A lot of froyo places have popped up over the past few years, but none have been quite as good as the one once located on North Monroe. We can't remember the name of it; nor does that matter. It has been gone for a long time now, and the location was recently taken over by Gerardo's.
It reminds us a bit of Atilano's, Gerardo's. It's a casual Mexican spot with a drive-through and all, and the menu has a good mix of handheld foods and combo plates. The main difference is Atilano's more north-of-the-border style. Gerardo's is probably closer to "authentic" Mexican, whatever that actually means or counts for.
And as with Atilano's, Gerardo's has seen a bit of a rocky start. There is some promise here, but it has a ways to go before we would add it to our rotation.
The toastada and taco combo plate, for example, is really not what it should be. Here we have a substantial lack of flavor which, granted, can be spiced up with a selection from the salsa bar, but come on...
The taco is served in a hard shell -- not Taco Bell style mind you -- and while it's a bit greasy, it's not too bad in its own right, with a serious crunch and all. The shredded beef has less going for it, and shredded lettuce seems to dominate the taco. I'm not sure if this is to create an illusion of something that is stuffed or not, but there you go.
The toastada is similar -- just a bunch of lettuce with a bit of beans smeared on for good measure. Again, the beans themselves really don't taste like much, and... Well, you get the picture. The plate isn't downright bad, but it could have been so much more.
Then there's the torta. We're not overly familiar with milanesa -- basically a breaded cutlet -- but overall the sandwich fared better. Granted, the milanesa was, again, rather flavorless, but the bread used for the torta was very good. Fresh tasting and flavorful. The guacamole, too, was fresh, if a bit bland.
Yes, there is a pattern here.
Finally, the accompanying shoestring fries weren't bad at all. Fries might not normally be why you'd visit a Mexican spot, but then, if they're good, they're good.
Overall, though, Gerardo's is just a bit eh. It's not horrible, just forgettable. Would we go back? Probably, if only to see if they have improved, which I think they potentially could.
As it is, Gerardo's reminds me of the early days of Atilano's. That's not really a good thing.
And we do miss that froyo place.