La Hacienda... with pictures!

[RCharnay]

Six of us for a late evening reservation at La Hacienda in January. We had to wait a few minutes past our ADR time but it was a lovely night and we waited outside and took pictures around Mexico to kill the time.

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We wanted to get a seat by the window for viewing the fireworks since we were with my mom and she wasn't keen on spending a long time outdoors on hard seats. (It had already been a full day and she did great-she kept up like a real trooper!) We were so pleased to be escorted to a lovely table by the windows. The ambience was dark but happy, not exactly quiet but I never felt like I was listening to the conversations around me. The waiter was quick to our table with menus and we settled in. Shortly, a lovely young lady came by to tempt us with tequila. She was the tequilea sommelier. She described many varieties of tequila but, not being a straight alcohol drinker, it sort of flew by me. But then she mentioned we could do margarita flights and everyone at the table perked up. We ordered two for the table so everyone could get a sip. In a few moments, the freshly made chips and salsas and the margarita flights appeared.

I'll move onto the entrees in a bit!

 

[dledger]

That margarita flight looks delicious! Do you remember how much it was and if it is on the menu permanently? I have seen many mentions of similar flights on the boards and would love to get one during my trip in May but it doesn't seem to be a permanent fixture anywhere!

 

[maxiesmom]

I ate there in December, and don't remember the margarita flight on the menu! I did have a margarita, and it was delicious. The flight looks pretty darned yummy.

 

[SEC71]

It is not on the menu but is offered. Our server has told us about it every time we have eaten there.

 

[dledger]

Thanks! I appreciate your help!

 

[RCharnay]

The margarita flights were $18 a piece. It was enough that everyone in our party had one nice sip of 6 different margaritas. (Probably would have been more fun for just two of us but...that's a different trip!)

When it came time to order we had a hard time deciding. Everything is very different from the usual Mexican fare. It was fun to know that everything was going to be a new taste. Four of us at the table wanted to try to Parillada Del Mar ($49.95) (Mahi mahi, grilled shrimp,& scallops made for two) and DH wanted the Tacos de Camarones ($22.95) (he ordered it with grilled shrimp instead of fried). My Mom is on a very restricted diet-no spicy foods. She was worried when we said we were trying Mexican food but she was a good sport and said she would just eat tortillas if need be. When we spoke with the server, he said about the only thing they could prepare without spice was the pork tenderloin. So Mom ordered the Puerco en salsa de Mole Negro (25.95)-minus the sauces so--Puerco.

We all enjoyed our meals and passed tastes so everyone could try it all. DH's tacos were wonderful and I thought the scallops on the Del Mar plate with fabulous. My mom liked her pork tenderloin-it was moist -but nothing special. But since we asked for it to be without any special seasoning, I think I would have to give them the benefit of the doubt and guess that if it were covered with their mole, etc. it would probably be very good. The corn dish that accompanied the pork meal was tasty. We appreciated them preparing something she could eat!

We were about 15 minutes into our meal when the fireworks began. The lights went down and we continued to eat and watched the celebration outside the windows. We could see the majority of the fireworks and what was happening. We didn't see much of the lights around the WS but we certainly got the big stuff along with the activities on the water.

We finished the night with a Chocolate Natilla ($7.95). I forgot to take a picture and it was gone like a flash. It was good but we shared it amongst the group so it was just a touch of chocolate and crust. We walked out of the park happy campers!

 

[Cat0727]

yum everything looks delicious Thanks for sharing!

 

[hstrickland]

That looks great!!! We have ressies there for our upcoming trip. Can the entire restaurant see the fireworks or is it just the tables by the windows?

 

[RCharnay]

I would think you would either need to be by the windows or walk over to them. A few people wandered over during the fireworks and it wasn't weird--we were all busy looking outside and enjoying the view. The sound is piped in so everyone can enjoy.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

Mmmm, this looks great!

 

[My Grandpa]

THANKS!!!!!!!!! This has been on our dining list and we have not yet made it there ... we always grab lunch at the cantina outside. The pics and the info was great. Keep eating and reporting back.

 

[twooley2]

what time was your reservation for? Trying to decide a good time for a busy season.

 

[LowesChevy]

Lovely pictures and report-thank you!

 

[RCharnay]

what time was your reservation for? Trying to decide a good time for a busy season.

We had an 8 PM reservation and fireworks were scheduled for 9 PM. We checked in at 7:45 and were seated about 8:15. There were plenty of empty tables when we were seated but none at the windows like we wanted so-- we were happy to have waited.

 

[jdisnut]

Thanks for posting! So nice to read such a positive review!

 

[BoomNLeon]

Thanks - Great Pics! Can't wait to eat there in May.

 

[jimmiej]

Thanks for the review & pics. We have a ressie there on the evening of June 20th.

 

[harpinjean]

Sounds nice!!