A diner from Toledo, OH
Jan 16, 2011
I went to the Camino Real on Dussel in Maumee. I do not work for any restaurant I am a normal guy just like anyone. First off I should point out that I am a vegetarian and Mexican usually suits my dietary needs. After asking to see a menu and being shown a vegetarian section on the menu I figured I could make it work so I sat down to be served. The waiter was new and mentioned to me that he was only on his second day. He was quite attentive and did a good job but I feel that his lack of knowledge of the menu was to my detriment as I was seeking not to be "poisoned" with meat or meat byproducts (us vegs hate unintentionally eating meat- it's a big problem when eating out). After looking at the outrageously priced menu I decided on a "Combo" dinner of two bean burritos served with mexican rice and refried beans. Meanwhile, I am enjoying their chips and salsa and the waiter comes and tries to give me a refill of their painfully tiny salsa dish (the salsa was barely passable as such). I had noticed on the menu that a refill was 1 dollar and having ruined more than a few meals on salsa and chips I told him no that I did not want to pay for more salsa and chips. He promised that he wouldn't charge me and noticing that the restaurant was mostly empty I was thinking ok they're slow tonight (on a saturday?) so whatever, go get me some chips and salsa then. Later I realized they had charged me for them, thanks. Finally my entree comes within an acceptable waiting period and I'm ready to eat. I have eaten a few beans in my day to say the least and NEVER had I had such god awful beans as these. I swear there was lard in them, that is the only way I can explain the disgusting taste. The waiter swore there was no meat in them and looked at me funny when I asked. I managed to wash it down somehow and as I am working towards the rice I am eating it and I'm thinking chicken stock and then I bite into something hard. It was a piece of stainless steel in my rice! I brought the waiter over and showed it to him after I fished it out of my mouth and set it on the table after inspecting it and I was like, "What is this"? "I found it in my rice"! He played with it which I found to be a little funny considering I had just had it in my mouth and told me " They put this on the rice to cook it, I don't know why but they take it off at the end and this isn't supposed to be in there". He then informed me that he was getting the manager to come over and talk to me. The manager did not seem to care at all whatsoever and assured me that he would deduct the "rice" from me my that was free with my combo. I pushed my plate at him and told him I would not eat it any more for fear of poisoning and that I was leaving. The waiter handled the situation well so I tipped him 20% but the manager is a complete jerk. I like to eat at Mi Hacienda which to me is a 4.5 star restaurant for food and atmosphere and I have yet to find anything that comes close in the Toledo Metropolitan area. I recommend that you drive right past this disgusting restaurant and tell everyone you know that eats mexican food to steer clear of this disaster. Afterward when I got home, many hours later when I normally have a snack I found that I realized that I could not eat again and that I was suffering from indigestion. This restaurant deserves an F- for poisoning people with foreign objects in questionable food that is beyond gross. Go to Mi Hacienda it's much cheaper and a better value for the price with even better service and ambiance. This restaurant needs to be on Kitchen Nightmares. The one redeeming quality of this restaurant is their expensive but powerful margaritas.
