George's. Mandeville: 1461 N Causeway Blvd. 504-626-4342.

Written by Tom Fitzmorris August 14, 2012 16:07 in

3 Fleur
Average check per person $15-$25
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George's

Mandeville: 1461 N Causeway Blvd. 504-626-4342. Map.
Casual
AE DC DS MC V
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
In the decade before taquerias came to the New Orleans area after Katrina, the North Shore had a better Mexican restaurant community than the South Shore did. Amplifying the standard American Tex-Mex menu, a number of family-run Mexican cafes happily piled their ground beef, melted cheese, tomato sauces, beans and rice onto platters that were as good as they were large. George's was (and still is) one of the two or three best of these.

WHAT'S GOOD
Even though George's limits its range to the Tex-Mex universe (how many more years will it be before we get mole poblano on the North Shore?), it composes those well both gustatorily and visually. You'll eat too much, of course. The grilled dishes are the best. Entrees with all the focus on one item are better than the combos. An interesting margarita from the long list makes it all even better.

BACKSTORY
George Espinal and Egla Trujillo--brother and sister--opened George's in 2000, taking over a previous, not very good Mexican place in a strip mall on the Causeway Blvd. The improvement in the food was so dramatic that you almost always had to wait for a table in the first few years. They offered live music and other attractions, and set a standard that new Mexican places since then have followed.

DINING ROOM
A recent and welcome addition is an outdoor dining area, made to feel cool even on sweltering days by a bubbling fountain. It's still a scorcher in summer, but hey--that's how it is in Mexico, too. Inside, a long, narrow dining room is lined with big windows and cut in two by a small bar. The earthy reddish-tan colors of Mexico dominate.

ESSENTIAL DISHES
Starters
Nachos (usual variations)
Steak nachos with beans, cheese, adobado sauce
»Ito's nachos (with Mexican chorizo)
Nachos de Georges (steak, guacamole, cheese, jalapenos) Quesadillas (many varieties)
Bean dip
»Chile con queso dip, white or yellow cheese
»Guacamole, made tableside
Appetizer sampler for two
Chicken wings, hot sauce butter, pico de gallo
Jalapenos stuffed with shrimp or crabmeat, chili con queso
Sopa de Lima (chicken soup with vegetables, rice, avocado, lime)
Salads
»Taco salad in a fried tortilla bowl
Taco caesar salad
Taco salad Cancun (with chicken fajitas)
»Guacamole salad
»Ceviche daily special
Entrees
Mexican combo dinners (several varieties)
Chicken breast, mushrooms, black beans Monterey jack cheese, rice, pico de gallo
Chimichanga (ground beef, shredded chicken, or shrimp) Sierra's Sierra's X-Big burrito (chicken, shrimp or beef fajitas)
Mexican Hamburger
Flautas (rolled corn tortillas, ground beef or shredded chicken, guacamole, sour cream, rice, beans)
»Chalupas (corn tortilla rafts topped with beans, cheese, chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream and chile con queso)
Burritos (flour tortillas stuffed with beans, cheese, ground beef, shrimp or shredded chicken, covered with chile con queso or chile con carne, rice and beans)
»Pollo en adobado (sliced chicken sauteed with red chile sauce
»Chicken in butter sauce, lemon juice, bell peppers, onions, cilantro and tomatoes
Grilled chicken, peppers, onions, mushrooms
»Chiles rellenos (beef, shrimp, or cheese)
»Fajitas (beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, alligator or combos)
Tacos al carbon (flour tortilla-wrapped grilled beef)
Carne asada
»Filete Mexico (filet mignon with chimichurri, cheese enchilada with ranchero sauce)
Carne parrilla (same as above, with peppers and onions)
Puntas de filete (filet tips)
Tacos Mexicana (grilled beef, avocados, onions)
Shrimp Mexicana (tomatoes, onions, peppers)
»Shrimp Veracruz (adobado sauce, rice, grilled Linares cheese)
Fish tacos
Shrimp queso fundido (shrimp in a melted cheese sauce)
»Fiery garlic shrimp, chile ancho, grilled Linares cheese
Pescado de Tampico (tilapia, lime chipotle, tomato, bell pepper, onions, chile anchos, crawfish tails)
»Tequila tuna (seared with tequila, poblano peppers, onions)
Surf and turf (filet mignon and shrimp Mexican style)
»Cheese enchiladas, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms
Cheese enchiladas verdes, green sauce
Beef enchiladas, chile con carne sauce
»Beef enchiladas with two eggs, chile con carne sauce
Chicken enchiladas with rice, chile con carne sauce
Tacos with beef or chicken
Cheese omelette, rice and beans
Migas (scrambled eggs with tortilla strips, rice and beans
Desserts
Fried ice cream
»Sopaipillas
»Platanitos sucre (like bananas Foster, made with plantains)
»Allison's flan
»Tres leches cake
Cheesecake

FOR BEST RESULTS
The portions are so large that they inspire pig-out reflexes. You will have a better meal but scaling back the orders, or choosing items that can be split.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Like almost every other Mexican restaurant in our area, George's finds tilapia good enough. It isn't. How about some local fish? The place could attract a lot of attention by moving up into the upper reaches of Mexican cooking. Mole, for example.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

  • Dining Environment +1
  • Consistency +1
  • Service+1
  • Value +2
  • Attitude +1
  • Wine & Bar
  • Hipness
  • Local Color +1

 

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
  • Live music some nights
  • Courtyard or deck dining
  • 25-75
  • Open Sunday lunch and dinner
  • Open Monday lunch and dinner
  • Open some holidays
  • Open all afternoon
  • Unusually large servings
  • Quick, good meal
  • Good for children
  • Easy, nearby parking
  • No reservations