El Jardin

I must admit that the whole Mexican food tour is starting to wear on me. Found another place that I am obligated to try, the place behind Coldstone that used to be La Playa and before that Sau Hais, a chinese restaurant that you old timers might remember.

I shiver at the thought of another burrito and large tostada shaped monsters are starting to haunt my sleep.  I have about six restaurants left and to be fair to them and my gastro-intestinal system I am going to slow down a little bit and take a little hiatus. Went out for sushi last night, fantastic. The wife paid.

Because I am a trooper and I know that the show must go on, I plunged forward on my quest to sample every mexican food  joint in Fallbrook the other night.  I decided to try El Jardin, one of the oldest continuously family owned places in town, El Jardin. El Jardin is owned by two branches of the Fedorchak family and the favorite of many locals. The place is both fun and festive and a nice cozy setting to have a great meal and decompress.

The menu at El Jardin is a bit different than the normal fare; chimichanga, chile colorado, albondigas. I had a number one combination and it was excellent. The brown gravy from the enchilada infused the rice in a very nice way. Cheese enchilada was an awesome guilty pleasure. I wasn't totally impressed with the tamale but you just can't please everyone, It was a bit plain for me and monotonous. The shredded beef taco was delicious and there was more food than I should have been able to eat. (I ate it anyway.)

El Jardin has a lot of things going for it. Some of the best cocktails in town, prettiest waitresses, great selection of wet style burritos. I don't know why I don't eat there more often. I believe that when I first came to town three decades ago they were mostly serving turkey instead of chicken which I thought was cool. My wife has felt for years that El Jardin has the best red salsa in town and it is terrific.

One of the owners of El Jardin is Ray Fedorchak. Ray and his sister in law Penny are both fine artists. I tell you without exaggeration or hyperbole that I consider Ray Fedorchak the finest pastel artist in California today. I have sold his work in Santa Fe and when he nails it he is just magnificent. Regularly wins all the local awards. You will see his work in the restaurant.

Rumor has it that the place may soon be undergoing an ownership change. If it is so, the new owners would be foolish to mess with a menu and place that so many people are passionate about. I am embarrassed to say that it has been off my radar for some time but definitely plan on returning soon for another feast.