Three more reasons why Columbus is better than Ann Arbor
By Carlos Aranibar



Nov. 20, 2004, was the day our unranked Buckeyes annihilated the overrated Wolverines. To celebrate the victory, QP’s new food review team visited Las Margaritas in Upper Arlington. Las Margaritas is a chain of only three restaurants, all of which are in Columbus. These locales are new alternatives to other Mexican restaurants in this area that have served as gathering places for small groups of friends for celebrations. The extensive menu consists of Mexican favorites, updated versions of traditional dishes, and amazing appetizer and dessert options. Las Margaritas has flavorful food, excellent service, and a festive atmosphere.

We arrived two hours after the game ended. We were seated right away, chips and salsa were brought to our table, and drink orders were taken within just a few moments. It seemed like the prompt service was sincere instead of trying to impress the know-it-all food reviewers. The beverage list includes Coke products, iced tea, and Jarritos ($1.75). Jarritos are Mexican bottled soft drinks that have flavors like tamarindo and lime. I opted for the pineapple flavor. Las Margaritas also offers a long wine list, many flavors for their namesake margaritas, and domestic and foreign beers.

After much debate, we finally decided on what to eat. Anisa ordered the Steak a la Mexicana ($11.99), Lucas got El Tapatío ($9.99), and I chose the Fajitas de la Casa ($12.99). Anisa’s dish consisted of marinated steak strips, sautéed onions, fresh-cut jalapeños, and tomatoes. The steak itself was tender and full of flavor. The onions and jalapeños added just the right kick of spiciness. Lucas’ El Tapatío is like El Vaquero’s El Sinaloense dish, but has bigger chunks of chicken complemented by the zesty chorizo. The surprise of the night was the Fajitas de la Casa. This generous dish featured not only chicken and beef, onions, and bell peppers, but also shrimp! Most places I’ve been to limit your options to only chicken or beef. For dessert, we ordered flan ($3.50) and fried ice cream ($4.50). The flan was a good portion of the Mexican custard. For those who have never had fried ice cream, it is a large scoop of vanilla ice cream encrusted with crushed corn flakes and topped with ice cream toppings. The scoop of ice cream and toppings is then placed in a small taco shell like the ones used in taco salads. All of the entrees included rice and beans, flour and corn tortillas, and were served with friendly attentiveness.

Let me introduce the new team: Anisa Shomo is from Cleveland and will take over for me after I graduate this spring. Currently a junior in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, she has traveled to Spain and Mexico. Lucas is our new Web designer and photographer. He just enrolled here from his native Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Honestly, we all had a great time while at Las Margaritas. After stuffing ourselves with delicious food, spicy jalapeños and rich desserts, we all headed home and celebrated the sweetest Buckeye football victory of the year.