El Tapatio – Philadelphia Pike, Wilmington, DE

http://eltapatiode.com/restaurant/

I had a coupon deal to El Tapatio, so my husband and I went with two neighbors to the Mexican restaurant.  The outside looks like a mini-mart, but the inside is bright and vibrant.  Each booth is painted yellow and had different murals on the outside of the booth seats.  There are chandeliers over each table with different figures painted on the glass (i.e. suns, flowers).  Very colorful, very welcoming.  It definitely wakes you up!

I wish I enjoyed the food as much as I enjoyed the décor, but it was just your standard local Mexican joint food.  Nothing special.  Except the sangria – that was strong!  They served it without ice or any fruit accompaniments.  Tasty, but it got me tipsy with just one glass.

El Tapatio has a “Vegetarian’s Delight” section on their menu.  I ordered the Vegetarian Fajitas (to be served with beans, salad and tortillas), but ended up with the Quesadilla.  The quesadilla was filled with cheese, peppers, and onions.  The taste was OK, but it did not wow me.  It came with a  side of refried beans topped with cheese (I avoid refried beans at restaurants because they usually have lard in them), lettuce, one tomato, guacamole, and sour cream. 

Our neighbors ordered the churros for dessert.  Four churros arrived on a plate, with chocolate sauce and whipped cream on the side.  Even though I do not care for cinnamon, I tried a piece.  They were good!  Soft  with just a hint of crunch on the exterior, and not really cinnamon-y.  They had a taste ore reminiscent of a sugared donut.

Overall, El Tapatio is OK, but I do not plan to go again.  The food is not amazing enough for me to make the trek to North Wilmington.

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas (slightly adapted from AllRecipes, 8 servings, 45 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 tsp. olive oil

·         3 Tbsp. finely chopped onion

·         1 (15.5 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

·         2 ears corn, cooked and cut from cobb

·         1 Tbsp. brown sugar

·         ¼ cup salsa

·         ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

·         8 (8 inch) flour tortillas

·         1 ½ cups shredded Taco cheese, divided

Directions

1.      Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in beans, corn, sugar, salsa, and pepper flakes; mix well. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.

2.      Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray.  Place a tortilla in the skillet, sprinkle evenly with cheese, top with some of the bean mixture, and sprinkle with more cheese. Place another tortilla on top, cook until golden, then flip and cook on the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

I found this recipe very tasty – I never would have thought to include brown sugar in the mix!  It definitely gave it a little tang.  I used medium salsa, so this dish was not spicy.  I might add some jalapenos peppers next time or a little hot sauce.  It is high in carbs and I think that it needs more veggies (like zucchini, yellow squash, and/or bell peppers).  I only made two quesadillas; I served the rest as tacos with a lot of lettuce and tomato!  I do plan on making this again – just with more of the healthy stuff!

Santa Fe Wilmington - Latin Fusion and Mexican Grill

I’m sure that this will become apparent over time, but I love Mexican food.  It was the first cuisine that I latched on to when I started my vegetarian quest and I have never let it go.  Sante Fe Wilmington is an upscale Mexican restaurant – I have been there three times in the year that it has been open and am very pleased with it.  The owners also have a location in Newark (downtown, in college central), but I in my opinion, the Wilmington restaurant has a better atmosphere and better food (though it’s understandable because they are catering to a different crowd in Newark).  Each time that I have visited, the waitstaff and bartenders have been very nice and attentive.  The food has been good and the wait is not long.  I have noticed on the times that I have been there that there were not a lot of people, but hopefully it’s just the times that I have gone.

My first visit to the Wilmington location was for their soft opening.  The portions were small, but good.  I had the Chile Relleno because it was the only vegetarian option at that time.  It was good, though, and I think that I’ll get it again the future.  The only complaint that my group had was about the drinks, but they have gotten much better since then!  I’m not a regular margarita fan, but I do like their Mango Margarita.  I also had the Sangrita, but would stick with a flavored Margarita in the future.

The other two times I went to the restaurant provided a better judgment into the quality and quantity of food.  They serve the standard chips and salsa to start, but also have the options to add cheese or guacamole (homemade).  The vegetarian portion of the menu has expanded drastically and everything looks so good.  I have had the Veggie Quesadilla and the Vegetable Fajita Burrito.  The Quesadilla was pretty tasty with lots of cheese.  There were not a ton of vegetables, but I guess that’s a good thing because it held together well.  The Burrito is a huge portion (probably 3-4 times a normal sized burrito) with lots of rice in the filling.  There are not too many black beans, but there is a tastay fajita seasoning on vegetables.  The sauce on top has some spice, but I would in no way consider this a spicy menu option.  I may get it again, but would probably opt for the Quesadilla or Chile Relleno (or try one of the THREE other options that I have).  Last week when I went, my fiancé and I got dessert.  We tried the Empanadas de Manzana – Mexican apple turnovers, vanilla bean ice cream, tequila caramel sauce.  I am not a fan of cinnamon or caramel, but I took one for the team since my fiancé loves that stuff (plus I gave up chocolate for Lent) – the pastry was good, and he liked it a lot, so no complaints.

I definitely recommend trying out Santa Fe!




**Update June 2012**

I think I finally found my food of choice at Santa Fe Wilmington, the vegetarian fajitas.  I have had them twice in the past few months and find them fairly delicious.  I order them without the tortillas – I would rather focus on the good stuff!  The pepper strips, zucchini, and onions are perfectly seasoned.  They are served with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and guacamole.  I definitely recommend trying the guac (also for an appetizer, if you have enough people to help out).  Now, I am not someone who likes avocados (in fact, I pretty much detest them), but this guacamole is amazing!  When ordered as an appetizer, they bring around a little cart and make it right in front of you.  It’s delicious!  I love the creaminess of the dip, and the mix it with tomatoes and some other veggies – I think that helps alleviate some of the avocado flavor for me.  I also tried their queso dip – not as spicy as their salsa, but still a bit of a kick.  One of the best queso dips that I have had a Mexican restaurant – very cheesy.  Yummy!