Cancun Kitsch: Fred’s Mexican Café

Like its name, Fred’s Mexican Café isn’t exactly authentic Mexican. But when it comes to a kitschy Latin atmosphere, great tacos and a massive margarita menu, it’s the real deal.

Open only four months, Fred’s is situated on Old Pasadena’s “final frontier”: the corner of Arroyo Parkway and Colorado. Standing in a glass window is a pretty young lady making tortillas by hand. The interior of the restaurant is Mexican glam, a mixture of glass chandeliers, thatched umbrellas and tufted naugahyde.

The paper-placemat menu is the usual combination of tacos, enchiladas, burritos and  fajitas.  But although there are no surprise on the menu there are some in the entrees themselves: great tasting, high-quality beef, chicken and fish.

Fred’s is unlike many restaurants that use taco fillings as an excuse to use up left-over dark meat chicken and the toughest cuts of beef, cooked to tastelessness in hopes the meat will magically become tender. Instead, Fred’s opts for tender strips of marinated chicken breast, top sirloin steak and mahi mahi.

Our experience kicked off with margaritas, three from Fred’s extensive list of choices. My favorite was the Diva Rita, a fruity blend of Margaritaville tequila, passion fruit, Patron Citronge and cranberry juice. Smooth, slightly sweet with a tropical twist, I found myself favoring this blushing drink. The other two margaritas, the Cadillac and Patron Rita, were good but a bit strong for my tastes. The Cadillac is a mixture of 1800, Reposado and is topped with Gran Marnier. The Patron Rita contains Patron Silver and Citronge. All drinks were served on the rocks, a preferable choice to a frozen drink.

Chips and salsa were presented with a little twist on the chips: the addition of season salt. The salsa was very mild — too mild. I asked if they had something a little spicier and was rewarded with a bowl of smoky, hot chipotle salsa.

The house special appetizer, a chicken “Mexican hockey puck” (the real name is not fit to print), came next. Crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, these round gems were filled with black beans, corn, cheese, chicken and pico de gallo. A refreshing change from the ordinary quesadillas and nachos. They were slightly spicy, very cheesy and topped with an avocado/ranch sauce and accompanied by a slaw-like salad made with shredded lettuce, grilled corn and cilantro.

Three types of tacos came to the table, chicken, grilled mahi mahi, and steak. All served with rice and black beans. The first noticeable difference in these tacos are that they are served on a flour tortilla, as opposed to the usual corn. These are the very same tortillas being made by the young lady in the window. They grill these tortillas with the cheese  resulting in a slightly chewy taco shell. Long strips of meat fill the bottom (I do mean fill, there’s no skimping) topped with lettuce or cabbage, tomatillo sauce and pico de gallo. These tacos are good and out of the ordinary. It’s hard to improve on a taco it’s so basic, but Fred’s has done it.

My favorite was the steak, which surprised my companion since beef is not normally my first choice. This steak was so good and tender; a delight.

Fred’s does offer one dessert called Chocolate Diablo, a mixture of chocolate mousse and brownies topped with whipped cream. Sounds good but really loses something in the translation — because the whipped cream is not real cream and the chocolate mousse, instead of being light and fluffy, has the consistency of frosting. But as I have said before, you don’t go to a Mexican restaurant for the dessert.

Fred’s is open from 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 a.m. Their kitchen is open until midnight. Happy hour is Monday – Friday from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. with deals on house margaritas and domestic draft beer only, no appetizers. On taco-licious Tuesdays, chicken, carnitas, calamari and mahi mahi tacos are $2.00 and steak and cajun shrimp tacos are $3.00 from 4:00 p.m. until closing. House margaritas and domestic draft beers are also offered at a reduced rate. On the 5th of the month celebrate Cinco de Fred’s with $2.50 margaritas and domestic draft beers.

Fred’s Mexican Café is located at 119 East Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For more information call (626) 304-9955.