It had been a long day of travel for my wife and I as we drove from Colorado Springs to downtown Omaha on the back end of our vacation to Colorado earlier this year. We checked into the hotel and scouted around for places to eat. My wife was up for Mexican food - we had been talking about missing out on the opportunity for good Mexican food at the Hacienda Colorado location in Colorado Springs that we had passed by on the way out of town that morning - and we decided to look for someplace that was near the hotel. I seemed to remember someone telling me about Roja Mexican Grill at some point in the past and it turned out it was just a five minute walk from our hotel. We got into Roja in the Old Market area of downtown Omaha just before 9 p.m. on a Saturday evening. (see map)
Roja Mexican Grill is part of the Flagship Restaurant Group family of restaurants that consist of Blue Sushi (click here to see the Road Tips post on Blue Sushi), Blatt Beer and Table (click here to see the Road Tips post on Blatt Beer and Table), and Plank Seafood Provisions. Five partners - 3 from Nebraska and 2 from Texas - started their first Blue Sushi restaurant in 2002, and today there are 13 Blue Sushi (or a variation of Blue Sushi) restaurants with most of the locations in and around Omaha, but other locations in Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Naperville, IL and Lexington, KY. The first Roja Mexican Grill opened in southwest Omaha in 2004, with the one in the Old Market opening in 2010. The emphasis is on Tex-Mex cuisine and they feature over different selections of premium tequilas which makes them locally famous for their margaritas.
We walked in to Roja and we found ourselves in the midst of a number of people who were waiting for tables. This didn't bode well, I thought, and I turned to my wife and suggested we go to Plan B - of which we really didn't have a Plan B. However, a hostess came up to the stand and we asked how long it would be to get a table. "Oh! I can seat you guys right away," she said. "But first, I have to seat these people. But I'll be right back." She hollered loud enough for the large group of people to hear her command for them to follow her and they all filtered out of the area.
Roja is the Spanish word for red and the restaurant definitely had a reddish hue to the decor. There was a rectangular bar in the front center of the restaurant. A number of tables in the center of the room were pushed together for the large group that came in just before us. High-backed art deco-style booths were in the back area of the restaurant. It was in one of those booths the hostess sat us. With the large group of 20-somethings not far from us, it was pretty loud in there.
We were greeted by a young lady who dropped off a couple of menus and took our drink order. We got a couple of Herradura margaritas sent out to us - STAT! After a long day of driving, we really needed to have a good margarita. And they were good. They were tart and not sweet or syrupy like you'll find at most Mexican restaurant chains. My first one went down pretty quickly.
We also got some complementary chips and salsa, but we also ordered a platter of fresh-made guacamole. Fresh chopped onions were immediately recognizable in the guacamole as was a hint of fresh lime juice. Chopped tomatoes, sliced jalapeños and shredded lettuce came on the side with the guac if one wanted to mix it all together.
The chips were thin, crisp, and very fresh. The were warm and weren't greasy at all. The fresh pico de gallo salsa had hints of cilantro, onion and garlic, and it was also very good.
The menu at Roja featured a number of Mexican favorites - enchiladas, fajitas, burritos, tacos and combination plates. They also had a number of vegetarian options, as well. The menu also featured a handful of Tex-Mex specialties including a slow-roasted chipotle pork entree and a green chile/buttermilk marinated chicken breast. A number of entrees were also available as combinations on the menu.
My wife found something on the menu that intrigued her enough to order - the beef and cheese-stuffed chile rellenos. They were two roasted Anaheim peppers that were stuffed with a combination of seasoned ground beef with Monterey jack and cheddar cheese. They were then breaded and flash-fried for a crunchy outer shell. They came with a side of runny refried beans, rice, chopped lettuce, sliced jalapeños, and a bit of pico de gallo My wife thought they were fine - she thought the outer shell was a little too crispy like it may have been in the fryer a little too long.
I was looking at a couple of things - the grilled Mahi Mahi tacos sounded good. But I ended up going with the pork enchiladas topped with Roja's chile verde sauce. Chopped onions were mixed in with the marinated pork in the enchiladas. Along with the chile verde sauce, chopped cilantro and melted cheddar topped the two enchiladas. The same sides that my wife got were on my plate. I didn't pay much attention to the sides.
The pork was tender and had a bit of a citrus flavor. The smoky chile verde sauce helped enhance the taste of the pork. While I can't say they were the best pork enchiladas I've ever had, they were still pretty darned good. I was more than happy with my choice.
Omaha residents have been enjoying Roja for nearly 15 years with their mix of Mexican and Tex-Mex favorites, a wide variety of salsas and sauces to choose from, and a long list of premium tequilas for their very good margaritas. It was a little loud in the place - thanks mainly to a large group seated near us - but the service was very good, the food was above average, and the margaritas really hit the spot. I also have to mention that the chips and pico de gallo salsa were both very good, along with the guacamole. Roja certainly fit the bill to squash the Mexican food craving my wife and I were having that evening.
Comments