Royal Purple

Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Alison Wisneski Seniors Jim Gentile and Kira Fedyniak enjoy a meal at the newly remodeled Karina's Mexican restaurant on 137 W. Main St.

Calkins [Click to enlarge]

With the grand re-opening of Karina's Mexican Restaurant, competition for where to find the best Mexican food is on the rise.

Karina's recent move to 137 W. Main St. and its significant increase in size has spiked the attention of people around town. A great improvement in food and space was evident from the get-go.

The grand re-opening on Feb. 16 entertained the crowd with free beer and live mariachi.

For lunch, Karina's offers a new lunch buffet on Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., making it a great place to turn to when time for lunch is cut short.

Items available include tacos, enchiladas, burritos, beans and rice. For a set price of $7.99, I have to say the buffet was a little costly for the food offered. The tacos were tasty, but like most buffets, they weren't quite hot enough. The chicken and pork combined with cooked green peppers and onions however, had good flavoring.

And for a small dessert, the sopapillas, fried pastries covered with powdered sugar, were a tasty snack.

Although Cozumel doesn't offer a lunch buffet, they do have lunch specials Monday - Saturday from 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. All the specials are $5 and include menu items such as tacos, enchiladas, rice and fried beans.
A crowd favorite at both of these restaurants seems to be quesadillas, and both have a different approach to them.
Karina's chicken quesadillas, served with sour cream and guacamole, are appetizing and worth the money. The chicken is shredded thinly and mixes perfectly with the stringy cheese.

Cozumel's quesadillas are just as appetizing. However, I think they step it up a notch with their Grande Quesadilla, which is a cheese quesadilla filled with steak, onions and mushrooms. Folded in half, the tortilla is topped with creamy cheese and is accompanied with rice, filling even largest appetites.

Another fun favorite for Mexican restaurants is fried ice cream. Karina's option for the dessert is vanilla ice cream, topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. The fried shell was a little soggy, but other than that the ice cream was cold and refreshing.

Cozumel's fried ice cream was about the same size but had a crustier fried topping, which I preferred. Another difference between the two was that Cozumel's ice cream was topped not only with whipped cream and chocolate syrup, but also raspberry syrup. Overall, both desserts were delicious and worth the money.

With two Mexican restaurants in the same tiny town, both of these competitors are neck-in-neck in the race of which is best. Karina's and Cozumel both have their perks, and both restaurants cater to our college town.

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