Another Mexican Restaurant...and Perhaps the Best One!

We have an almost overwhelming number of Mexican restaurant dining options in our semi-rural small town setting.  I can think of eleven or twelve different restaurants serving Mexican style cuisine within a 20 minute drive from our home.  Many of them are above average.  Laurie had her favorite and I had my favorite...but to be fair, a couple other Mexican restaurants were also in the running for favorites.

But recently, we found a Mexican restaurant that we both agree is our favorite...at least for now.

This is the Sol Azteca Mexican Grill in Madisonville Tennessee.  Like almost all local Mexican restaurants in our area, Sol Azteca is family owned.  The owner/chef has been cooking/creating for the public for over 10 years.  We've passed the restaurant many times on our way south through Madisonville over the last several years.  Probably due to the restaurant's location in the corner of a sweeping curve by an overpass on US Hwy 411, we'd never really noticed it or managed to remember seeing it.  This is despite Sol Azteca having been in business for about 8 years!

On our first visit, we arrived a bit early for dinner...and the full bar lacked any customers.

Basically, the lack of early diners and patrons was also evident in the dining areas as well.  While Sol Azteca has colorful decor, it is less over the top than some of its local competitors'.  It is a bit more subdued.  

Like in almost all Mexican dining establishments, our server (Kevin), brought a basket of tortilla chips and salsa to the table.  What was a bit different was that he provided a bowl for each of us for the salsa and he brought a carafe of salsa...which meant we didn't have to ask for more salsa later in the meal.  Subtle...but a nice touch.  The salsa had a little 'bite' to it, but it is mild enough for most diners.

OK...our favorite Mexican style appetizer is Chorizo Dip with our chips.  Our biggest complaints about this style dip generally are: 1) it was too runny; 2) it lacked enough chorizo sausage bits, and 3) it was too bland.  Sol Azteca's Chorizo Dip featured none of those negative points.  It is the best version of this appetizer that we've had in several years, and it was plentiful too. ($9.99) 

As this was our first visit to Sol Azteca, Laurie stuck with her usual tried and true menu item.  This was her Quesadilla Rellena. ($9.99) This very large flour tortilla was grilled and then stuffed with chicken, cheese and beans. (beef tips are another option) The tortilla was then served with Mexican style rice, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole and sour cream.  She was quite happy with this oversized quesadilla!

I stayed within my tried and true comfort zone as well when ordering.  I ordered the Burrito Deluxe, 2 burritos, one filled with chicken and one with beef, plus beans and then topped with grated cheese, lettuce and sour cream. ($9.75) It came with a red sauce but I opted for a green salsa.  I'm not into sour cream so Laurie, who loves sour cream, was the recipient of my serving, adding it to the dollop on her plate.  I also enjoyed my meal...so what logically came next? 

Note: Like several other Mexican restaurants in our area, Sol Azteca has a 'salsa bar' where you can replenish your salsa or sample a wide range of alternate salsa toppings.  They range from green to red and from mild to 'call the fire department'!

The answer to the question posed above is that we revisited Sol Azteca, this time bringing our neighbors, Steve and Sue, California 'refugees' who managed to 'escape' to a relatively laid back East Tennessee and it's moderate climate.

No repeat photo but once again we ordered the Chorizo Dip as an appetizer.  It was well received by Sue and Steve.  For my entree this time I wandered a bit from my norm.  This was the Camarones a la Diabla. ($15.25) Diabla for sure...as the sauce with the shrimp was very spicy hot indeed.  However, while it may not appeal to everyone, the 'heat' was right for me.  Laurie was happy too...in that I'm OK with but not crazy about guacamole so she was able to score the slices of guac that came with my meal.  While I did wrap some shrimp in the soft tortilla wraps that came with my meal, I decided that I preferred them straight up with a little lettuce.

Laurie went for the shrimp for her entree as well... This was her Camarones Cremosos. ($15.49) In this instance the shrimp were cooked with mushrooms and then they were served with Mexican rice, lettuce, tomato and sour cream.  She was very happy with her meal, enjoying both the plentiful shrimp on the plate as well as more mushrooms than she could eat.

I'd never seen a 'bowl' dish like this before in a Mexican restaurant.  Sue's entree was Sol Azteca's Classic Burrito Bowl. ($9.99) The bowl was filled with grilled chicken, black beans and Mexican rice with Pico de Gallo and avocado slices...all topped with the Mexican cheese dip.  Two thumbs up!

Steve went 'all in' with a Classic Fajita Plate. ($13.99) This combination of steak strips and shrimp was grilled with onions and bell peppers then topped with cheese.  As you can see, this platter of food was accompanied by a plate of Mexican rice, refried beans, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes and soft tortilla shells.  Despite having come from California with it's many Mexican restaurants, he gave high praise for his dinner.

Sol Azteca Mexican Grill is located 4263 US Hwy 411 in Madisonville Tennessee.  This restaurant is open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week.  Website: 

https://www.solaztecamexgrill.com/.  This restaurant is also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/solaztecamadisonville/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for dinner!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave