With all the changes going on in my life, I have found that I am turning to comfort foods for some relief. Well, my waistline isn’t feeling relief, but there you go. So, anyway, I am discovering that I am turning to the old favorites that put a smile on my face.

It should come as no surprise that the first thing on my list is a Cheese Crisp. Yeah, I know. A flour tortilla smothered with cheese and dipped in hot sauce. Simple indeed. But still it gives me great comfort. Even more so if it is properly prepared.

On the advice of Melati, a fellow blogger, I found myself at an interesting place in Scottsdale called La Fonda Del Sol. It is part of the odd complex on the southeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard. The complex is like a giant, hollow square where the parking is in the center and the businesses are on the perimeter. It is very intimidating for the first timer trying to find parking.

I parked in the back and found an inviting entrance with a bright sign. I walked in and noticed that the place was all but empty, save the staff and one table of men in the very back of the restaurant. I was taken to a large booth and made myself comfortable. A few moments later, my server arrived with a menu and asked if I wanted something to drink. Surprisingly, I ordered a Diet Coke ($1.95). My server said she would return shortly.

Indeed, she did return very quickly, sporting my drink, a bowl of chips and two mini-carafes; one with salsa and one with hot sauce. I had made up my mind regarding dinner and ordered a Cheese Crisp ($4.95) and the La Fonda Combo ($11.95), which featured a taco, tostada, cheese enchilada, rice and beans. The chips were hot and crisp with a bright, yellow color. They were exceptionally thin and had a great crunch and an earthy corn taste. These were very good and I was pleased they were not cold.

I wish I could give such kudos to the hot sauce. I am not quite sure what the problem was but it was incredibly dull. There was a bit of heat to it, but other than that, I felt like there was no effort in making this sauce. I gave a muffled “blah” after my second bite. The salsa, on the other hand, was quite nice. Cold, with a bit of crunch from the vegetables really gave this an edge that I liked. It also had a slight kick and I thought it was well made and far superior to the dreaded hot sauce.

I had polished off a second bowl of the chips and salsa when my cheese crisp arrived. On the standard circular metal platter, a large flour tortilla covered in melted cheese just sat there waiting for me to dig in. I was more than happy to give in to the temptation. My first bite put a smile on my face. It wasn’t fantastic, but it was hot, crisp and savory. Combined with the salsa, it was a big positive for me and helped fill that empty comfort food space in my belly. I even tried it with the hot sauce and it did nothing, so I stuck with the salsa. The only thing that kept this from be an outstanding cheese crisp was that the restaurant seemed to skimp on the cheese. It didn’t detract from the taste, but it would have been that much better with just a tad more cheese.

I was only about three slices into my cheese crisp when my combo arrived. I first dove into the rice and found it to be slighty spicy (a plus) and moist and fluffy (an even greater plus). The beans were also good with lard overtones and a nice bit of cheese on top. I picked up the taco and took a bite. It didn’t thrill me. In fact, it seemed a bit bland. The meat needed much more attention in the seasoning department. Thankfully, the lettuce wasn’t wet, so it didn’t bog down the taco with unnecessary sogginess. The tostada was decent. The beans were the highlight on it and I was rather pleased that it all worked well together in taste and texture.

My palate was not quite sure what to make of the cheese enchilada. I thought the enchilada sauce was excellent, with its smokey flavor and a bit of heat. The corn tortilla, however, was awful. It was overly thick with far too much masa that left me grabbing for my drink to wash it all down. I believe that part of the problem was that the enchilada was undercooked. The cheese inside was barely warm with occasional bits of unmelted cheese making an appearance. Perhaps additional cooking would have made the corn tortilla acceptable. Big thumbs up on the sauce that was, unfortunately, wasted on the rest.

I was pretty full from the cheese crisp and the tostada, rice and beans, so it wasn’t a horrible loss on any count. I asked for my bill and was presented with a tab of $19.75 which included tax. The service was friendly and efficient, and the rest of the staff was amiable as well.

In retrospect, I would return to La Fonda Del Sol to try some of the other items on the menu. Certainly, I would get another cheese crisp and something with the beans like a bean burrito or similar. There definitely needed to be a bit more QA in the kitchen and a big makeover on the hot sauce. In a metro area where Mexican food is literally found on every street corner, La Fonda Del Sol can’t take much for granted.

But I did have great satisfaction with finding my comfort food and that went a long way to cover the disappointment of a boring taco and a bad enchilada.

La Fonda Del Sol
7223 East Shea Blvd
Scottsdale, AZ 85259
Dress: Casual
Hours: Monday through Thursday – 8 AM to 9 PM; Friday and Saturday – 8 AM to 10 PM; Sunday – 11 AM to 9 PM
Notes: Parking is behind the building. Enter off of Shea, just east of Scottsdale Road.