Monday, September 3, 2012

A Little Mexican Cuisine…


A couple of our friends had recommended a local Mexican Restaurant that we'd never been to, telling us that they thought that it was the best of its type in the area.  While I’m not a huge fan of Mexican cuisine, Laurie likes it quite a bit and we decided that we’d compare it to our area favorite, Ayala’s.  For our feedback on Ayala’s in Lenoir City Tennessee, check out my blog from back in April at http://bigdaddydavesbitsandpieces.blogspot.com/2012/04/mexican-cuisine-lenoir-city-tennessee.html.
 
This is Cinco Amigos Mexican Restaurant.  It’s located in Lenoir City just off of I-75 at the exit for US Highway 321.  One of the reasons that we'd never been here before is that this restaurant is a little hard to spot from the highway.  It’s tucked in behind a gas station and it’s located in a motel right next to the Holiday Inn Express.  Visually, from the road, it’s right next to the Waffle House.

Don’t let this empty parking lot throw you off… This is reserved Waffle House parking… The entrance to Cinco Amigos is on the reverse side of the building.  Note: Outdoor patio dining is available.
 
The interior of the restaurant was clean, colorful and bright.  There is a full bar, so Laurie had a nice Margarita, ($4.75), and I had a domestic beer. ($3.75)
 
 
As is the norm in the typical Mexican restaurant, our server brought us a basket of chips and some salsa for dipping.  The chips were nice and warm while the salsa provided just the right amount of heat.
 
 
One of our bad habits is that when we try a new restaurant, we...or perhaps its just myself...like to sample more food than we would normally eat!  What the heck, we have to determine if it’s any good…

So our first appetizer was one of our Mexican restaurant favorites…Queso Fundido with Grilled Chorizo and flour tortillas. ($5.99) There was plenty of cheese and chorizo…outlasting the flour tortillas.  The rest of the mixture worked well with the tortilla chips!  This appetizer was just right for us…spicy enough, not too runny for the flour tortillas and thick enough to stick to the tortilla chips.
 
This is a small order of Jalapenos Loco. ($5.99 small order/$8.99 for a large order with 5 pieces) These jalapenos were stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon.  They were a bit spicy for Laurie…but not overwhelming for myself.  Very nice!!

Other appetizers that are a bit out of the ordinary included Tequila Lime Chicken Wings (12/$7.99); Cinco Fries/waffle fries topped with Chorizo and cheese ($7.49), and; a Tijuana Style Hot Dog ($8.99).  I’m not sure why the hot dog is listed under appetizers as it consists of a jumbo hot dog wrapped in bacon with sauteed onions, tomatoes and jalapenos with a side of either beans or waffle fries.
 
For her entrée, Laurie ordered the Tacos De Carne. ($8.99) This included 2 flour tortillas stuffed with sliced steak and served with Pico de Gallo, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, rice and beans.  She really enjoyed her dinner!  We ordered so much food that she took half of her dinner home... 

As in most Mexican restaurants, the menu at Cinco Amigos is very extensive.  There are 13 A La Carte Items; 9 Chicken entrees; 4 Vegetarian selections; 4 Seafood entrees; 15 Combo dishes, (mixing tacos, enchiladas, chile rellenos, burritos, tamales, quesadillas, chalupas and tostadas), and; 27 specials!
The most expensive entrée on the menu was the Steak Con Camarones…a 12 oz. t-bone steak with 6 grilled shrimp, rice, beans, salad and tortillas. ($14.99)
 
My entrée was the Chile Colorado. ($9.25) This consisted of “beef chunks in red chili sauce with rice, beans and flour tortillas".  While I wouldn’t describe the beef as being in ‘chunks’…it was really in strips…it was still very good.  The chili sauce was just right and I had the right number of tortillas to match up with my entrée.

Our server was nice and he checked in on us regularly to ensure that everything was OK or if we needed anything.  We both liked Cinco Amigos…and we will return!  It’s at least equal to Ayala’s, which is just ½ mile west on US 321.  Time for a group dining ‘taste off’!!
Cinco Amigos Mexican Restaurant is located at 1110 Highway 321 North in Lenoir City Tennessee.  Phone: 865-986-6699.  Website:  http://mexicanrestaurantlenoircitytn.com/cinco-amigos-menu.htm.
Just click on any photo to enlarge it…
Thanks for stopping by and sharing our dinner experience with us!
Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

3 comments:

  1. makes me hungry for Mexican food!!! looks delicious.

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  2. Dear Dave, This sounds like both you and Laurie had a nice meal.
    The place looks very cheerful. Have a nice evening. Blessings my friends. Catherine

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  3. We love mexican cuisine too David but not so hot normally I make for kids tacos burritos and others they loved them
    These yours look de licious but jalapeños are so hot???

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