La Fuente Charms Its Sister City Residents With Comfort Food

Guadalajara is known as the city of roses and fountains, Cuautla is six hours away in the highlands.  There are un-related La Fuente (The Fountain) Mexican restaurants all around the United States from Tucson, Arizona to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There are two related La Fuente locations in Renton, and one branch of the Sahagun family with a restaurant in Wenatchee. In fact there are so many "Absent Sons" from Cuautla, Jalisco living here, that Renton adopted Cuautla as a Sister City in 2001.

I respect the fact that this is a family business, filled with an avid audience of non-Mexican families who enjoy the food and atmosphere. While culinarily, I lean toward authentic Birria across the street at nearly taco truck prices, sometimes I want the comfort of chips and salsa, and a Margarita on a Friday night.

On the night of my review, paper flowers and hearts were strung from the ceiling in anticipation of Dia del Amor. And like Harold with his purple crayon, the scenery on the wall might transport you to a warmer someplace imagined in Mexico, most likely if you've never been.

Grab a booth, get cozy, and a bowl of tortilla chips will greet you soon. Hello, Friday. Maybe it's a blessing that the accompanying bowl of salsa is so mediocre that one bowl of chips were enough for us. Most servers are sweet, and so is the salsa, almost like a can of tomato sauce jazzed up with chopped onions and oregano. Where was the tasty Pico de Gallo I've heard about?

There's 25 Combination Platters to choose from, and I'm curious as to how their tamales, chile verde and picadillo stacks up. But when we rolled the dice on our visit, the gods were less than friendly to lovers of authentic Mexican flavors.

I went all out by ordering the Muy Especial ($21.95), opting for grilled carne asada over prime rib. And as advertised, you get four (mediocre) prawns, served in a garlic butter sauce with sauteed mushrooms, and a side of warm flour tortillas. The beef was by far the best part of the meal, cooked to order and well-seasoned, delivered with a cup of salty, tasty Au Jus.

Accompanying refried frijoles are topped with melted yellow queso, but thumbs up to the plentiful guacamole which both looked and tasted freshly-made. Stick with an order of plain Carne Asada and you'll pay quite a bit less ($14.95). Those four shrimp and mushrooms are hardly worth the seven dollar mark-up.

My husband selected Pollo Asado ($13.95), a more health-conscious and economical choice. A large serving of grilled-marked chicken breast comes with rice and beans, tortillas and guacamole. No complaints, no fireworks.

Their house Margarita ($6.95) is generic, marginally enhancing the pleasure factor on a rainy February night. I would have even ordered a second had our server asked... My husband's bottle of Corona ($3.95) and a shot of Cazadores ($6.95) were pretty much covered by our Entertainment Book discount. And I give our server extra-credit for not discriminating against coupon bearers.

For those not worried about their cholesterol intake, you can go for broke with Camarones La Fuente (Prawns sauteed in butter, garlic, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers & white wine, then baked with cheese on top) or Spinach Enchiladas (Two corn tortillas filled with spinach & mushrooms in a sour cream sauce, then topped with a tomatillo sauce, cheese & more sour cream.)

If you like Mexican-American food, you're going to love it here. Stick with safe-bet dishes that start with 'Ch': Chalupas, Chimichangas, Chicken Taquitos--there's even a Burro (a giant burrito) stuffed with a Chile Relleno, the turducken of Mexican food.

LA FUENTE #1

3221 NE Sunset Blvd
Renton, WA 98056
425 228 7757

Monday Thursday 11am- 10 pm
Friday 10am - 11pm
Saturday 12pm - 11pm
Sunday 12pm - 9:30pm