There are some "golden locations" in this valley where, unless the restaurateur severely misjudges the clientele, an eating establishment can't help but be successful. One of those locations would be the busy intersection at the corner of Redwood Road and 5400 South. Whoever opened up there would at least get a deluge of first-timers. It does, however, take good quality, friendly service and decent pricing to keep diners coming back.
The people at Dos Serranos Border Grill seem to have hit on the perfect combination for this. They serve a kinder, gentler type of Mexican food. This is not where you go for five-alarm salsa or exotic mole sauces. This is where you could go with the whole family, from the baby to the great-grandma, and get a well-prepared meal without spending your life savings.You might remember this location as Jake's, and before that Pancho Villa. When you enter, a bright fiesta atmosphere whirls around you. There is nothing subtle about the flower-infused, colorful ambiance. The help is overtly friendly as well. The door will be opened for you by a congenial young man who will escort you to a hostess. She will welcome you and seat you as quickly as possible. This is a nice change from other establishments, where the first words out of hostess' mouth are a surly, "do you have a reservation?" Or where they clutch a clipboard to their chest while they impudently survey your party, arbitrarily deciding where you will fit in on their precious waiting list. Dos Serranos does not take reservations for parties under 8 and has already become extremely popular, especially on weekends, so to avoid waiting for up to 40 minutes, you might want to try them at an off-hour, or perhaps for lunch, when you never have to stand in line.
You'll note that the menu is extensive. If you see what other diners are ordering, you'll also note that helpings are generous. Take this into consideration when you order. Many of the appetizers are suitable for entrees, and if you want to try a bit of everything, my suggestion would be the Grande Fiesta Platter, for $6.99. It includes a mini-mound of nachos, Diablo wings (their own version of buffalo wings), poppers or cream cheese-stuffed jalapenos, chicken fingers and a steak and cheese quesadilla, along with plenty of guacamole, sour cream and three kinds of dipping sauces in addition to salsa. As an appetizer, this mountain of food can easily feed up to six people. Those quesadillas, by the way, are another good appetizer choice by themselves. They are plump with savory cheese and meat, or just plain veggies, the heftiest quesadillas I've ever been served. They run from $3.99 for the cheese to $6.99 for the steak.
Moving right along through your meal, you have your choice of burritos, chimichangas, tacos both crisp and soft, sandwiches or "tortas" as they're called on the menu, fajitas, enchiladas, chile rellenos or any combination of the above. The prices for these meals, which include the usual chips, beans and rice, range in price from $4.69 for two broiled chicken tacos to $12.99 for steak, chicken and shrimp fajitas. Rest assured that when you order chicken, you will not be served those reconstituted chicken cubes or breast-like substances. Also, when you order beef, it will be pulled beef brisket. There is not a morsel of ground beef on the premises, which is a great relief to me.
In addition to the Mexican classics, there are also "house favorites" like carnitas, or chunks of lean pork marinated in fruit juices, garlic and seasonings then braised and served with pico de gallo, guacamole, fire-roasted salsa, rice, beans and salad, for $9.99. They are especially proud of their chile verde, for $8.99, which is full of stewed pork, and bright red and green peppers.
I tried their Santa Barbara Enchiladas for $8.99, which consisted of corn tortillas stuffed with shrimp, vegetables and jack cheese, then blanketed with sour cream caper sauce. While they were a little on the mild side for my taste, their strength was the smoky, grilled flavor of the bay shrimp inside.
If you're still hungry by this time, you'll want to top off your meal with a little flan, or Mexican custard, for $2.99. Oh sure, there are other offerings like the tostada made of seasonal fresh tropical fruits glazed in passion fruit sauce then served on a cinnamon sugar tortilla, and the ice cream sombrero, which has the same sweet tortilla only with a topping of ice cream, chocolate and raspberry sauce. But the flan, ahhh, the flan. I reluctantly concede it's even better than that which I make at home, and that's really saying something. I've studied flan fabrication in both Mexico and Spain, and I'm a true flan aficionado. The flan at Dos Serranos is rich and smooth, made completely from scratch, which is unusual even for countries in Latin America, and served on a bright plate with a drizzling of caramel sauce, a dusting of powdered sugar. Divine.
Dos Serranos means "2 chile peppers" in English, and the Serrano variety is only one of about five types they use at this border grill. Together, they contribute to a guaranteed hot time. The food won't be extremely picante, but it will be prepared that same day with ingredients just a breath away from the farm. You'll find no canned sauces, beans or even prepackaged tortilla chips here. Everything will be served to you fresh and hot, by a staff that actually seems to care. I predict Dos Serranos will be around for a long time, because they're good enough, they're smart enough, and doggone it, people like them.
Rating: * * * 1/2
Dos Serranos Border Grill, 5419 S. Redwood Road, Taylorsville, 266-0898. Open for lunch and dinner, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Closed Sundays. Checks and major credit cards are accepted, but reservations for parties of under 10 are not. Banquet facilities are available.