Dominic and I are obsessed with Mexican Food. The more authentic, the better... even if the 's exterior is somewhat scary. There are 4 restaurants on the East Trail in Lely within a rock's throw from one another.
Twice, we have eaten at El Tapatio (11157 Tamiami Trl E) and enjoyed its authenticity especially their sopes, which are hard to find in SWFL. Their gorditas are also really good! I can never remember if we like the steak or the pork. Unfortunately, we like one, but not the other!
Last weekend, we decided to try one of the other neighboring restaurants. We chose Amigo's (11263 Tamiami Trl E) since our friends and Camp Bow Wow customers, Dan & Katie Varano have eaten there. Dan, who owns and operates AAmco Transmissions on 3030 Davis Blvd, shares our love for Mexican food. We constantly share recipes and suggest new restaurants to one another.
We walked through the door of this uninviting strip mall unit and found a large inviting restaurant with several tables and booths, a huge assortment of hot sauces and a stocked bar! Much more elaborate than El Tapatio.
I was very tired and cranky over the weekend so my attitude was not very optimistic as I read the menu. It had Cuban items, Mexican items, Tex Mex items... I felt like it wasn't as authentic as I had hoped. There were no "traditional dishes" or "specialties". Just your basic burritos, enchiladas, tacos & fajitas.
I cringe when I there is no "asada" for the tacos and they use "lettuce & tomato" instead of "cilantro & onions" to top them off. I prefer corn tortillas, but it's not the end of the world if they only have flour tortillas. To me, these are all indicators that the food will not be as authentic and that the flavors will be bland.
Again, we were pleasantly surprised! Dominic ordered a Burrito with steak & guacamole. He was very happy. I could not decide, so I ordered a combo with a Chicken Enchilada with Salsa Verde (had a kick, but not by Mexican standards), Pork Tamale (really delicious... even better with a bit of the Salsa Verde) and a Pork Taco (I should have started with the other two!). The dish came with the best Mexican rice I've eaten in a while.
It goes to show you that you cannot judge a place before you taste the food. Even though the items on the menu seem very "gringo friendly", the flavors are definitely worth coming back again!
No comments:
Post a Comment