Gilbert café aims to please with great green chili, good service
By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI
GET OUT

Wait: Three of us walk into the white-washed brick restaurant in Gilbert at 11:30 a.m. on a Saturday.

Service: Friendly from start to finish. The young hostess welcomes us and asks if we want a booth or table. After seating us, she says, “Enjoy your meal.” Very sweet.

Our waiter is there in a flash with chips and two dishes of salsa. He also offers a hotter version, which I'm happy to accept. Drinks are kept full, plates arrive hot and dishes are promptly cleared.

Meal: We dig into the warm basket of unsalted chips and smoky, freshly blended house salsa and enjoy both. I like the hot version, which has a stronger barbecue flavor and a darker red hue, even better.

The salsas are tough to resist, but our four-dip sampler does a nice job of grabbing our taste buds' attention. The guacamole is slightly chunky with a dash of salt and tomatoes — it's a simple, but nice version. The chili-infused queso and refried beans with diced onions and jalapeños are tasty as well. Our least favorite is the spinach queso dip, but we're not huge spinach people, so others might enjoy it.

I could eat a bowl of the pork green chili. Posada's ground beef has an odd flavor, their shredded chicken with green chilies is OK, but those tender chunks of pork have spent countless hours simmering in a lip-smacking sauce, and the results are outstanding.

Scene: The booth-framed dining room has a saltillo floor, tall faux plants, hanging fake ferns and wood tables. There's a separate bar area as well.
Bathroom break: Clean and nicer than you'd think.

Tab for three: $56 with tip and tax for dip sampler ($8.75), shrimp and fish taco plate ($10.25), three-item combo ($10.50), carne asada plate ($10.95) and two sodas ($1.95 each).

If work weren't buying: Put a pot of pork on, I'll be back for more of that savory swine real soon.

SCORECARD
Food B
Service B+
Scene B-
Bathrooms B
Overall B

Café Posada
25 E. Ray Road, Gilbert

Major cross streets: Gilbert and Ray roads
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday
Reservations accepted: Yes
Health report: No major violations on May 4
Kid friendly: Yes
Web site: None