Quote: Originally posted by Nashville Frank  |
Hey JoeJustJoe,
From my experience in the restaurant business and as an eater of their products, I have come to understand that many who have had a good to better to
great experience with their food are so much less interested in communicating to world their experience, than are those who had bad to terrible
experiences.
When they feel "robbed/snubbed/mistreated" etc. they're going to speak out and usually loudly. Hence the negative reviews which outweigh the good
reviews. I've gone to the very same places as the negative crowd and I did not find it so. On the other hand, though, I've gone to places highly
loved and came away wondering why anyone would eat there.
There's so many variables. Time of day, cook, waitress, what was ordered, your mood, your health, your expectaions, the weather, your bank account
level, etc.
Also, when dealing with "foreign" food such as Mexican, you're going to get a variation in likes and dislikes, as you will in varieties of Mexican
food. I'm from California and growing up, I always knew what Mexican food was like. That was before Taco Bell ever appeared. But since then I've
lived in many states and their Mexican was not always my Mexican. It sort of depends on what you get accustomed to. And where the restaurant's owners
and cooks are from. And then there's the Tex/Mex issue: popularized "Mexican" food that is modified to fit the taste palates of Americans. This
Tex/Mex is an infusion of Mexican, American (mostly Texan), and some Southwest Indian. So is it Mexican? No! What is Mexican food?? Well I can't tell
you. I've eaten from Merida to Zacatecas to Baja and in between and its all different.
So, I say all this to say: give it a try yourself. Those reviewers may not have it right, but then again they might. Restaurants come and go.
Sometimes its management, sometimes its the food. In America, up to 90% of all new start restaurants close in there first year! Of those that
remained open after one year 70% of them closed in 3-5 years. 90% of restaurants still open after five years will stay in business for a minimum of
10 years. Mama's did that! Much more than that! Sure these longstanding restaurants have their reputation to bolster them. But, they learn to
change with the times and the changing of customers.
I think Mama's is just fine and will weather the onslaught of Travel Advisor reviewers. Its family and many here feel a part of that family!
Stop by sometime...
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Nashville Frank, you make a lot of good points, like Mexico food is different all over the world, and if you're really from Nashville, they don't even
know anything about Mexican food, but I haven't been in Tennessee, in years, but when I was there last, I couldn't even find a real Mexican
restaurant, but a few places tried to pass their food off as Mexican food.
In California, where I'm born, and still live, especially from the 70's to 90's Mexican food was real different from Mexico, especially the use of
hot plates to the touch, the frequent use of only refried beans and the common use of flour tortillas, over corn tortillas. Today, the Mexican food
is more authentic in California, and the southwest, and some places serve regional Mexican food, the exact same way it's served in a certain region in
Mexico.
You also make good points about restaurant reviews, and if you have a negative experience, you are more inclined to write a negative review than a
positive review. I also believe review sites, are filled with people with an ax to grind, either towards a country, city, hotel, or restaurant.
That said, restaurant reviews, are very good, when you see patterns of either good or bad reviews, especially when the reviewers are mostly saying the
same thing over and over again, as the case of Mama's restaurant.
So what I do is look for patterns, of either positive reviews, and I'll book that hotel, or visit the restaurant, but if I see a pattern of negative
reviews, I avoid the place, because the odds are too great I will have a bad experience.
Sadly, Mama Espinoza, just has too many bad reviews, that say the same negative things over and over again, to warrant a visit from me, unless I want
to visit on nostalgia grounds, because of it's long history.
How do you ignore so many bad reviews on travel sites, and even on "Baja Nomad" from it's own members, although there are a few good reviews too?
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From Trip Advisor:
“Over rated”
It is my opinion that this restaurant survives pretty much on it's historical significance. Mama Espinosa recently passed away at age 106 (not exactly
sure of this number) and during her heyday she had a lot of people dedicated to stopping at her restaurant. Recently it seems that the younger
generation doesn't have the kitchen knowledge that prevailed in earlier...
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Over-priced and under-whelming”
If you're south bound, this may be your first Baja stopover and your first Mexican meal. That's too bad. Mediocre cookie-cutter fare like you'd find
at a Mexican restaurant in the states. They seem to be resting on the traffic from the Baja Cactus next door rather than trying to put out great food.
Years ago I'm sure they did...
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“A big disappointment”
Our greatest disappointment throughout Baja! Poorest service, not only they do not speak English, they are unfriendly too! Food is average but prices
are high!
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“Not what is used to be”
We stayed next door at the Cactus Motel and had dinner and breakfast at Mama Espinoza's. Dinner was just average. The steak was thin, tough and very
hard to cut on the plastic plate. The salsas were delicious. Breakfast was Rancheros with the egg floating in the salsa. Good coffee. Would eat there
again as it has such a great...
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https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g499399-d21829...
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Loved eating there over the years.
. Nothing will escape my gastrointestinal processing unit! I'll talk to the locals
like Antonio (of Baja Cactus/Halcones del Desierto fame) who I've met, to Primo (El Sinahi) who I know, and any others I can. 
