with cheese or pork. Mariachi has them on the menu but theirs are not vegetarian. Sometimes, when the restaurant isn't packed, I've asked them to make me ones with just cheese. And they did. And they were yummy!
I'm almost afraid to write about the margaritas and salsa because after writing about the Tres Leches Cake and the Plato Verde, I'm this close to abandoning this article and venturing south to Wilmington Ave. to satisfy my taste buds. Let me say that Mariachi has excellent salsa. Some of the best. You can taste an entire repertoire of flavors.
The margaritas are good and my friends rave about the sangria as well. I comes in several flavors. That's it, I quit! Adios, my friends. You know where to find me!
Mariachi is open year-round, but always call in the off-season just to make sure. 302-227-0115. Take a look at the dinner menu by clicking here.
