Casa Mexicana - Rhinelander WI

Date of Visit: 3-26-2012

Time of Visit: 11:40 AM

Pebble Score:

If you've never dropped a hit of acid (LSD), you have no idea what you're missing! Acid trips impart a consciousnesses expansion unequaled by any fermented hops you've ever drank, sniffed, injected or smoked! Colors become infinitely more vivid even though you have your eyes closed; the sunlight sluicing down through the churning wheels of existence imparts euphoria Irish Setters enjoy riding in cages atop their masters' station wagons, and heralds of angelic hymns chanting the mournful sounds of every human voice on earth cause you to rejoice at the beauty that is reality. Oh yea, and the spider plant in the corner of the room crawls up the ceiling, down the wall, sits on your shoulder and says, "Whasssuuuuup?!"

LSD is better known as lysergic acid diethylamide by the Mormon community and therefore is not legal to consume in any state other than Utah or by anyone not related to, or copulating with, Mitt Romney (they could be two different things, just saying). I know some of you are shocked right now and, by all rights, you should be. You might think I am way off base here and there is absolutely no correlation between LSD and the Mormon faith but, as proof of my assumptions, I give you LDS. Both LSD and LDS can be easily explained by DySLexia. DySLexia is described as a "learning disorder marked by impairment of the ability to recognize and comprehend written words". In other words . . .  you're trippin', dude!

My latest trip involved an impromptu stop at the all new Casa Mexicana in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Rhinelander, where the women aren't the only things known as Hodags! Hey, that's pretty good! Maybe I can market that motto the the chamber of commerce and we can sell bumper stickers and logo condoms. Who's with me?

Anyway, as you walk into Casa Mexicana, you are transported into a menagerie of colors and sounds very reminiscent of an acid trip. There is a neon-like glow in the whole place with more colors inside than a 124 count box of Crayola! You can't help but admire the work and creativeness that went into the design and execution of the decor. The seating was plentiful. Sophia, our server, was friendly and attentive and joked around a bit but never hovered (that's a good thing!).  

I ordered the chicken burrito with rice and beans even though I knew the refrieds would pay a second visit later in the day. The herbaceous salsa had only a very slight heat with a fresh taste and went well with the bottomless chips. Since most Mexican restaurants in the Northern U.S. pre-cook much of their ingredients, I did not have to wait long for my lunch.   The burrito was as expected with sour cream, fresh lettuce, and tomatoes. The chicken filling was quite tender and was actually all chicken without any fillers like large chunks of onions and peppers as I have experienced in other restaurants. Seasoning for the filling was a little more subtle than I like; you could pick out the little bit of pepper and cumin but I thought it lacked a little salt. The rice and the beans were quite typical for the region and, much like sex with your long time spouse, there were no surprises with regards to the flavors or mouth-feel. 

My Chicken Burrito

My lunch partner's enchiladas

Overall, the service was good, the decor was quite loud and touristy, and the food was good but not great. Not a bad little spot for all of the local Hodags to frequent.

So, if you find yourself in need of a psychedelic trip through the poppies but are paranoid about the side effects, cost, or legality of taking acid, then you can either take a trip to Utah, renounce your current faith and join the LDS church, support Mitt, or simply dine at the Casa Mexicana in Rhineander, Wisconsin.