"THE" La Rosita is open downtown!

Oh, and let's not forget a big, fresh handful on a teaming hot bowl of Pho.

After my gig today, I popped in for carryout lunch. The place was pretty busy but it was SLOOWWW. It took me 50 min to get a carryout order and the order was wrong. I don't know what I got, but it was delicious.They have signs everywhere saying "now hiring servers" and it looks like they need them and perhaps some more kitchen help. Another thing- the benches for waiting were bathed in full sun and it was quite uncomfortable waiting. I'll definitely go back, but may wait till they have their issues resolved. I'm glad I didn't get a ticket at the meter!

Went today with a group of six. Got there at 11:50, had drinks, chips, and orders in by 12:00. When I left at 12:50 for a conference call, we had not received our orders. Someone put my now "to go" order on my desk. The Mayan Quesadilla was excellent. They were there until 1:30, I believe.

So, food good. But working out the kinks, and the kinks are pretty big.

Still working out the kinks. My lunch table got no chips and salsa, although the other tables seemed to get them, do you have to ask or order them?? I ordered an enchilada quesadilla and while the green chile sauce was tasty the food was barely warm. A lunch mate ordered chiquitos, and they were so hard she couldn't eat them. Service wasn't as slow as previous reports, but slower than a lunch service should be. Overall pretty much a yawn...

My lunch table got no chips and salsa, although the other tables seemed to get them, do you have to ask or order them??

Yes, you have to order the chips and salsa now, they are not complimentary (though I don't remember if they ever were).

I went to the Market Street location on the Saturday of the big rain storm, and while the food was excellent (as it always is/was in New Albany), the service was pretty slow and sort of confounding, especially because it wasn't particularly busy. Our server really didn't seem to be into, y'know, serving us -- and while my expectations were pretty relaxed given that it's a casual place, as a server myself I found it off-putting. We ordered the chips and salsa and only got three kinds of salsas, while other tables got four varieties. The server took ten minutes after we ordered to tell my girlfriend that they were out of the spinach tamales (being out of a dish is no big deal -- but why take so long to let us know that?). Then the server decided to spend time at the front of the restaurant alternately playing some weird percussion frog thing in the window which was obnoxiously loud -- I'm someone who usually has no problems with loud noises in restaurants, but this was ridiculous -- and playing/talking on her cellphone, while ignoring people coming in the restaurant. There was no host/hostess, no management visible -- just three servers, and we got stuck with the least helpful of the three (though I also heard another server complain to another server's table that she was "bored"). One of the servers I recognized from the New Albany location, and he's usually great, but unfortunately we weren't in his section.

Nothing happened to ruin the meal per se, as again our food was excellent, though obviously the service was really strange. We'll be back, because we love La Rosita's food, but I really hope they can find better FOH personnel soon. It's crazy to me, in this economy with unemployment still very high, to see people who obviously don't take much pride in their jobs.

I've only been to the one in New Albany a few times, and we were never offered chips. We had to ask. I assumed I was lame and that it was silly for a real mexican restaurant to offer free chips and salsa. Sort of like when i like beers that are made by mean corporations.

You do have to buy the chips and salsas at La Rosita.

I don't have a problem with buying their chips and salsa, especially 'cause the avocado salsa is the best thing on earth. Seriously, it's so incredibly delicious.

Sort of like when i like beers that are made by mean corporations.

You are killing me over here!

Sort of like when i like beers that are made by mean corporations.

You are killing me over here!

The New Albany version does offer our Elector and Community Dark. They sell a surprising amount. Has anyone noticed if the Louisville unit has a license yet!

Sort of like when i like beers that are made by mean corporations.

You are killing me over here!

The New Albany version does offer our Elector and Community Dark. They sell a surprising amount. Has anyone noticed if the Louisville unit has a license yet!

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Sorry David.

I love cilantro, but I have my own little tastebud quirk....all Scotch has an iodine taste to me. It doesn't matter if it's cheap, moderate, or really expensive; all I get is iodine. I don't have this problem with bourbon or other, lesser whiskeys.

I don't have a problem with Scotch. However, I do have a problem with you implying that bourbon is somehow a "lesser whiskey"!



(posted tongue-in-cheek)

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Sorry David.

Thanks. I did save a screen shot for posterity.

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Sorry David.

Thanks. I did save a screen shot for posterity.

I think I'm immune from being blackmailed as an ass at this point. It's public knowledge.

@ Dave - no liquor license as of last evening. Our server said it should be ~1 week.

Liz and I went last night with another couple. There were 4 other parties there when we arrived around 7:45. With so much space, this lack of clientele made it feel cavernous (not that I'm complaining - it's good that they'll have room to accomodate what I expect to be droves of customers).

Our service was extremely timely; we were seated and had drinks + chips and salsa in mere minutes (the Mayan mixed with the Habanero was always a favorite of mine, and, as always, the Avocado was a superstar). I opted for the chicken mole while the lady chose a baja quesadilla. The other members of our party went with quesadillas albondigas and enchiladas rojas. Each meal was sufficiently warm (with a couple being almost too hot!). The mole was decadent with bitter chocolate flavor and a satisfying amount of creeping heat. We were out the door by 9:00ish.

I was a touch worried after reading reviews that the "cloudy side" team hadn't hit their stride. What a pleasant and delicious surprise. All we need now are a few good drafts and some tequila.