I remember when my family first moved to Stephenville in 1993; Mascorro’s was one of the first restaurants we ate at in town. Then, it had only been opened since 1992. The building they were in was pretty old then, and now that building, inhabited by another Mexican restaurant, looks like it could fall apart any minute.

Luckily, Mascorro’s has a nice new location in the Bosque River Center. I remember only eating at the original Mascorro’s a few times back in the nineties, and had not eaten there since. There wasn’t anything memorable about my dining experiences there, and I’m pretty sure my parents never have been there since that first time in ’93. However, the fresh new look of their new location had been enticing me to pay a visit, and I finally did.

When one first walks up to the place, there is a nice outdoor patio available for clientele to sit at (when it’s not miserably hot outside like it is now). The look on the inside, while distinctly Mexican, also has very fresh, contemporary vibe. However, within a moment of being seated I already ran into my first problem: The table itself. It was sticky, not because it was dirty, but because it appeared to have recently had a fresh coat of stain put on it. The stain wasn’t coming up on to my hands, but it clearly wasn’t ready to be used. It probably still needed a clear coat applied on top of it to make it smooth and shiny. Not only was the table sticky, but also still had a strong stain odor emanating from it. Already, Mascorro’s had a mark in the negative column.

Luckily, the complaints generally stopped there. The only other minor complaint was that they do not serve alcohol, so if you are looking for a margarita special, this is not the place to come. However, in addition to soft drinks and tea, they have a good selection of authentic Mexican carbonated beverages. I’m generally a water or beer guy; I never get soft drinks, so I just stuck with water.

When trying out a restaurant for a review, I always look for what the restaurant’s specialties are. I quickly found these items, and was pleasantly surprised to see two specialty entrees featuring mole sauce (the “e” is not silent, so I’m not referring to the small mammal adapted to a subterranean lifestyle).

While mole sauce is a very common and traditional sauce in Mexico, it’s actually fairly uncommon in Mexican restaurants north of the border, so when I do see it, it catches my attention.

The most interesting ingredient in mole sauce is chocolate. The sauce does not taste like chocolate, but it helps darken the color, adds a touch of sweetness, and tames heat of the chile peppers that are also part of the mixture. Some people do not like it, which is probably why it’s not seen often, but I quite enjoy it.

I ordered the “Pollo con Mole,” quite simply, chicken with mole sauce. It had two chicken breasts, smothered in mole sauce, with two tortillas, rice and beans. I was quite impressed; it was the best mole sauce I have had to date. The chicken was grilled and had a good flavor. The rice was good as well; it tasted fresh and wasn’t mushy like it can be at some places. The beans were just standard refried beans.

I also don’t want to overlook the chips and salsa; they deserve to be mentioned. The chips were very thin, which is how I like it, and I could tell that the salsa was homemade and fresh. The fresh peppers in the salsa packed a pretty good kick, so those who don’t like very spicy salsa should probably avoid it.

Additionally, the prices were very nice, especially since students who show their ID get 20% off their entrée orders. Including a tip, I walked out of there having spent just over ten dollars and was stuffed to the max. They also have great prices on lunch specials, if you are dining during lunchtime. Except for the smell of wood stain that sometimes disturbed my eating experience, I walked away generally more impressed than I had expected.