Ah! Fajitas

For dinner tonight, I met my friend RG who recently moved back to NYC. We wanted to meet at a restaurant that was halfway between our apartments, and decided on the Turtle Bay area in Midtown East. Once we met up, we remembered a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant we use to go to a lot back in the day...Ah! Chihuahua's. That was easy!

Ah! Chihuahua's is not the most eye-catching from the outside, but take a deep breath, open the door, and your slight hesitation will quickly be forgotten once you are greeted by the very friendly staff. There are only about 10 tables in the whole restaurant, but on a cold Monday night, we certainly had no problem getting a seat. I've been during lunch, when they offer really affordable lunch specials, and that is another story!

Chips and homemade salsa were brought out immediately, and I have to say, this salsa was better than I remember. While we were looking over the menu, RG and I were thinking about each ordering different enchilada dishes. But, when the server brought out sizzling fajitas to table behind us, we quickly changed our minds! They smelled delicious, and looked like the perfect dish to share.

We decided to start with the panchos appetizer, which are nachos topped with beans, cheese, tomatoes, onions, and guacamole. Gotta be honest here, I'm not totally versed in the world of nachos. So, I'm not sure if there's a different term for a heap of tortilla chips piled high with all the fixings, versus 8 large chips laid out side by side and individually covered in different toppings. Panchos was the latter. Some of the chips had refried beans and melted cheese, others had fresh guacamole, and some had melted cheese with onions and jalapenos. All of them were delicious, and it was the perfect-sized starter.

We also ordered the fajitas pollo - marinated strips of grilled chicken breast with tomatos, onions, and red peppers. A side plate came with refried beans covered in cheese, sour cream, yellow rice, fresh guacamole, and shredded lettuce. The corn tortillas were fresh and piping hot. The chicken was spicy and flavorful, and the veggies were grilled nicely.

Aside from the various Mexican knick-knacks on the walls, Ah! Chihuahua's is pretty bare bones with cheapo plates and silverware, and plastic cups you'd find in a cafeteria. So, don't come expecting anything fancy. But, do come expecting food that is simple, tasty, and reasonably priced.

Ah! Chihuahua's
330 East 53rd Street
b/t 1st & 2nd Avenues
Menu Pages listing

Comments

Ed said…
The only thing you missed out on is the gallon bowl of queso dip which is so large that you need to ask them to reheat it at least once. Great place for some down and dirty mexican though!