Although there are several other sit-down Mexican restaurants in Ames, Es Tas, located on Welch Avenue has an advantage of location over its competition. But will taste and value be enough to keep customers from driving across town? The Daily’s resident critics check it out.

Atmosphere:

AL: Es Tas looks a little bit like the dorm room of a colorblind college kid with no girlfriend to provide decorating tips. Mismatched wall hangings, including Minnesota Vikings paraphernalia, prints of famous artwork and movie posters look more like the owner’s favorites than the decorations for a Mexican restaurant. However, a bit of Tom Petty music in the background is always a nice touch, giving Es Tas a few extra points.

ER: Despite the large color painting on an outside wall and an ornately detailed sign, the outside of Es Tas gives no indication of what the inside is going to be like. Framed posters of works by Vincent Van Gogh and Georgia O’Keeffe randomly litter the walls next to a movie poster for “Frida” and a 2-D cutout of an eagle. Now this isn’t as bad as Applebee’s, the master of “here’s some junk, let’s put it on walls” decorating, but it’s close. For the amount of effort that was put on the outside of the building, you would think that a little more time would be spent on the inside.

Service:

AL: I have a feeling our waitress may have been on to the fact we were reviewing the restaurant, because she became extra-friendly and helpful after she saw Eric’s note pad sitting on the table. She probably would have been even more curious if she had seen my note pad, but since I keep forgetting to bring one along every single week and have to borrow Eric’s, she never had the chance. Whether she figured us out or not, she was very courteous and quick, refilling our drinks and bringing our food out as soon as it was done. Unfortunately, the food took quite a while to arrive. It wasn’t an outrageous amount of time, but when other Mexican places in town can serve food during a rush in under 10 minutes, it’s just not acceptable for a near-empty restaurant to take close to 20 minutes.

ER: For being the only two people in the restaurant, things were a bit slow. It took a good while for our food to come. Our waitress was nice and kept the water flowing. But again, we were the only two in the restaurant — I’m not too sure how she could’ve screwed it up.

Quantity/Value

AL: When my food arrived, I was a bit apprehensive about the portion size — two tacos, a tiny bit of rice and some refried beans just didn’t look very filling. I was wrong, however. The tacos were filled to the brim with fresh lettuce, tomatoes and tasty guacamole, and the beans were enough to top off my already-loaded stomach.

What didn’t sit well with me, however, was the price attached to my meal. Granted, I could’ve gotten a la carte tacos for a significantly smaller amount of money, but for $8.99, I received what would’ve cost me less than $5 at any other Mexican joint in town.

ER:The value of my meal was a hard sell for $8.99. Es Tas needed to produce a wealth of food for the price it charged, and it failed to deliver. A small serving of beans, rice and two enchiladas should have been priced closer to $5. I just wasn’t sure what I was paying $8.99 for; I know it wasn’t the amount. The rest of the dine-in menu’s entrees were highly priced. Es Tas does have a great delivery menu that is quite reasonable and it’s open until 3 a.m. Really, Aaron and I just visited at the wrong time. The optimal thing to do is not to go to Es Tas until late, or get it delivered. Es Tas really has the potential to have a better deal for lunch — all it has to do is offer the same menu as it does at 3 a.m. But it doesn’t, and an entree item pushing $10 was too pricey for lunch.

Quality/Taste:

AL: I’ve been craving fish tacos on a regular basis since I moved back to Iowa from Los Angeles this summer. Believe it or not, Mexican and seafood just aren’t a popular combination in the Midwest. While not quite the tasty fish tacos I grew to love in California, Es Tas’ shrimp-filled pink taco — and I swear I’m not making up the name — is as close as I’m going to get.

Unlike Eric, I was strangely attracted to the unique flavor of the refried beans. Sure, they were runny, but they were just sweet enough to leave a good taste in my mouth. The tacos, with their fried shells and hearty ingredients, also satisfied. The rice, on the other hand, was dry and tasteless, but it didn’t take too much away from the rest of my lunch. While it might not be the runaway Mexican meal in Ames, I was mostly happy with how my meal tasted.

ER:The only saving grace on the taste of this meal was the flavor of the beef in the enchiladas. The light onion flavor brought a different spice than I’ve had around Ames. Covered with cheese and a sweet tomato-based sauce, the enchiladas were good — not $8.99 good, but good enough.

Eating the enchiladas first was much like knowing what you’re going to get before your birthday. I had a giant letdown when I tasted the other sides. Ever had runny refried beans? I have — during my meal at Es Tas. Ever had hard, undercooked Spanish rice? I have — during my meal at Es Tas. Huge points were lost with me on the extremely bad sides with my meal.

Final Say:

AL: 2 of 5 forks

ER: 1 1/2 of 5 forks