La Fuente Mexican Grill
Hidden away in Mansfield New Jersey, you may or may not find La Fuente Mexican Grill.
After hearing about their live mariachi band (Fridays after 5 PM), we had to check this place out. With ease I found their phone number 609-298-2563, figuring a Friday evening this place would be packed, reservations were in order. While booking for two, I was offered a booth. Heck yeah we’ll take a booth!
Friday evening with a general idea of our destination, we hit the road to Mansfield. To my surprise, Google Maps had less of an idea than I. Basically just honing in on the entire perimeter of Mansfield.
I have been trying to add the missing location on Google Maps but have on multiple attempts been unsuccessful. Their website: www.lafuentemexicangrillnj.net has the address stated as 23206 Columbus Road, Suite C, Columbus, NJ 08022 Google Maps also places this address in the residential neighborhood next to the restaurant. To be fair, Mapquest was also wrong. I have since learned that Waze, and Apple Maps do have the correct address, and location on the map.
Homestead Plaza II 23200 is what the sign at the street reads. Regardless of who is right and who is wrong - if you find the plaza, you will see a large group of modern storefronts designed to mimic what people wish a mid 20th century Main Street looked like. Personally I prefer these designs to the Über plain, stucco, aluminum, and utilitarian highway strip malls of the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. It is here, all the way on the east end of the plaza, and around the corner, simply signed “Mexican Grill” you have arrived at your destination, La Fuente Mexican Grill.
Upon entering you are transported from fake Main Street to a whole other world. Hand painted murals line the walls. To the right sit a row of beautifully handcrafted booths complete with terracotta rooftops to further whisk you away from Mansfield New Jersey. I was happy that we had reserved one of these amazing booths, especially with the seating almost at capacity.
I gave my name and reservation information to the hostess, who smiled and looked from me to the reservation ledger. To me, and the ledger, to me, and the ledger. She then looked around the room for help, with none coming she abandoned her post to seek salvation. I leaned over to find my name was not on said list. After speaking with another young lady she returned to say “we have a table right this way”.
As we were herded over past all the beautiful booths, and seated at a small table for two at the back of the restaurant just next to the service/ bathroom hallway. I didn’t argue, or complain. People are people, and mistakes get made. There is plenty of room in life for them. This is just dinner, in Mansfield New Jersey, certainly nothing to get upset about.
The live music ended up not being a mariachi band but a mariachi singer in full garb. With an Itunes instrumental mariachi playlist we were serenaded with extraordinary mariachaoke. I am not sure if there is ever actually an ensemble mariachi band as seen on the website, but the mariachi singer did an excellent job and lived up to the “live music” as advertised.
While scouring the menu for our entrees we nibbled on the customary chips and salsa. The tortilla chips were served hot, seemingly freshly made. The slight chew to them made it seem that maybe they had been sitting for a bit, possibly just under a heat lamp, eagerly waiting in anticipation for the dinner rush.
Time from order to arrival of entrees was quicker than expected with an almost packed dining room. My chimichanga was larger than anticipated, but a bit bland. Application of some hot sauce would help after arrival but a bit of pepper during preparation would have gone a long way also. Looking around at the other tables it seemed that ours was not the only one where condiments were not provided (looking back at some pictures there certainly was salt and pepper on many of the tables, including the booth next to us). I am certain that salt pepper and hot sauce would have been swiftly produced upon request, however I decided to just steam on through as it was served. Quick work was made of the fried, cheese topped burrito.
Jen’s beautiful looking pork, steak, and cheese enchiladas were also not something to write home about. Similar to my chimichanga, served hot and fast, but lacking some real flavor. The same can also be said for the hot tamales that we ordered to go, my limited but mostly flavorless experience with tamales had prepared me this. Back home, a few splashes of Steve’s and Ed’s Louisiana Hot Sauce fixed that right up.
While we may have been a bit unhappy with the flavor, and our botched reservation we feel that this may still be a great place. Everyone has an off night, numerous factors may have been at play, and we will certainly be returning to give La Fuente another try. Next time we will be sure to double check our reservation for one of the awesome, booths such as the hand carved and painted agave farm scene below. This time possibly bringing a larger party to get a wider experience of their menu.
