Las Casuelas Nuevas, Rancho Mirage

Las Casuelas Nuevas, located in one of the ubiquitous brightly colored haciendas along Highway 111, has provided Rancho Mirage with traditional Mexican home cooking since 1973. The founder Florencio Delgado (for whom an adjacent street is named) opened the original Las Casuelas location in 1958, using recipes handed down from his grandmother, a Mazatlan native. The current owners carry on this family tradition, featuring truly authentic Mexican cuisine such as carnitas a la chipotle alongside staple Tex-Mex fare. Their Sunday brunch is probably the best feature here, offering prime rib, salmon and vegetable dishes as well as traditional Mexican favorites complimented by live music. Margaritas are plentiful here as well, with five top shelf and six house specialty margarita creations available in a modest twelve ounce or a decadent twenty-seven ounce glass. If the weather permits, ask to be seated on the "best of the valley" award winning patio.