I attended the Fourth Vow Retreat hosted by Campus Ministry and Community Engagement this past weekend. As part of the retreat, the seven other participants and I had to break into two teams of four to participate in the scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt immersed us in the community we
served during the retreat. Part of the scavenger hunt required us to find a place to eat for lunch. The two teams ended up coming, and we decided to go
to Enrique’s South East Mexico Restaurant, Taqueria & Tortilla, located at 1801 Liberty Street,Erie, Pennsylvania 16502. As soon as we entered the restaurant, we were immediately greeted by the most enthusiastic host. Despite having a party of eight, we were quickly seated together, and our waiter had to push two tables together, so we could all sit by one another. As we looked over the menu, we were served their tortilla chips, which they cut their homemade Nixtamal Style tortillas shells and deep fry them into light and crispy chips. Their tortilla shells are made from Corn and are 100% gluten-free. The chips were absolutely delicious. When it came time to place our orders, I ordered a taco of ground beef with tomatoes. I was super excited to try it. All the food at the restaurant was incredibly well-priced; when it arrived, my mouth was watering just looking at it. Unfortunately, when I examined the taco more, I realized the tacos had carrots, which I was unaware of when I ordered. Due to a mild carrot allergy, I was unable to eat the taco, so I gave it to my friend to eat. One of the participants offered
me one of their quesadillas since their order came with three. This was the best quesadilla I have ever tasted in my whole life, and it made up for the fact I could not eat the taco. Enrique, the restaurant owner, also made the experience one of the best I have had at a restaurant lately. Not only was he extremely friendly, but he was engaging as well. Throughout our lunch, he taught us several Spanish words and phrases, encouraging us to try again when we needed to pronounce them sprightly the first or second time. Enrique also told us the story of his life and what his restaurant means to him. At the end of lunch, the group took a photo with Enrique; it was my favorite photo of the retreat. Enrique’s South East Mexico Restaurant, Taqueria & Tortilla, is open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can dine at the restaurant as we did or take it to go. Enrique’s South East Mexico Restaurant is available on Door Dash, Grub Hub and Uber Eats if you do not feel like going out or of you do not have a way of getting there. If you are ready to place your order, call them at 814-616-
0037. I highly recommend that everyone tries this restaurant at least once while they are in Erie.