Going Out for Mexican in Rochester

Salena's at 274 North Goodman Street. (Credit: Megan Dailor)

Rochester has some great places to head out for Mexican cuisine. They've all got eclectic combinations gracing the menus, so we picked a four-pack of local spots to find out what their most popular dishes were. Here's a sampling of some of the area's signature Mexican offerings.

Salena's

274 North Goodman Street, Rochester, (585) 256-5980; www.salenas.com

Signature Dish – Mexican Flag: Salena's Mexican Flag lets you experience a myriad of enchilada flavors representing colors on the Mexican flag. The dish features one chicken enchilada “white style” which is served with a heavy cream, cheese sauce, as well as one pork enchilada served “green style” with a green tomatillo sauce, and one beef enchilada, “enchilada style”. The dish is served up with rice and beans. $14.25

Why this dish? Because variety is the spice of life. Jason Edwards, manager of Salena's, sees the plate as a way of getting a lot of different tastes: “It's an easy way to try three enchiladas with signature sauces, all on one plate.”

Monte Alban Mexican Grill

845 East Ridge Road, Irondequoit, (585) 697-0615; www.montealban-mexicangrill.com

Signature Dish – Pancho's Special: This dish combines a savory heap of chicken and shrimp with cheese, rice, beans, lettuce, guacamole salad, and floury tortilla shells. “Everybody likes it,” proclaims Francisco Eoyoque, the manager at Monte Alban. With that combination of ingredients we can see why. $7.50 lunch special, $9.75 at dinner

Why this dish? Delicious diversity. Pancho's Special offers a smorgasbord of tastes without any potentially overwhelming flavors, and at an affordable price.

Maria's

75 West Main Street, Webster, (585) 872-1237

Signature Dish – Super Enchilada: Maria's Super Enchilada takes the concept of the Mexican Flag meal a step further with the addition of a fourth “super” enchilada, featuring mole, a  popular Mexican sauce. “It's like a chocolate sauce but instead of sweetening it, it's spiced,” explains Heiko Rommelmann, one of Maria's chefs. The Super Enchilada still features a red beef enchilada, a white chicken enchilada, and a green pork enchilada. But it's the fourth with the signature mole sauce that sets it apart. $13.95

Why this dish? Because one more enchilada never hurt. Especially a “super” one. And according to Rommelmann, “on weekends we also have specialties like Shrimp Veracruz and Cancun Enchilada.”

Mex

295 Alexander Street, Rochester, (585) 262-3060; www.mexrestaurant.com

Signature Dish – Nachos Grandes: Mex takes their nachos seriously, piling on the pinto beans, fresh tomatoes, guacamole, and black olives, and then bringing the works together with a blend of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses. For a few bucks extra you can add steak, chicken, or seitan, and we'll assume you've already ordered a few cervezas. $8; add steak, chicken, or seitan and it's $10

Why this dish? Owner Casey Walpert is confident that Mex is setting the bar with their offering of this barroom standard: “Pretty much every place has nachos. But no one does 'em quite like Mex.”