Restaurant Review: Karina’s Mexican Restaurant

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Karina’s Mexican Restaurant sits on the corner of Main Street in downtown Whitewater. As one sees from the street view above, patrons enter on Main, with seating to both the left and right of the entrance. It’s a large space, and for the occasions when I visited (lunch, dinner), larger than the going patronage seems to require.

The best way, I think, to approach this review is to ask a simple question: what’s an entrée, what’s a principal dish? One might say that it’s a collection of ingredients. Under this thinking, a beef burrito might be the combination of beef, garlic, cumin, hot sauce, lettuce, tortillas, cheese, salsa (itself the combination of several ingredients), etc.

That’s true, of course, but it’s only part of what makes ingredients a dish.

Bronze is an alloy, of copper and tin, for example, but it’s only an alloy when of certain proportions, and when mixed together in a particular way. Sitting the elements next to each other isn’t enough.

In my experience, the ingredients of a dish are present in a meal at Karina’s, but not in the proportions or mixture among them that would produce a notable meal.

The décor is unobjectionable, although I would not have chosen plastic banners, however brightly colored, for display in the main room.

Service seemed to be to be moderately attentive, but somehow reserved and subdued. Others’ experiences may be different.

LOCATION: 137 W Main St, Whitewater, WI 53190 (262) 472-9492. See, Google Map directions linked at the beginning of this review.

OPEN: Mon-Wed until 8, Thr-Sat until 9, Sun closed.

PRICES: Main dish, drink, and complimentary chips & salsa about $10-12.

RESERVATIONS: Unnecessary.

DRINKS & WINE: Mexican beer, margaritas.

SERVICE: Moderately attentive.

VISITS: Two (lunch, dinner).

RATING: Fair.

RATING SCALE: From one to four stars, representing the full experience of food, atmosphere, service, and pricing.

INDEPENDENCE: This review is delivered without financial or other connection to the establishment or its owner. The dining experience was that of an ordinary patron, without notice to the staff or requests for special consideration.