"La Hacienda del Rio's menu is filled with familiar Mexican favorites and children's menu provides smaller portions of their favorites, like tacos and burritos.

Gallagher says the restaurant's burritos are among the more popular dishes, with 10 varieties to choose from, including a grande (the works); a veggie version (a flour tortilla wrapped around Mexican vegetables topped with spinach dip, sauteed mushrooms and onions); a fajita burrito (grilled sirloin or chicken); seafood (a mixture of Maine crabmeat, shrimp, scallops and langostinos sauteed with garlic and herbs, rolled into a tortilla with sauteed vegetables, and topped with melted cheese); and eggplant (slices of eggplant, breaded and deep-fried, topped with picante salsa, melted cheese and scallions).

Appetizers include Mexican grilled shrimp on a stick; Mexican firecrackers (jalapeno poppers); Yucatan crab cakes (snow crab mixed with onions, peppers and fresh herbs, pan-fried and served over a sweet/spicy chile salsa); stuffed mushrooms; Buffalo tenders; and seasoned chicken with vegetables. Dips include spinaca (spinach); guacamole; nine- layer dip, and chili con queso.

Grill-fired pizzas are topped with taco sauce and cheese, and are served plain or with a choice of fajita beef, smoked sausage or fajita chicken.

Among the entrees are Jerk Morales de Pollo (boneless breast of chicken marinated in Caribbean spices, and sauteed with smoked sausage, fresh tomatoes, onions and peppers, served over rice); Mexican mixed grill (sirloin steak, boneless chicken and shrimp, in their own marinades, grilled and served over black beans and Spanish rice); Calabacitas Lancha (baked zucchini boat stuffed with sauteed vegetables and melted cheese); and Pollo Espinaca (chicken tenderloins sauteed with fresh vegetables, and tossed in fettucine spinaca cheese sauce).

La Hacienda del Rio, corner of Taggart Drive and the Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, N.H. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 1-9 p.m. (603) 888-3353. "

- On the Menu

From the article "La Hacienda del Rio a Mexican Mainstay" dated January 07, 2000
By Jo Anne Fitzgerald
© The Lowell Sun 2001