I was looking for a cheap, everyday restaurant in the Ballard area, and having lived in Texas and spent some time in Mexico, I was excited to see Senor Moose Cafe on the Cheap Eats list with 4.5 stars.
Imagine my surprise when I looked at the menu and found that the salsa chips, which come free in any Mexican/Texmex restaurant in Texas, cost $3.50. I must admit that the chips came with a variety of sauces instead of the standard salsa.
For the main course I ordered the MOLE COLORDITO DE TUTUTEPEC Oaxaca for 15.95. It may have been me, but the meat or the sauce had a funky taste and I ended up only eating a couple of pieces, which didn't seem to bother the staff at all. I am a typical Canadian, which means I did not complain to the staff, but my previous experience is that a decent restaurant wants to know why you did not touch their main course.
In the end, with two glasses of red table wine at $7 a glass (no selection, it probably comes in 5 gallon containers), the bill came to $35.00!
I will grant that it may have just been bad luck with the main dish, and I may have loved something else on the menu, but with main dishes averaging $15.00 and $3.50 salsa chips, there is no way this restaurant belongs on the Cheap Eats list. I can name a number of places (e.g. Ristorante Machiavelli a $$ restaurant) where I can get a meal (including the bread equivalent of salsa chips), a main course and two glasses of (non-house) wine for less, including tip.
Pros: Decent size portions
Cons: Not Cheap, Funky meat dish
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