Today it's a straightforward review of a restaurant here on LI, so if you're not from the area, or not interested, you might want to skip this post.
There's a new Mexican place in town! Well, a new 'sort of Mexican' is probably a better way to put it. Escorza Mexican Restaurant opened up on Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown in September, replacing 'Siciliana', an Italian eatery which had been there for a couple of years. Karen and I waited until the 'B.Y.O.B.' sign had been taken out of the window and been replaced with a neon 'Corona' sign before going to Escorza.
The restaurant is nicely decorated, simple and  bright, with nice wood floors, glass top tables with Mexican serapes on them, and a few wall hangings, but nothing as gaudy as you can find in some Mexican restaurants.
Over came the waiter for our drink order, Karen had Sangria, I opted for a Negro Modela, a nice dark Mexican beer. Out came a small steel holder with a paper cone in it with red, green, and plain tortilla chips, and two small containers of salsa, one a bright green citrus based blend with a hint of banana, very mild, and the second, more of a green salsa verde, with a little hint of heat, but still mild.
The menu seems to be a little bit all over the place for a Mexican joint. Appetizers included fried Avacado, a couple of different nacho plates, a 'Mexican' shrimp cocktail - all pretty much standard Mexican fare. But, they also had fried calamari, which seemed out of place. They had a nice selection of salads on the menu, and of course, black bean soup, which we ordered and shared. Good call on the share, 'cause it was a big bowl;

The soup was very good, with a nice taste. It had bits of roasted red pepper in it, as well as onion and garlic. A bowl of this, along with a salad or a plate of nachos, would make a nice meal.
The entrees offered were a little odd, as there were probably just as many, or more, 'non-Mexican' entrees as there were typical Mexican ones. They offer burritos and tacos, flautas and fajitas, which you would expect. But, the also have things like a grilled pork chop served with broccoli rabe. A few seafood dishes, and a steak or two rounded things out.
Karen had the 'mixed' fajitas, which came with steak, chicken, shrimp, and the menu claimed, chorizo sausage; 

They came out sizzling nicely, but we noticed there was no chorizo, so we asked the waiter about that, and he said they didn't come with it. When we said the menu indicated they did, he very nicely, and happily, went to the kitchen and brought us out a bowl of the chorizo meat. The fajitas were pretty good, like most places, the veggies weren't cooked quite enough, and both the meat and the veggies hadn't been seasoned. I don't understand how every Mexican place we go to can make fajitas and not season them! There are plenty of good seasoning blends available that can really make this dish 'pop', but nobody seems to use them. Odd. And, they served the fajitas with soft corn tortillas - which is just wrong - so we asked for a couple of flour ones, and they were happy to oblige us. Karen enjoyed the fajitas, but said if she got them again, she'd ask that they cook the veggies more.
I got the Shrimp LaDiabla, which was described as 'shrimp in a smoky jalapeno tomato sauce' - sounded yummy, and it was!

Six jumbo shrimp, nicely cooked, in a thick, spicy sauce. The waiter asked if I wanted it spicy, and they made it just as I wanted it - hotter than medium, but not all the way to hotter than hell. The shrimp were plump and well cooked, not at all chewy or tough, and the sauce was great, especially when I mixed my rice in with it. Each dish was served with a side of Mexican rice and black beans;

As we were finishing, the owner came over and introduced himself, a very pleasant fellow. The wait staff was very good, friendly and helpful - no request was met with anything other than a smile and 'certainly'.
Price for the evening was good, the portion size was good, the quality and preparation was also good, and overall, we enjoyed ourselves.
I don't know that I'd go here if I wanted a typical American 'Mexican' dinner, full of various tortillas and red salsa - for that, Pancho Villa's or Mangoes would be a better choice. But we will definitely come back, there are enough things for us to try, and enjoy on the menu.