Xolo, North Liberty, Iowa

We are always on the hunt for a new Mexican restaurant. We like La Mexicana in Coralville, but we feel we could do better. Unfortunately, this is not the place. To start with the pluses: The fish ceviche was good--a large portion, and we would have liked an appetizer portion, but strong citrus and no off flavors. The menu is enormous and there are far more choices than at other local Mexican restaurants--including Chicken Milanesa and Huaraches, which are favorites of mine. The chips are very good, maybe the best locally, and the choriqueso dip was excellent. The choripollo was excellent, the best part of the meal. Now for the not so great news: It is pretty expensive for Mexican food (although the portions are large), and the service is quite slow--we previewed the menu, ordered quickly, and it was 45 minutes from sitting down to getting our main courses. The rice and beans were not good--underseasoned and the rice did not have a great texture--this is a deal breaker for me--we love rice and beans and if they are not really good, we might as well not go. The guacamole is not good, and probably not made in house. The restaurant itself if very nice and can accomodate large groups, but as a weeknight dining option, we wouldn't go back.