Panzon's

Panzon's is a long-favorite of mine in Lenexa, KS. Besides just tasty food, they do something special that you don't see often at Gringo mexican restaurants: they have 8 or so salsas that are complimentary with chips for your table. They don't blink an eye if you ask for a bowl of ALL of them to sample, while you're waiting for a tasty lunch or dinner. The salsas range from green to red to brick red, mild to hot. Most are milder, but you can heat them up with a spoonful of the hottest one, which seems to be at its base a tastily-seasoned a puree of pickled jalapenos. The servers are also well-seasoned long-term veteran employees, and take special requests in stride. They know the menu well, which is a very diverse selection of typical and not-so typical mexican-american favorites. 

I have a hard time not ordering my favorite a la-carte dinner, which is a non-fried chili relleno stuffed with taco meat, along with a beef taco and beans. The plate comes out full and piping hot, and it hits my Mexican sweet spot every time I crave "gringo" mexican food. And after sampling all the wonderful salsas, the entree is really icing on a fine cake. 

(In the spirit of full-disclosure, I must brag that I have designed the Panzon's menu for years, but my food loyalties have nothing to do with my paid living. This blog is a labor of love, just sharing my passion here, which is food. I'd take money to design a menu for anyone, but I won't brag about it here unless I love the food.)

Also, don't miss Panzon's margaritas. From house to top-shelf, they're all great, and any of them will send you home with a smile on your face and a sated  belly.