Yes, I too will leave a comment regarding the guacamole....I was hoping to be WOW'd and I wanted to say it was amazing. It was as everyone has stated, bland and blah. We had even chosen the "chef's seasonal favorite" which happened to be pear and quince with wasabi sauce -thinking this would be very good. Not so much.
I had the vegetarian option - the chile releno encrusted in panko with raisin sauce. Not WOW'd but it was good. The other person I was with had the pork dish and was absolutely amazed by it. I had a taste of the rice and the pork and it was very tasty.
I am willing to try again...although I don't have far to go in order to try again!

I couldn't agree more - the guac was very disappointing. But, maybe they are still working things out since they are so new and will spice it up a bit.

so ive been to paladar and the guac was icky! bland bland bland. they have nothing on Momocho. But I absolutly LOVED the pulled pork "cubano" meal I had for lunch. AMAZING. the flavor was great!

It was enough to garnish the top of the soup, maybe a 2 tablespoons worth. It was just so tasty I wanted more. In fact, had lunch there again recently and they brought me extra...

What amount of pico di gallo was on the soup out of curiosity was this a garnish on top from KARI SMITH

We love Melt, though the service is consistenly VERY slow and you often have to wait for a table. But that's a good 20-25 minute drive from where we live.

It's a LOT of food but very good.

Have you tried Melt? I love the concept and have been wanting to give it a try. Any good?

I know how you feel. I am desperate for a place in my neighborhood besides Aladdin's that is a) not a chain and b) affordable enough for a casual, weeknight meal. The SW side is a wasteland of chains and bad independents.

Normally, I'm typically not that forgiving of a diner, but really, really want this place to work out - if only for selfish reasons. There are only chains near me and I think the food is all bland. It's nice to have a lunch option that's not chain, and Latin nonetheless. And really, most of the dishes I have tried thus far have been pretty good. And the decor is awesome. It's just dissapointing that something as simple as guac is rather bland. But if you're a west sider, I don't know that I would make the trip, or rather wait to see how things shape up.

mmmm, black bean soup! I'm going to have to try to make some of that this fall! I haven't attempted that one yet.

You're a more forgiving diner than I am. with all the missteps and just "ok" items you've mentioned in both posts about this place, I have no desire to go there. Of course, it takes a LOT to get me over to the east side, not because I'm averse to the drive, but during the week it's just too much time and on the weekends I usually end up cooking and staying home, so going out tends to be both rare and closer to home (on the SW side).

I give you credit for wanting to support this place. If I had gone twice and had this many things that were just blah or wrong, I probably wouldn't be back.

Interesting - you thought the quac was bland, too. I was hoping it was just me but this is the 3rd time I've heard that it's just so so. I love quacamole and was hoping to love it. I guess it was asking too much to have Momocho type quac steps from my house.

Would be interested to read your take on the gazpacho. Went there last weekend, found it mouth-puckeringly vinegary. Quite a shock, especially after a guacamole that was on the bland side. Main dishes, tho, were great -- skirt steak and salmon.