All roads lead to El Dorado

My aunt has been raving about this restaurant over at Easton, MD (about an hour away from the house) for the longest time that when she found out that we'd be passing by the town on our way to Ocean City and going back home, she decided that we should stop by for lunch. Since she's aware of my love for things and places quaint and fancy, she said I would adore Masons. It was like the grown-up, living room version of Stacy's, she claimed. And that their meal and corresponding prices weren't so bad for a diner with such the beautiful interiors. At that point, I too got excited to check the place out!

Unfortunately, it seemed as though we weren't meant to visit Masons just yet. On our drive to Ocean City, we got stuck in traffic and were already running late than our expected time of arrival. So we postponed our plans to eat there until the following day, on our return trip. After the fun time spent at the beach that afternoon, the boardwalk that night, and the hotel the next morning, we headed straight to Easton. We were only a few minutes away when Tita looked up the contact number so we could make a reservation. Ringing, no answer. Much to our dismay and upon swinging by the restaurant, it was closed on Sundays, like most of the joints in the town.

But because of our curiosity for the cute little town and our growling empty stomachs as we didn't have proper breakfast that morning and it was already two in the afternoon, we decided to just park the cars, explore via sidewalks, and hopefully find an open eatery nearby. It was then when we saw El Dorado. I just love how we always end up at restaurants that look good without even trying, simple and not pretentious. I barely know of places like this in the Philippines; everything's just so over the top back there. Sigh.

El Dorado serves authentic (and I can't emphasize this enough!) Mexican cuisine that doesn't go over the price of $15 per entree. But even at that rate, you wouldn't have to worry; you're getting your money's worth. The fact that everyone was starving may be a huge factor for people to think that our "sooo goood" comments after every bite were biased, but that wasn't entirely the case. Everyone but I didn't have anything to eat that morning except pandesal. I, on the other hand, was able to eat what was left of my Philly cheesesteak dinner (half of it!) from the night before, was therefore filled and stuffed by eleven, and even announced that I wouldn't eat lunch anymore. In spite of that, as soon as the food got to our table, I was the first one to dig in! From nachos to quesadilla to tapas—the guacamole dip was already heavenly on its own!

With the humblest ambiance, high-quality and reasonably-priced entrees, and the friendliest and nicest service, El Dorado is one for the books. If you're in the area, don't miss out on the chance to dine at this restaurant. You definitely won't regret it!