I was in Echo Park recently and in need of a quick meal, so the decision to give Happy Tom’s a try was made. I figured its just one of those regular fast food burger joints but they had a weird all-picture menu which was difficult to decipher: what’s in that tortilla? Can you make that a veggie burger? Ah screw this, I’ll just go to Rodeo Grill down the street even though I had scratched that place off my list forever. They make a decent King Taco style red salsa but they charge Huarachito prices for McMexican fare. (And the Huevos Rancheros are mediocre at best, pa’ que sepas.) And lo and behold (as you can see above) they’ve also gone and updated their menu to stretch along an entire wall, with a picture gallery of plates and some tiny text labels that I’m just now noticing. I really doubt the literacy rate in Echo Park has plummeted to levels that require customers have pictures at which to point, or have I missed some tragic news? I like pictures too but this is just confusing and backwards.
We ended up heading to an average Mexican restaurant in Highland Park with easy to read menus. The food was okay.
I love the exploding “PORK” text on the carnitas plate.
Did you end up @ Chico’s?
speaking from personal experience, no matter how easy a menu may be made, people will still spend 10 minutes standing there making everyone behind them wait because they don’t know what they want. And if they do, they point at any random picture but call it something else. >:-O Indecisive people like that get on my nerves and I just wanna tell them to hurry the hell up because the ten people behind them are getting just as mad.
Maybe the new immigrants to Echo Park don’t understand Mexican Food Spanish and need pictures to clarify. It’s hard to fault someone from Kansas for not knowing that carnitas and chicharron are… even though they’re similar to what the farmers there eat, but with a different name.
Also, I like when pictures show me that I’m going to get a big load of food for my $7 or $8. It’s no different than getting the entree a la carte for $4 and sides for $2 each, but, put all together, it seems like a deal.
(My anti-spam word was “tacos”.)
I agree with Random Hero. Those Picto-Menus can be helpful for those who need to ask some stupid question about every dish while the rest of us are waiting:
“Does that come with green or red salsa???”
“How Big are the Shrimp on that?”
“Do you put Beans on that??”
“Are those soft or hard?….”
Ay Cabron-Some of us behind you happen to know EXACTLY what we want while you’re Gawking & Inquiring!
Hopefully those pictures will answer all their fool questions BEFORE they get in line.
Some more advice for MENU MENSOS: Decide what you want BEFORE you get to the front of the line! In fact, it seems like some of you TARADOS should decide what you want before you even leave the house! since making those big decisions at the restaurants (or at the drive-thru) seems to be so tremendously challenging. And a Brujas Curse on all those of you who need to keep coming back for:
“Can I get some extra Ketsup?”
“Can I get some more forks?”
“Not so much Ice!”
“Can you make my Cheeseburger with No Cheese?”
And FURTHERMORE……. Have your *@%! money ready when you get to the register and PAY ATTENTION when they call your number Cabrones!
With Love,
AL
Ok, I’m an immigrant to Echo Park, so I guess my opinion isn’t worth too much, but I do like Rodeo Grill. I actually get the huevos rancheros pretty regularly. It’s a great place to go on a weekend morning and sit outside while enjoying a decent meal. It’s also a great place to have breakfast before going for a walk around the lake, or heading over to the library for a reading session. I think Happy Tom’s very well may have the same owner. That would explain why Rodeo has the Happy Tom’s salsa and the menus are pretty similar. Plus, when Rodeo Grill used to have the $1.99 huevos rancheros, Happy Tom’s did too.
You know where’s really good in Highland Park? My Taco. Haven’t had the huevos rancheros there yet, though.