Eating Mexican food at La Fonda and enjoying paletus and ice cream from Tropicana. Great students who really tried new things and did everything with a wonderful attitude
My experience at La Fonda was wonderful! I was really looking forward to this restaurant visit, because it has always been an interest of mine to try as many Mexican restaurants that I can on Southwest boulevard. In my opinion, this restaurant is very authentic in terms of atmosphere and food, as most of the restaurants in this area are. My dad's side of my family is Mexican, so I have a pretty good grasp of what authentic Mexican food tastes like.
I thought the food at La Fonda tasted like it was from my grandma's kitchen! The refried beans especially tasted just like what she makes. Along with the side of refried beans, I ordered cheese and onion enchiladas. They were very good! The enchilada sauce was very different from what I'm used to. There was a spice sprinkled on top, that tasted like cumin or chili powder, if I had to guess. Either way, it was very unique and yummy! It was interesting to compare the Mexican food that I'm used to eating with my family versus what I ate tonight at La Fonda. There were a lot of similarities! Overall, my food and experience as a whole was very enjoyable!
I really enjoyed the food at La Fonda! I had a tamale and a soft shell taco with chicken it was by far the best Mexican food I have ever had. The shell on the taco and the outside of the tamale were made from scratch which is probably a reason people love eating there. The atmosphere felt as though during the day and early evening cater to families and later for an older crowd that is primarily at the bar. It looked like a really fun place to go with friends on a Friday or Saturday night. I also enjoyed my time at La Fonda because with all the stress of finals and graduating it was relaxing to sit with friends and eat some really good food.
I had the Fajita Platter with chicken at La Fonda and I liked it a lot! The way of using tortillas wrap with food reminds me a lot about using the lettuce wrap with rice and barbecue meat at Korean Restaurant. I normally don't like tortillas, but it's definitely much better eat with a tortillas than just the chicken along. To be honest I can't tell if the flavor is authentic or not (not a fan of Mexican food but I love Chipotle). And maybe because Mexican food is so common in the United States,I am not as surprised and amazed as last time when we were having Ethiopian food. But overall it's a great place to hang out with friends. ---Xiaoxia Li
I very much enjoyed our trip to La Fonda! The atmosphere was awesome and made it feel very authentic. I thought our waitress did a very good job given that it was so busy on Thursday. I ordered 3 fried tacos with a side of rice and beans which was very delicious. I thought the food tasted like most of the other Mexican restaurants I have been too, but I'm not complaining because I love Mexican food. I one thing that I thought was very unique, was the salsa. It was very different than any other salsa I have ever had and I thought it was really good. I am usually very satisfied with the food we good and would go back in a heart beat, but surprisingly enough, I didn't care much for my dessert. I chose an item on the menu that my roommate told me was very good from there, but it didn't hit the spot for me. I got the Mangoneada which is mango sherbet with chunks of mango and chamoy. Chamoy refers to a variety of savory sauces and condiments in Mexican cuisine made from pickled fruit. Chamoy may range from a liquid to a paste consistency, and typically its flavor is salty, sweet, sour, and spiced with chiles. I figured since I had never had something like this, I should go all out, but unfortunately I won't be getting that again. I am glad I tried something new though!
I really enjoyed my time at La Fonda El Taquito. I don’t dislike Mexican food but it isn’t my favorite. Whenever I eat Mexican food I usually get the classic tacos or nachos just to make sure I am not disappointed. I decided to try something new here and ordered the Flauta platter with a side of rice and beans. The platter came with 4 flautas, and I chose to get two chicken and two beef. A Flauta is your choice of meat wrapped in a corn tortilla and then fried. I will admit, I googled what a flauta looked like before I ordered and it looked exactly like a taquito. The flautas came topped with lettuce, sauce, cheese, and sour cream. I ended up really enjoying my meal and it tasted exactly like a taquito, except crunchier because it was fried. When we went to Tropicana after dinner, I didn’t venture out and I got something I knew I would like. I got cookies and cream ice cream in a waffle cone and it was great. I thought about trying something new but after seeing what everyone else was getting it didn’t look good. I noticed a lot of their desserts had chunks of fruit in the ice cream and I am really weird about certain textures so I knew I wouldn’t enjoy it. Overall, I had a really great experience and I love the social aspect of going to dinner with everyone in your class. I can say I tried many new things throughout this class that I otherwise wouldn’t have.
I enjoyed my experience at La Fonda El Taquito. I love Mexican food and always get something different. While there I had a mango Margarita (which did not disappoint at all), fried beef tacos with rice and the chips and salsa. I had never had fried taco shells before. I thought everything was really tasty. At Tropicana I had the churros which were absolutely to die for! They came with chocolate, whipped cream and sprinkles. I would definitely make the distant drive from my house to get those churros again! This class definitely broadened my horizons and I will definitely be trying new things when I go places and trying new restaurants.
My experience at La Fonda was abysmal. I am by no means a food critic , however a stranger to Mexican/Spanish cuisine I am most definitely not. My table mates and I each ordered something different, so that we could sample various items. The "salsa" seemed to be an unsalted tomato puree, the carnitas were swimming in oil, and the beef and chicken tacos had absolutely no spice/flavor to them what-so-ever. The beans had a semi-decent flavor, however coming from a can, I would expect that. We attempted to order beverages, however after 40 minutes of them not arriving, we stopped asking for them. Having been to Mexico, this was 100% different than what I had expected. I understand that various areas have differing food types, but this was disappointing to say the very least. The dessert from Tropicana was slightly better than dinner. My son had a cherry popsicle, that to me tasted more like a candied cherry flavor, than fresh cherry. I sampled a sunday that had three flavors of ice cream. The vanilla was some of the freshest that I have ever had. The butter pecan was unfortunately freezer burned. The strawberry, I never even made it to.
I was excited for this experience because, honestly, who doesn't like Mexican food?! I never knew that there were so many Mexican restaurants on Southwest Blvd. I ordered the tacos platter with chorizo with beans and rice. My food was delicious! I was a little disappointed in the salsa that came with the chips, but that didnt stop me from eating them. At Tropicana I was boring and got a coffee flavored shake, which I loved! I did, however try other peoples mango and chili syrup and I could appreciate it, but it wasnt my favorite. Overall, I really enjoyed my time and expect to try more of the restaurants in that area!
This last restaurant visit to the La Fonda Mexican restaurant and the Tropicana ice cream shop was a great way to end our food and culture class for the semester. Although I was already familiar with and had already previously tried Mexican food before our visit, I enjoyed the experience and still had some take aways when I was reflecting after our visit. At the restaurant I ordered the homemade enchiladas that were served with rice and beans. The food was very good, but I was expecting the food to taste spicier than it was. Since the restaurant seemed to be more authentic then the Mexican restaurants I regularly attend, this kind of surprised me. However, the chicken in the enchiladas was still very flavorful and tasty. I was also expecting the rice to be a little different than it was. Even though I thought it tasted very good, the rice was plainer than I was expecting. Since the restaurant seemed to be authentic, I thought the rice would have other ingredients mixed in with it, like corn or diced peppers to add more flavor and color to the side. However, overall I really enjoyed the food that was served. After feeling full from the Mexican food, I still made sure I kept enough room to enjoy a treat at Tropicana. After talking in class and seeing the picture Dotty showed us, I was determined to try one of the paletus for the first time. When looking at all of paletus flavors, it was very hard to choose one to try. I was so surprised at the variety of flavors that were available. I ended up choosing a strawberry paletus. I didn’t know what to expect when I took the first bite, but I quickly realized how tasty the treat really was. The popsicle tasted like a mix of frozen yogurt and fresh strawberries. I enjoyed it so much I even bought an extra one to take home. I am so glad we also had the opportunity to go to the Tropicana shop along with our Mexican restaurant visit. Overall, I enjoyed this restaurant visit along with all of our previous restaurant visits we experienced throughout the semester. I have learned a lot from this class. It has helped me become more aware and accept the differences between our culture and other cultures around the world.
Surprisingly, I really enjoyed my experience at La Fonda. I am not big on Mexican food, which is why I was surprised that I enjoyed the food. The salsa and chips was good. The salsa had a unique taste, I had never had salsa that tasted like that, but it was good. For dinner, I ordered the fried chicken tacos that included the side of rice and refried beans. I had never heard of fried tacos, but they were delicious! They had the perfect crunch and nothing was falling out of the bottom, I would definitely get that again! I am not big on refried beans; however, they were pretty tasty and of course the rice was good. I also thought the atmosphere of restaurant was nice, it was really busy and the waiters and waitresses seemed friendly. This restaurant experience was different from our previous experiences in the sense that everyone had their own plate and it was not communal eating in that sense. At Tropicana, I ventured got of my comfort zone and had the Mangoneada. It had mango sherbet with chucks of mangoes in it along with chamoy, though it looked tasty I was not a big fan of it. The mango sherbet was good, but I did not like the chamoy. Although I did not really enjoy it I am glad that I took the opportunity to venture out of my comfort zone and at least try it. Shanise Lovelace
Going to this Mexican restaurant was a very exciting experience. It was not especially new to me because I have been to Mexican food restaurant before and this is very popular cuisine here in Kansas City. But I have never been to a place so authentic before. I thought the restaurant was really unique and colorful. I enjoyed the decor and thought it was as though I was being transported to a different land. I got to try something new on the menu and it was a chicken dish that was a little spicy. I liked it. What I learned about myself is that I can try something new and even if I don't like it it was an adventure. So far this was one of my most favorite restaurants because I had a lot of fun and I like to think the best. I will definitely eat Mexican food again and I will invite my friends back to this restaurant.
I enjoyed this final food and culture excursion very much! I spent my entire life in New Mexico growing up. After I had decided to move to the midwest to attend Avila for college the first thing I noticed and missed, outside of my family being a thousand miles away, was the food. La Fonda was a true authentic Mexican experience and brought me back to my childhood and the wonderful food I was able to enjoy then and anytime I go back home. There was only one thing that was missing from my plate ( quesadilla, tamale, and flauta) and that was the spicy heat that comes with most traditional dishes. I love spice and fully expect it in dishes such as the ones that I order and also most everything on the Menu at La Fonda. But in reflection I definitely understand why this is something that is lacking even in a place as traditional as La Fonda truly is, you have to and must cater to the customer that you are serving. In the midwest the typical customer does not demand or want the spice in their food that most traditional Mexican dishes provide. This leads me to what impressed me the most about La Fonda, which was their ability to develop deep and delicious flavors with out overpowering the spice and making the food to spicy (even if some of us would like that). I loved being able to sit and enjoy this final class with several fellow seniors in a wonderful restaurant with good atmosphere and reflect on my time in Kansas City and Avila. It was all topped off with a wonderful strawberry popsicle from Tropicana for dessert, which brought my last undergrad class to a tasty and satisfying close!
Our last visit to La Fonda was my favorite one. I don't usually try new Mexican restaurants because of my strong hate for cilantro. I ordered three beef tacos with rice. I enjoyed the taste and consistency of the meat. The chips and salsa were also an enjoyable appetizer to the meal. Of course I ordered a margarita. The strawberry frozen margarita was delicious. This class has taught me an awful lot about expanding my comfort zone when trying new food. I'm very thankful for this experience!
I was very excited to go to this restaurant, because I enjoy Mexican food and I was looking forward to trying more authentic Mexican food. First off, the decorations and atmosphere of the restaurant was great. I loved all the different colors and it felt like I could actually be in Mexico. As for the food, the dish I ordered was chicken enchiladas with rice and a margarita. When they brought it to me I was skeptical because the tortilla was very different from what I am used to. After I tried it though, I actually found that I tasted very good and I especially loved their rice and margaritas. Overall, I very much enjoyed my time at La Fonda and they made a good impression on authentic Mexican cuisine for me. What made this experience even better was going to Tropicana afterward. I was pretty full from La Fonda, but my fruit cocktail that I ordered was so delicious that I ate majority of it anyway. Tropicana was a small store but it had a wide variety of unique treats that I want to try. Over the summer I definitely plan on going back to Tropicana. Thanks to this class I definitely plan to try all different kinds of foods and look forward to becoming more of an adventurous eater!
Y'all saved the best for last. I can't choose a favorite aspect of this experience between the guacamole, margarita, cheesy burrito, atmosphere, ice cream shop, etc. Everything about this experience was flavorful and bright. La Fonda was an authentic family-owned hole in the wall of a large diverse city; dining here was the best way to experience Mexican Food. I will absolutely be returning to Southwest Boulevard area.
I loved that this was our last dinner to an incredible restaurant. I loved how I have never heard of La Fonda Mexican restaurant and the Tropicana ice cream shop and I've lived in Kansas City my whole life. It was off of southwest boulevard, something I guess I wasn't expecting to find an authentic Mexican restaurant. From the chips and salsa to the main dish I had which was chicken fajitas was all so delicious, along with a margarita! I can honestly say that this Mexican food was the best compared to other Mexican food I've had lately. My guess would be more people would come if they knew about it! I lOVED the tropicana visit, and I defiantly plan on coming back! I think I was so overwhelmed and just not sure what to get, I just stuck with a scoop of ice cream. Which I regret doing because I saw some other classmates got this desert with fruit and milk mixed together (forgot the name). So next time I go back I am getting that for sure! I loved this evening and hope to try something new next time I go to a Mexican Restaurant! Overall I enjoyed the atmosphere, the good company, and the delicious food! -Taylor Breen
I loved La Fonda!!! Mexican cuisine is by far my favorite, as in I might eat it 4-5 times a week. I ordered a meat and bean burrito with the restaurant special sauce, and it was delicious! I also like their salsa..it was different than any salsa I have had before, but it was a good different. I also loved the small, family feel the restaurant, down the the note from the owners on the menu. Tropicana was also a good experience. While I wanted to try everything on the menu, I was still very full from dinner and so I setteld for a "mango con chili" fruit bar, and it was also very delicious! I could not quite get the chili taste, but I loved the fruit bar anyway. Thank you for the wonderful restaurant experiences this semester!
Mexican food is my absolute favorite. I love everything from the queso dip to the enchiladas and I rarely miss a taco Tuesday. However, I was not a fan of La Fonda! The salsa as well as the queso dip were very runny. Of course, it is a personal preference but I like my salsa a little more chunky and the queso a tad more thick. I haven't been able to enjoy meat ever since I got the stomach virus as well as everything I've learned in this class, so I had a boring cheese quesadilla. But this quesadilla wasn't just cheese and tortilla. It had some kind of special sauce that was very spicy and chunks of tomato's. For only the few ingredients my meal had, it was very tasty. I wasn't very pleased by the service, as I didn't get my water until I received my dinner and had to go up to the bar to ask for a refill of chips. Of course when there is a big party of us, I understand, it's not going to be super fast but I just feel as if it could've been better. To top it off, I had a very delicious strawberry Popsicle... something sweet is always nice after a salty meal! Thank you for all the experiences throughout the semester, as I am a very picky eater. It helped me broaden my meal choices. Enjoy!
I was definitely looking forward to eating at La Fonda as I very much enjoy Mexican food. While the place itself was small, I think that added to the authentic feel of the restaurant. I felt family run and the food reflected that. The food tasted more authentic than the Mexican food I am used to having and I truly enjoyed it.
I was not as excited for the mexican food at La Fonda as I was to try Tropicana because I am not a big fan of authentic mexican food. The salsa at La Fonda was too sweet and watery for my preference, but I really enjoyed the meal that I ordered. I ate the fajita platter and it was delicious. Looking back, I think that I don't like authentic mexican food because of the meat and sauces. Shredded meat is a very different concept for me as well as some of the chili seasonings and sauces. On a different note, I absolutely loved what I ordered at Tropicana. Going in, the menu was intimidating and I decided to ask the employee what she recommended. She told me to order the escamocha which was a type of fruit salad with raisins and condensed milk and a few other ingredients. I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was. It was fun to be able to try something like that which I never get to eat or be around and it felt very authentic. While I still might not love authentic mexican food, I do love that they have fresh fruit and veggies as their sweets and I will definitely have to try another item at Tropicana.
I absolutely love Mexican food. All throughout college softball I had teammates who made authentic Mexican food for our team dinners and there tacos were exactly like the ones I had back then. The only thing I did not enjoy though was the salsa because it was very chunky and didn't have much flavor to it, I am used to being able to taste the cilantro and other spices in the salsa as well. Other than that, the tacos and the rice were very good. The place was decorated with bright colors and definitely seemed like a fun place to be with family or friends. I didn't even realize all the Mexican restaurants down in that area and I cant wait to go back and try the others. We did not end up going to Tropicana but I heard very good things about that place. So I hope to try it sometime!
I was excited to try a new authentic mexican restaurant in the KC area that I had not been to yet and La Fonda did not disappoint. Overall the food was really good, I got the tacos and they were huge, I was unable to eat all of my meal because there was so much meat packed into each taco but it was delicious. The salsa I was not a fan of though because it tasted just like tomato sauce to me where I like more flavors in my salsa because it is one of my favorite things to enjoy at a mexican restaurant. I however did not get anything from Tropicana because I was stuffed from dinner and sweets like ice cream I am very picky about because they are my favorite. Overall it was a good experience and I am glad that we went
It was a lot of fun eating at La Fonda and Tropicana! I have lived in southern California for most of my life so I am used to eating "traditional" Mexican food (not Chipotle). It was nice eating some food that actually reminded me of home. The chicken and pork flautas that I ordered were very delicious. I am not very picky when it comes to food so it was pretty easy deciding on what I wanted to eat because almost everything tastes good in my opinion! I didn't really get a "traditional" Mexican dessert at Tropicana, I just got a chocolate-covered banana with sprinkles. It was still good though and I enjoyed my time with my classmates that night.
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ReplyDeleteMy experience at La Fonda was wonderful! I was really looking forward to this restaurant visit, because it has always been an interest of mine to try as many Mexican restaurants that I can on Southwest boulevard. In my opinion, this restaurant is very authentic in terms of atmosphere and food, as most of the restaurants in this area are. My dad's side of my family is Mexican, so I have a pretty good grasp of what authentic Mexican food tastes like.
ReplyDeleteI thought the food at La Fonda tasted like it was from my grandma's kitchen! The refried beans especially tasted just like what she makes. Along with the side of refried beans, I ordered cheese and onion enchiladas. They were very good! The enchilada sauce was very different from what I'm used to. There was a spice sprinkled on top, that tasted like cumin or chili powder, if I had to guess. Either way, it was very unique and yummy! It was interesting to compare the Mexican food that I'm used to eating with my family versus what I ate tonight at La Fonda. There were a lot of similarities! Overall, my food and experience as a whole was very enjoyable!
I really enjoyed the food at La Fonda! I had a tamale and a soft shell taco with chicken it was by far the best Mexican food I have ever had. The shell on the taco and the outside of the tamale were made from scratch which is probably a reason people love eating there. The atmosphere felt as though during the day and early evening cater to families and later for an older crowd that is primarily at the bar. It looked like a really fun place to go with friends on a Friday or Saturday night.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed my time at La Fonda because with all the stress of finals and graduating it was relaxing to sit with friends and eat some really good food.
I had the Fajita Platter with chicken at La Fonda and I liked it a lot! The way of using tortillas wrap with food reminds me a lot about using the lettuce wrap with rice and barbecue meat at Korean Restaurant. I normally don't like tortillas, but it's definitely much better eat with a tortillas than just the chicken along.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I can't tell if the flavor is authentic or not (not a fan of Mexican food but I love Chipotle). And maybe because Mexican food is so common in the United States,I am not as surprised and amazed as last time when we were having Ethiopian food. But overall it's a great place to hang out with friends. ---Xiaoxia Li
I very much enjoyed our trip to La Fonda! The atmosphere was awesome and made it feel very authentic. I thought our waitress did a very good job given that it was so busy on Thursday. I ordered 3 fried tacos with a side of rice and beans which was very delicious. I thought the food tasted like most of the other Mexican restaurants I have been too, but I'm not complaining because I love Mexican food. I one thing that I thought was very unique, was the salsa. It was very different than any other salsa I have ever had and I thought it was really good. I am usually very satisfied with the food we good and would go back in a heart beat, but surprisingly enough, I didn't care much for my dessert. I chose an item on the menu that my roommate told me was very good from there, but it didn't hit the spot for me. I got the Mangoneada which is mango sherbet with chunks of mango and chamoy. Chamoy refers to a variety of savory sauces and condiments in Mexican cuisine made from pickled fruit. Chamoy may range from a liquid to a paste consistency, and typically its flavor is salty, sweet, sour, and spiced with chiles. I figured since I had never had something like this, I should go all out, but unfortunately I won't be getting that again. I am glad I tried something new though!
ReplyDeleteCorey Cochran
I really enjoyed my time at La Fonda El Taquito. I don’t dislike Mexican food but it isn’t my favorite. Whenever I eat Mexican food I usually get the classic tacos or nachos just to make sure I am not disappointed. I decided to try something new here and ordered the Flauta platter with a side of rice and beans. The platter came with 4 flautas, and I chose to get two chicken and two beef. A Flauta is your choice of meat wrapped in a corn tortilla and then fried. I will admit, I googled what a flauta looked like before I ordered and it looked exactly like a taquito. The flautas came topped with lettuce, sauce, cheese, and sour cream. I ended up really enjoying my meal and it tasted exactly like a taquito, except crunchier because it was fried. When we went to Tropicana after dinner, I didn’t venture out and I got something I knew I would like. I got cookies and cream ice cream in a waffle cone and it was great. I thought about trying something new but after seeing what everyone else was getting it didn’t look good. I noticed a lot of their desserts had chunks of fruit in the ice cream and I am really weird about certain textures so I knew I wouldn’t enjoy it. Overall, I had a really great experience and I love the social aspect of going to dinner with everyone in your class. I can say I tried many new things throughout this class that I otherwise wouldn’t have.
ReplyDelete- Nicole Mangiaracina
I enjoyed my experience at La Fonda El Taquito. I love Mexican food and always get something different. While there I had a mango Margarita (which did not disappoint at all), fried beef tacos with rice and the chips and salsa. I had never had fried taco shells before. I thought everything was really tasty. At Tropicana I had the churros which were absolutely to die for! They came with chocolate, whipped cream and sprinkles. I would definitely make the distant drive from my house to get those churros again! This class definitely broadened my horizons and I will definitely be trying new things when I go places and trying new restaurants.
ReplyDeleteMy experience at La Fonda was abysmal. I am by no means a food critic , however a stranger to Mexican/Spanish cuisine I am most definitely not. My table mates and I each ordered something different, so that we could sample various items. The "salsa" seemed to be an unsalted tomato puree, the carnitas were swimming in oil, and the beef and chicken tacos had absolutely no spice/flavor to them what-so-ever. The beans had a semi-decent flavor, however coming from a can, I would expect that. We attempted to order beverages, however after 40 minutes of them not arriving, we stopped asking for them. Having been to Mexico, this was 100% different than what I had expected. I understand that various areas have differing food types, but this was disappointing to say the very least.
ReplyDeleteThe dessert from Tropicana was slightly better than dinner. My son had a cherry popsicle, that to me tasted more like a candied cherry flavor, than fresh cherry. I sampled a sunday that had three flavors of ice cream. The vanilla was some of the freshest that I have ever had. The butter pecan was unfortunately freezer burned. The strawberry, I never even made it to.
Lacy
Katie Bryant
ReplyDeleteI was excited for this experience because, honestly, who doesn't like Mexican food?! I never knew that there were so many Mexican restaurants on Southwest Blvd. I ordered the tacos platter with chorizo with beans and rice. My food was delicious! I was a little disappointed in the salsa that came with the chips, but that didnt stop me from eating them. At Tropicana I was boring and got a coffee flavored shake, which I loved! I did, however try other peoples mango and chili syrup and I could appreciate it, but it wasnt my favorite.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time and expect to try more of the restaurants in that area!
This last restaurant visit to the La Fonda Mexican restaurant and the Tropicana ice cream shop was a great way to end our food and culture class for the semester.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I was already familiar with and had already previously tried Mexican food before our visit, I enjoyed the experience and still had some take aways when I was reflecting after our visit. At the restaurant I ordered the homemade enchiladas that were served with rice and beans. The food was very good, but I was expecting the food to taste spicier than it was. Since the restaurant seemed to be more authentic then the Mexican restaurants I regularly attend, this kind of surprised me. However, the chicken in the enchiladas was still very flavorful and tasty. I was also expecting the rice to be a little different than it was. Even though I thought it tasted very good, the rice was plainer than I was expecting. Since the restaurant seemed to be authentic, I thought the rice would have other ingredients mixed in with it, like corn or diced peppers to add more flavor and color to the side. However, overall I really enjoyed the food that was served.
After feeling full from the Mexican food, I still made sure I kept enough room to enjoy a treat at Tropicana. After talking in class and seeing the picture Dotty showed us, I was determined to try one of the paletus for the first time. When looking at all of paletus flavors, it was very hard to choose one to try. I was so surprised at the variety of flavors that were available. I ended up choosing a strawberry paletus. I didn’t know what to expect when I took the first bite, but I quickly realized how tasty the treat really was. The popsicle tasted like a mix of frozen yogurt and fresh strawberries. I enjoyed it so much I even bought an extra one to take home. I am so glad we also had the opportunity to go to the Tropicana shop along with our Mexican restaurant visit.
Overall, I enjoyed this restaurant visit along with all of our previous restaurant visits we experienced throughout the semester. I have learned a lot from this class. It has helped me become more aware and accept the differences between our culture and other cultures around the world.
Emily Elam
Surprisingly, I really enjoyed my experience at La Fonda. I am not big on Mexican food, which is why I was surprised that I enjoyed the food. The salsa and chips was good. The salsa had a unique taste, I had never had salsa that tasted like that, but it was good. For dinner, I ordered the fried chicken tacos that included the side of rice and refried beans. I had never heard of fried tacos, but they were delicious! They had the perfect crunch and nothing was falling out of the bottom, I would definitely get that again! I am not big on refried beans; however, they were pretty tasty and of course the rice was good. I also thought the atmosphere of restaurant was nice, it was really busy and the waiters and waitresses seemed friendly. This restaurant experience was different from our previous experiences in the sense that everyone had their own plate and it was not communal eating in that sense. At Tropicana, I ventured got of my comfort zone and had the Mangoneada. It had mango sherbet with chucks of mangoes in it along with chamoy, though it looked tasty I was not a big fan of it. The mango sherbet was good, but I did not like the chamoy. Although I did not really enjoy it I am glad that I took the opportunity to venture out of my comfort zone and at least try it.
ReplyDeleteShanise Lovelace
Going to this Mexican restaurant was a very exciting experience. It was not especially new to me because I have been to Mexican food restaurant before and this is very popular cuisine here in Kansas City. But I have never been to a place so authentic before. I thought the restaurant was really unique and colorful. I enjoyed the decor and thought it was as though I was being transported to a different land. I got to try something new on the menu and it was a chicken dish that was a little spicy. I liked it. What I learned about myself is that I can try something new and even if I don't like it it was an adventure. So far this was one of my most favorite restaurants because I had a lot of fun and I like to think the best. I will definitely eat Mexican food again and I will invite my friends back to this restaurant.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this final food and culture excursion very much! I spent my entire life in New Mexico growing up. After I had decided to move to the midwest to attend Avila for college the first thing I noticed and missed, outside of my family being a thousand miles away, was the food. La Fonda was a true authentic Mexican experience and brought me back to my childhood and the wonderful food I was able to enjoy then and anytime I go back home. There was only one thing that was missing from my plate ( quesadilla, tamale, and flauta) and that was the spicy heat that comes with most traditional dishes. I love spice and fully expect it in dishes such as the ones that I order and also most everything on the Menu at La Fonda. But in reflection I definitely understand why this is something that is lacking even in a place as traditional as La Fonda truly is, you have to and must cater to the customer that you are serving. In the midwest the typical customer does not demand or want the spice in their food that most traditional Mexican dishes provide. This leads me to what impressed me the most about La Fonda, which was their ability to develop deep and delicious flavors with out overpowering the spice and making the food to spicy (even if some of us would like that). I loved being able to sit and enjoy this final class with several fellow seniors in a wonderful restaurant with good atmosphere and reflect on my time in Kansas City and Avila. It was all topped off with a wonderful strawberry popsicle from Tropicana for dessert, which brought my last undergrad class to a tasty and satisfying close!
ReplyDeleteOur last visit to La Fonda was my favorite one. I don't usually try new Mexican restaurants because of my strong hate for cilantro. I ordered three beef tacos with rice. I enjoyed the taste and consistency of the meat. The chips and salsa were also an enjoyable appetizer to the meal. Of course I ordered a margarita. The strawberry frozen margarita was delicious. This class has taught me an awful lot about expanding my comfort zone when trying new food. I'm very thankful for this experience!
ReplyDeleteRose Monachino
I was very excited to go to this restaurant, because I enjoy Mexican food and I was looking forward to trying more authentic Mexican food. First off, the decorations and atmosphere of the restaurant was great. I loved all the different colors and it felt like I could actually be in Mexico. As for the food, the dish I ordered was chicken enchiladas with rice and a margarita. When they brought it to me I was skeptical because the tortilla was very different from what I am used to. After I tried it though, I actually found that I tasted very good and I especially loved their rice and margaritas. Overall, I very much enjoyed my time at La Fonda and they made a good impression on authentic Mexican cuisine for me. What made this experience even better was going to Tropicana afterward. I was pretty full from La Fonda, but my fruit cocktail that I ordered was so delicious that I ate majority of it anyway. Tropicana was a small store but it had a wide variety of unique treats that I want to try. Over the summer I definitely plan on going back to Tropicana. Thanks to this class I definitely plan to try all different kinds of foods and look forward to becoming more of an adventurous eater!
ReplyDeleteY'all saved the best for last. I can't choose a favorite aspect of this experience between the guacamole, margarita, cheesy burrito, atmosphere, ice cream shop, etc. Everything about this experience was flavorful and bright. La Fonda was an authentic family-owned hole in the wall of a large diverse city; dining here was the best way to experience Mexican Food. I will absolutely be returning to Southwest Boulevard area.
ReplyDeleteI loved that this was our last dinner to an incredible restaurant. I loved how I have never heard of La Fonda Mexican restaurant and the Tropicana ice cream shop and I've lived in Kansas City my whole life. It was off of southwest boulevard, something I guess I wasn't expecting to find an authentic Mexican restaurant. From the chips and salsa to the main dish I had which was chicken fajitas was all so delicious, along with a margarita! I can honestly say that this Mexican food was the best compared to other Mexican food I've had lately. My guess would be more people would come if they knew about it! I lOVED the tropicana visit, and I defiantly plan on coming back! I think I was so overwhelmed and just not sure what to get, I just stuck with a scoop of ice cream. Which I regret doing because I saw some other classmates got this desert with fruit and milk mixed together (forgot the name). So next time I go back I am getting that for sure! I loved this evening and hope to try something new next time I go to a Mexican Restaurant! Overall I enjoyed the atmosphere, the good company, and the delicious food!
ReplyDelete-Taylor Breen
I loved La Fonda!!! Mexican cuisine is by far my favorite, as in I might eat it 4-5 times a week. I ordered a meat and bean burrito with the restaurant special sauce, and it was delicious! I also like their salsa..it was different than any salsa I have had before, but it was a good different. I also loved the small, family feel the restaurant, down the the note from the owners on the menu. Tropicana was also a good experience. While I wanted to try everything on the menu, I was still very full from dinner and so I setteld for a "mango con chili" fruit bar, and it was also very delicious! I could not quite get the chili taste, but I loved the fruit bar anyway. Thank you for the wonderful restaurant experiences this semester!
ReplyDeleteAbigail Hegarty
Mexican food is my absolute favorite. I love everything from the queso dip to the enchiladas and I rarely miss a taco Tuesday. However, I was not a fan of La Fonda! The salsa as well as the queso dip were very runny. Of course, it is a personal preference but I like my salsa a little more chunky and the queso a tad more thick. I haven't been able to enjoy meat ever since I got the stomach virus as well as everything I've learned in this class, so I had a boring cheese quesadilla. But this quesadilla wasn't just cheese and tortilla. It had some kind of special sauce that was very spicy and chunks of tomato's. For only the few ingredients my meal had, it was very tasty. I wasn't very pleased by the service, as I didn't get my water until I received my dinner and had to go up to the bar to ask for a refill of chips. Of course when there is a big party of us, I understand, it's not going to be super fast but I just feel as if it could've been better. To top it off, I had a very delicious strawberry Popsicle... something sweet is always nice after a salty meal! Thank you for all the experiences throughout the semester, as I am a very picky eater. It helped me broaden my meal choices. Enjoy!
ReplyDelete- Lizzie Sanford
DeleteI was definitely looking forward to eating at La Fonda as I very much enjoy Mexican food. While the place itself was small, I think that added to the authentic feel of the restaurant. I felt family run and the food reflected that. The food tasted more authentic than the Mexican food I am used to having and I truly enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI was not as excited for the mexican food at La Fonda as I was to try Tropicana because I am not a big fan of authentic mexican food. The salsa at La Fonda was too sweet and watery for my preference, but I really enjoyed the meal that I ordered. I ate the fajita platter and it was delicious. Looking back, I think that I don't like authentic mexican food because of the meat and sauces. Shredded meat is a very different concept for me as well as some of the chili seasonings and sauces. On a different note, I absolutely loved what I ordered at Tropicana. Going in, the menu was intimidating and I decided to ask the employee what she recommended. She told me to order the escamocha which was a type of fruit salad with raisins and condensed milk and a few other ingredients. I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was. It was fun to be able to try something like that which I never get to eat or be around and it felt very authentic. While I still might not love authentic mexican food, I do love that they have fresh fruit and veggies as their sweets and I will definitely have to try another item at
ReplyDeleteTropicana.
I absolutely love Mexican food. All throughout college softball I had teammates who made authentic Mexican food for our team dinners and there tacos were exactly like the ones I had back then. The only thing I did not enjoy though was the salsa because it was very chunky and didn't have much flavor to it, I am used to being able to taste the cilantro and other spices in the salsa as well. Other than that, the tacos and the rice were very good. The place was decorated with bright colors and definitely seemed like a fun place to be with family or friends. I didn't even realize all the Mexican restaurants down in that area and I cant wait to go back and try the others. We did not end up going to Tropicana but I heard very good things about that place. So I hope to try it sometime!
ReplyDeleteI was excited to try a new authentic mexican restaurant in the KC area that I had not been to yet and La Fonda did not disappoint. Overall the food was really good, I got the tacos and they were huge, I was unable to eat all of my meal because there was so much meat packed into each taco but it was delicious. The salsa I was not a fan of though because it tasted just like tomato sauce to me where I like more flavors in my salsa because it is one of my favorite things to enjoy at a mexican restaurant. I however did not get anything from Tropicana because I was stuffed from dinner and sweets like ice cream I am very picky about because they are my favorite. Overall it was a good experience and I am glad that we went
ReplyDelete-Brooke Williams
It was a lot of fun eating at La Fonda and Tropicana! I have lived in southern California for most of my life so I am used to eating "traditional" Mexican food (not Chipotle). It was nice eating some food that actually reminded me of home. The chicken and pork flautas that I ordered were very delicious. I am not very picky when it comes to food so it was pretty easy deciding on what I wanted to eat because almost everything tastes good in my opinion! I didn't really get a "traditional" Mexican dessert at Tropicana, I just got a chocolate-covered banana with sprinkles. It was still good though and I enjoyed my time with my classmates that night.
ReplyDeleteJohn Schwarzel