Restaurant Review: El Patron

S.O. and I went to El Patron on Saturday night. We read a short blurb about it in Baltimore Mag and thought we'd check it out. And as a side note - maybe I just don't know where to look but we have had a hard time finding a good Mexican restaurant in Baltimore.
The review in the mag and one on line that we found said that they don't take credit cards so I called to double check. Someone answered the phone but didn't understand my question so passed the phone to someone else who before I could say anything said that they were really busy and asked if I could call back in 5 minutes. I said I just wanted to know if they took credit cards - she said yes and hung up. OK First of all - if you are really busy I would rather be put on hold rather than told to call back - this is bad business strategy - most people will just call another restaurant and eat somewhere else.
Second - when we got there 20 minutes later the place was dead! We were 1 of 3 tables when we got there. Really busy? I don't think so. I am really curious what a slow day would be if 2 tables means you are busy.
To the food - as we sat we ordered two margaritas and water. The water came warm and we weren't even provided the option of ice. The margaritas arrived small and weak. We placed our order. S.O. ordered the tortilla soup to start and the ground beef enchilada. I ordered the tamale and the chipotle shrimp skewers. The tortilla soup was spicy but good. My tamale was also good - but not great. The chicken filling was tasty - spicy and flavorful - but there wasn't much of it. There was too much "packaging" and not enough filler. After our plates were cleared we were ready for another weak margarita. We put in our order and waited. (By this time the two other tables that were in the restaurant had left and another table had arrived - there are only 2 tables now.) Our entrees arrived. S.O.'s enchilada was good - good enough for him to eat without complaining - which he is prone to do if he isn't happy with the food. My chipotle shrimp was great. Perfectly seasoned and cooked on skewers on the grill. Overall I would give the food a B. Then.... The waiter/bartender/host walked by our table and said - "oh! Your drinks will be right up - I had to make another batch." Then he realized we were done eating our entrees and apologized.
We just asked for the check and left. It was unfortunate that the service really sucked (on many levels, from the initial phone call, to the drinks being weak AND not even getting our second drink) because we liked the food enough to go back but who knows now. I think it is likely that we will try someplace new before we go back there. But I am always willing to give a place a second chance so maybe we'll go back in a few months.