Cafe Rio, Winter Park - Closed

Ok I'll tell you about my primary destination on Friday. even though I missing out on some exhilarating women's speed skating by doing so. Plus I want to brag about my ski trip to Utah. I saw this place driving down North Orlando Ave about a month ago. I said "Great another mediocre (I used another term) Mexican place I have to suffer through". However, when I was in Utah, I saw that this place is a Utah (original is in St George) fast food chain. So, at worst it won't cost much. If I hadn't already stopped at Tamale Co, I would have gone for the burrito meal. Ninety percent of their menu is composed of five Mexican staples (ie quesadilla) served with rice and beans. I already had a full lunch awaiting me. I went with two tacos ala carte. Even that was too much. These guys are big. They serve them in a soft tortilla that they make right in front of you. They had salmon in Utah. Not here. Just pork, beef, chicken and vegan. I settled on barbacoa pork and roasted beef. Both were flavorless. The beef came in a cloying sweet sauce that isn't appropriate for Mexican food. Another mistake centered on the cheese. They melt it into the tortilla. There is no contrast. It's soft warm cheese on a soft warm tortilla. I want cold cheese. For texture and contrast. You can also get pico, lettuce and sour cream for free. The pico was gutless. No zing. I tried adding bottled hot sauce from my purse. Hah! Caught you. I don't have a purse or yell in movie theaters. They provide. That just made it worse. The tacos cost $3.50. The tortillas were a little thick and buttery for my taste. The place was packed. I think they opened in July. It has a fast food look. You move along an assembly line. They said they are opening up a dozen or so in the area soon. Most meals cost $10. The same as Chipotle. I'll go back for a smothered burrito. That can be "all hot and mushy" in my mind for some reason. I like their approach to a ubiquitous dining option. I even think these recipes are how they do Mexican in Utah. I've had a few Mexican meals (ie Red Iguana) in Utah and they had "weird" sauce toppings on the menu. It's worth a trip to see them make tortillas. I wonder if the name will confuse people. Will they think it's Brazilian? Will people say "I got Dia-rio"?