Cilantro

August 8th-

I heard that Cilantro was worth a visit, so I decided to pay it one on Friday evening. I met Nathan there, and we sat outside enjoying the summer evening. I ordered one of the special margaritas....berry flavored. I received a huge glass of icky frozen sweetness that tasted like it came from a cheap mix. I allowed the waiter to steer me in the right direction after that, and ended up with a pretty good regular, higher quality margie. Whew! We ordered the Aztec Nachos for our appetizer, which was so huge, it became our dinner. They were only nine dollars for what was the hugest portion imaginable. They were the best nachos I think I have ever had......full of cheese, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo.....generously all throughout the dish, not just sitting as a small blob on top while all the chips underneath are dry and bored. So......all in all....I agree. Cilantro is worth a visit.

Gabriela's

April 27th-

After work, Nathan and I met at the bar at Gabriela's for a drink and some dinner. We consider it our neighborhood "go to" for a casual drink, since it is so close to our place, and never feels stuffy or formal. A great place to relax. As we snack on the complimentary chips and salsa, (which, by the way, taste a lot better with a side of sour cream), we ordered our usual....classic margaritas with salt....never do they disappoint. For an appetizer, we chose the Ceviche Campenchano. It is filled with shrimp, octopus, fish, avocado, tomato, and lime juice.......so refreshingly good. Then, we moved on to one of our favorites......Pescado (fish) Tacos. The tacos are consistently good, well seasoned, and full of flavor. However, I would have preferred them with a hard taco shell. The soft shell just does not give the dish enough texture. That being said, I will keep returning over and over again.....I think the bartender already knows me.