Pepper spices it up Mexican style

By Andrew Hardenbrook

Why does it seem as though half my time at restaurants is spent outside desperately waiting for the host's pager to start vibrating and flashing?

Of course, when it finally does go off, it scares me half to death. I will say that I was even more surprised this weekend when I stepped into the Red Pepper Restaurant and promptly was seated at a table. It is a bit of a hole-in-the-wall eatery, tucked away in an easy to miss shopping center, which I passed by twice. However, other than its poor location I could find no explanations for the shortage of patrons.

Red Pepper is fairly plain inside and is outfitted with the usual Mexican flare and trinkets. This amounted to red tabletops and booths with the occasional Mexican flag. The wait staff was very attentive, which pays off with the free refills on chips and salsa. Although this kind of service was probably more out of the staff's shear boredom, I thoroughly enjoyed its benefits.

The menu contained the basic mid-level Mexican restaurant dishes. This broad category includes the usual favorites: fajitas, burritos, tacos and enchiladas, all priced at around $9-$10.

If you can never settle on just one item or want to save a little cash, then I recommend selecting from the a la carte section on your visit to Red Pepper. I chose the chicken taco, which had incredibly moist meat, and included rice and beans for a mere $7. Thus, I achieved my secret dining goal of paying under $10 on meal, tax and tip.

I give the Red Pepper my seal of approval. So, for goodness sakes go give the poor waiters something to do, I promise it will be worth it.

$ ***1/2

LOCATION

Red Pepper Restaurant

2310 Homestead Rd.

Los Altos, CA

(408) 737-8588