A couple of weeks ago, as I was thinking about being out of town for Cinco de Mayo, it struck me that I hadn’t been to a Mexican restaurant IN TOWN in quite some time. I decided it was time to change that, and started looking for a new one to experience.

 That’s a task in and of itself because I feel like I’ve been to them all. Yet I stumbled upon a place that opened nearly four years ago, yet was one I’d never heard of. I noticed it only because of a mention on social media.

The place is Jalisco in Eastlake, housed in the building that, last I remembered, was the Chagrin Tavern on Lake Shore Boulevard. I still feel like I found it by accident, but let’s just say I’m glad I did.

Read more of Correspondent Mark Koestner's review: Dining Out: Eastlake's Jalisco makes an impression among Mexican restaurants.

Ever since The News-Herald reviewed Momocho -- a modern-Mexican restaurant in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood -- I’ve been dying to try it.

But Momocho is small. And very, very popular.

I once walked in with a friend on a Saturday night and was told the wait would be about an hour and a half, if memory serves. Having worked out shortly before we’d headed west for the night, my friend was in no mood for that kind of wait. I’d blame my not eating there that night on her, but the packed placed didn’t seem an ideal place to kill an hour and a half of our lives. So it was a no-go.

When another friend recently suggested we try El Carnicero in Lakewood, Momocho’s newer — and bigger — sister restaurant, I was decidedly on board, even though I knew I would have trouble sticking to my low-carb diet for the night. (You gotta have priorities, people.)

We met for some “mod Mex,” as they call it, around 7 on a recent Saturday night, and when I’d arrived in the fairly spacious eatery, I found Erin at the back bar, where she’d procured us a couple of seats. (This was already going better than my Momocho attempt.)

Read more on Assistant Managing Editor Mark Meszoros' review: Dining Out: Momocho sister restaurant El Carnicero serves interesting modern Mexican cuisine.

The big news last summer was that Melt Bar and Grilled was coming to Mentor. Overshadowed a bit by the splashy headline was the rest of the story: Another popular eatery was changing locations to make room for Melt.

Jalapeno Loco, which had its ups and downs over the years at the corner of the Points East shopping plaza, packed up and moved down the street. With a new name — El Porton — the independent Mexican restaurant opened up shop in the old Davitinos location at 7501 Mentor Ave.

I visited Jalapeno Loco many times at its first location, but it wasn’t until about a month or so ago, when I learned that the new name was being ditched and the place would again be Jalapeno Loco, that I decided to check out the new location.

Read more of Correspondent Mark Koestner's review at Dining Out: Called Jalapeno Loco again, relocated Mentor Mexican eatery still enjoyable.

At times in my dining career, I’ve gotten advice before hitting certain restaurants.

Some places require patience, I’m warned, because you’ll wait for a table. Some require a certain wardrobe, meaning if you don’t sauce on your fancy duds, don’t wear them.

Certain sandwich shops produce meals that you’re advised not to put down once you pick them up. If you do, it’ll fall apart and you’ll be using a fork the rest of the way.

In appreciation to those who’ve helped me, I offer the following to you: There’s definitely a way to order when you dine at El Palenque in Eastlake.

Read more in Laura Kessel's review: Dining Out: Carefully timing your orders will help you enjoy El Palenque in Eastlake.

Local food deal is up now on Groupon for J B Milano’s in Richmond Heights spend $15 and get $30 worth of Italian food and non-alcoholic drinks. You may need to click on All Deals up at the top of the page, because Groupon updates its deals frequently to find the deal. You have until Friday morning at 4 a.m. to buy the deal.

There’s also a deal for Luchita’s Mexican Restaurant on West 117th Street in Cleveland. This deal, which doesn’t expire until the clock strikes 12 on Friday night, is your pick between $29 for a prix fixe Mexican dinner for two ($58.35 total value) or $58 for a prix fixe Mexican dinner for four ($116.70 total value).

The prix fixe menu includes for each pair of diners:

• One guacamole or empanada flight

• Two soups or salads

• One appetizer, such as nachos or flautas

• Two entrees, such as chiles rellenos or pork tacos

LivingSocial also has a deal for John Palmer’s Bistro 44 in Concord Township. Spend $25 and get $50 to spend on food and non-alcoholic drinks. Looks like this deal should be available until sometime Friday.

Happy eating!

-- Nicole Franz | NiFranz@News-Herald.com | @FranzOrFoe

Friday night I went to Zócalo Mexican Grill & Tequileria in the East 4th neighborhood downtown. It's Tuesday night and I am still thinking about the Blackberry Lime Margarita I had (well, both of the Blackberry Lime Margaritas I had).

The dining menu includes several especiales de casa (house specialties) that feature various sauces, rubs and spices. I actually wish I was more of a fish person because all of the seafood dishes sound fantastic. I had (and loved) the Enchilada Tinga Poblano, which is "Braised pork wrapped in corn tortillas then baked with spicy chipotle sauce, enchilada sauce and our specialty cheese blend. Garnished with crema fresca, chives and cotija cheese." Yes, it was as delicious as it sounds. It might be a little difficult for me to order anything else the next time I go there.

Don't leave Zócalo without perusing the drink menu, where you'll find tequila, tequila and more tequila (or, if you're like me, too many margaritas to choose from). Your server should be able to recommend the perfect drink if you can't decide.

If you have this year's Our Town and All-Around Dining Directory, you'll find a buy-one-get-one coupon to Zócalo inside.


-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com