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Home > Lifestyles > Restaurant Review: Las Lomas offers excellent food at modest price
Restaurant Review: Las Lomas offers excellent food at modest price
By Colleen Hamilton
michael_summers@fortwaynereader.com
Fort Wayne Reader
2004-11-08
"City of restaurants!" we read in one Fort Wayne brochure as my husband and I prepared to move here three years ago. Veterans of multiple relocations, we arrived licking our chops. We enjoy searching out the hidden gems that give a place its special flavor. Las Lomas is just what we hoped to find: it offers exceptional food at modest prices in a unique, homey atmosphere.
On Fairfield between DeWald and Creighton, Las Lomas’s fresh yellow and green paint expresses the distinctive personality of this new, Mexican-owned restaurant. The menu includes the usual selection of burritos, tacos, etc., plus the less familiar but traditional huaraches (quarter-inch thick corn tortillas) and pambozas (grilled bread dipped in a special sauce), all with your choice of meat or bean fillings. On our recent visit, my husband ordered a carne asada burrito. He was disappointed that the carne asada had been sizzled on a fry surface, rather than grilled, but found it tasty and blessedly free of the molten cheddar disguising flavorless ground beef at less authentic, chain restaurants. A single chicken taco with a side of frijoles kept our toddler happy. The chicken was tender, marinated but not spicy; the beans were chunky and flavorful. Other kid-friendly meals include hot dogs and hamburgers. A small breakfast menu features the ever-popular huevos rancheros.
Las Lomas is no mere taqueria, however. I ordered tinga de cameron—upwards of 14 plump grilled shrimp drenched with a yummy compote of tomatoes and onions in a smoky-tasting, peppery base. The sauce was very spicy but, cut with a bite of tortilla in the Mexican way, complemented the shrimp perfectly. A divine dessert completed our meal. Billed on the menu as a homemade specialty, the pastel, also known as tres leches or three-milk cake, lived up to its promise. A dense white cake sodden with creamy sweet milk, it was truly exceptional. Las Lomas has a full bar featuring a number of imported Mexican beers and margaritas and treats diners to a mariachi band on alternate Sunday evenings.
What the waitstaff at Las Lomas may lack in professionalism is more than made up for by their friendliness. Thick, probably house-made chips, both hot and mild salsa, and drinks arrived promptly. (I would advise ordering the fresh guacomole for the chips, too.) When our young companion smeared beans all over herself, the server, unbidden, brought extra napkins in silent, benign understanding. Later, a passing waitperson not only retrieved her baby spoon from the floor but even offered to wash it! Dessert came before the dinner dishes had been removed, but the ease and comfort here may be more important for the casual family diner than protocol. The owner personally greets guests and quickly learns to recognize his repeat patrons. We felt at home at Las Lomas and welcome it to our "city of restaurants."
2202 Fairfield
744-6896
Hours: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday – Thursday; 11 a.m. – 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Sunday.
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