Rockin' the Mexican food -- Laredo's Embassy of Mexican Food, Rosemont

Well, it's not Bien Trucha -- but then, no place is. Except Bien Trucha.

But we did have some wonderful Mexican food for dinner Friday, thanks to the Entertainment book and some good reviews on Yelp.

Laredo's Embassy of Mexican Food -- sort of a weird name, right? And it's in a sort of weird location -- in a small strip mall between two big office buildings in Rosemont, between two interstates in the shadow of O'Hare. Rosemont, which has about 3,000 people and a jillion theaters, convention centers, restaurants and hotels.

The decor is warm and rich, with a Diego Rivera-esque mural on one wall. We were seated immediately (it wasn't real busy, I imagine the office park gives it most of its traffic) and approached by the guacamole cart guy. I love me some good guacamole, so we took him up on his offer, and he made us fresh, seriously tasty guac right there. He asked us if we wanted it mild, medium or spicy; we went with medium, but I'd say next time to pick spicy -- it really wasn't hot. With fresh, warm chips and some zingy salsa, it was a great start. I wanted to lick the guacamole bowl clean.

The menu is nicely varied, though I didn't study it as much as I might have, since I was distracted by guacamole man. I went for enchiladas, a perennial favorite. I cannot remember the designator, but they were stuffed with steak and poblano peppers, and topped with a somewhat cheesy-tomatoey sauce, a little guacamole and some fresh chopped onions. Delicious. The rice was ordinary, but the bean soup was super-good, with chunks of a bacony sausage cooked with it.

My husband had a combo platter-- enchilada, taco and quesadilla, and upon taking his first bite of the quesadilla declared that we would return to Laredo's. And we will. It is a small treasure hiding in Rosemont. Next time, I intend to have a margarita, which I have heard are stronger than your average fruity tequila concoction. (Plus, they have banana. And mango and guava.)

Prices were reasonable, about average for a Mexican place of this varietal; portions were generous, and they have a full bar and helpful, prompt waitstaff.