RESTAURANT REVIEW:

If nothing else, El Matador wins the award for the fastest I have ever received an entrée from a restaurant server.

Though I didn’t time it, I am certain it couldn’t have been more than five minutes from when my friend Warren and I ordered to when we were seeing food.

It seemed much less than that. We gave the order, continued eating the chips and salsa, which were quite good, and hadn’t even gotten halfway through the basket when the waitress arrived at our table, plates in hand.

Now granted, we didn’t order anything too complicated. Warren had taquitos and I got the house specialty, which was a tamale, cheese enchilada, ground beef taco and a bean tostada.

We both were a little surprised, though, when the food showed up so quickly, which was fine by us since we were starving.

After a few bites quelled the hunger, we were able to taste our food and that was when the reality of El Matador set in on both of us.

I am always careful as to not let my feelings known of my meal — good or bad — if I am with someone, as to avoid biasing their opinion. I usually make conversation about anything other than the food and then wait until the check has arrived to poll the diners that come with me.

When I asked Warren what he thought, he looked at me and said, “It was kind of underwhelming, wasn’t it?”

That would be the word that was most appropriate. There was nothing wrong with the food, just nothing spectacular and the blandness was safe and might be exactly what people want.

It was not what I was looking for.

The food we had was not creative in the least and was very pedestrian Mexican food, and it just seemed to both of us that we have had better elsewhere.

The restaurant has been near a hole in the wall on Newport Boulevard since 1966, when Marcial Gallardo, an immigrant from Zacatecas, Mexico, opened the family spot. The restaurant was popular with locals who brought their kids there and then ate with their grandchildren.

Gallardo died in 2003 and his sons took over. There was a family dispute and it got so bad the restaurant was taken over by the county soon after and eventually sold at an auction. Greg McConaughy, a resident of Corona del Mar and restaurant business veteran, became the owner in June 2004 after the first two bidders backed out.

McConaughy certainly improved the inside for the better. He added another dining room, with a bar that serves about 170 brands of tequila and kept the staff, some of whom had been there more than two decades.

The hominess was still there and that was good. The wait staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The conversation among tables was lively and the atmosphere in both dining rooms had a festive feel.

The food just didn’t do it for me. When my tamale came it was a bit dry, though I did like the flavor of the masa. The taco was ordinary, though the ground beef seemed a little overcooked. The cheese enchilada was probably the best item. The red sauce was good, and it was filled with plenty of cheese. The tostada was probably the biggest disappointment. It seemed like it was a mountain of lettuce that I had to pick through just to see the beans.

Maybe my dinner would have been better had I gotten something a little more exotic. The shrimp enchilada ranchera or the steak picado might have been better choices.

I by no means am going to write El Matador off my list. The food was cheap enough so I didn’t spend a lot on the meal.

I will give them another chance in the hopes that I am surprised on my next visit.

EL MATADOR

ADDRESS: 1768 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa

PHONE: (949) 645-0324

WEBSITE: www.elmatadorcostamesa.com

CUISINE: Mexican

SPECIALTY DISH: The House Special

ALCOHOL SERVED: full bar

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $4.75 to $17.95

FAMILY FRIENDLY: yes

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: Visa, MasterCard, American Express

RATING: ** 1/2

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants and may be contacted at [email protected] or P.O. Box 2984, Seal Beach, CA 90740.