Blue Habanero
I am almost ashamed to be posting this for public viewing, but even though it won the #1 spot as Cleveland’s BEST Mexican restaurant; we were totally UNIMPRESSED with Blue Habanero! Though I’ve never put too much stock in reviews, be it movies or restaurants (which is why I reiterate that this blog is strictly OUR OPINION), I felt we owed it to ourselves to at least see why Blue Habanero was awarded first place, so we did. Besides, the Gordon Square district is pretty cool, particularly in the summer.
I was a little surprised at how small it is. If you discount the really nice patio, they really couldn’t accommodate a huge crowd, so I’d guess that the weekends could be a problem. On this particular evening, there were a few other people in there besides us, but definitely not what I would have expected.
We were both a little disappointed at how small the menu is. We are so used to the typical neighborhood Mexican restaurants which have so many pages to their menu, it takes 30 minutes just to go through it. There really isn’t anything ‘typical’ about Blue Habanero though. Also surprising was the fact that you aren’t greeted with a basket of tortilla chips and a bowl of salsa upon being seated. They do have both of those, but you have to order (and pay) for them. Very nominal, but still. We are also used to the house salsas being somewhat tame and being provided with some hot sauce if one is interested in kicking it up a notch. Their salsa had way too much heat for Mr. Z. In addition to the chips & salsa we ordered, we also ordered the queso (which came with yet more chips). It too, was a bit over the top. I asked our server, Marlene (who was pretty good – attentive and helpful, but I had a hard time understanding her), if they had a milder salsa, or if perhaps there was maybe something I could tone it down with, but was told they did not, so we really didn’t get to satisfy our chips/salsa/queso craving.
Mr. Z decided to be cautious and just ordered the combo quesadillas from the list of starters. It was mainly steak and chicken and though the chicken ones looked substantial, the amount of steak was pretty sparse. He said they were just okay. I haven’t had a chimichanga in years, and after reading the comments in regard to Blue Habanero’s steak or chicken and chorizo chimichanga, I decided to try it. I wasn’t a fan. I ordered the chicken and chorizo one and with the exception of the kick from the chorizo, it really didn’t have too much flavor. It was huge and covered in queso, but suffice it to say that I ate half (it was huge) and didn’t like it well enough to even try to finish it.
Overall, I (more so than Mr. Z) was pretty disappointed in Blue Habanero. I’m sure that plenty of folks would find Blue Habanero to be outstanding (since obviously the contest judges did), but we would have no reason to go back. I think that we are better suited for your more typical Mexican restaurant!
Blue Habanero is located at:
6416 Detroit Ave (Gordon Square)
Cleveland, OH
(216) 465-1818
www.bluehabanerocleveland.com/dinner-menu/