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| - I should start by saying, the Spotted Donkey Cantina is the perfect restaurant for the over 50 crowd who wants to enjoy a higher-end southwestern food experience. Honestly, my husband and I are not young... but were definitely the youngest couple in the entire restaurant by 15 - 20 years (excepting a few grandkids). After pondering the reason for the older crowd, our food came and it was painfully clear.... the food is bland, perfect for that older crowd that can't handle spicy.
The chips were delicious, best we've had in some-time. They were thick with a nice strong corn flavor.. very nice. The signature salsas were flavorful, but did not even register as mild on the heat scale. The pineapple salsa, we were warned was very hot... was really on the high end of mild.
Aside from the unspicy food..... I can honestly say my dish was truly bland. My carne asada was a good cut of meat, the temperature was well prepared at medium-rare, there was the usual char... but the meat had zero favor. No spices at all. This was a dish recommended by our server over the Mole... I should have tried the Mole.
And then there were the tortillas. This was my biggest disappointment. They tasted like store bought... you know, that thick floury flavor that Mission Tortillas have. Even freshly heated, they would have been a disappointment. Unfortunately, mine were served stale... hardened around the edges. Invest in higher quality, homemade tortillas and ditch those store bought!
My dish came with Calabacitas.. which were disappointing as well. While the overall vision was good, the squash to cheese ratio was way off... and my side was almost cold. It was obvious the cheese had been melted at one point, but was well cooled before it reached our table. Decrease the cheese, increase the veggies please!
My husbands dish was suppose to be enchiladas. They were bland as well and resembled wet tacos.
I have to say, the black beans were the highlight of our visit. They were flavorful, still with some remnants of the salt pork with which they were cooked. Some of the best black beans I've ever had.
Many of the dishes, I would have liked to have tried. But the sides were unappealing to me. I don't like grits, sweet potatoes, or slaw (funny.. those are some of the only things I don't like). The server indicated that they would not substitute for any other side... dishes were to come as prepared, sides and all. She would have to ask the chef for permission to substitute a side dish. Please, be more flexible when it comes to sides. Also, I would have liked to see an Oso Bucco on the menu.
I should have gotten McGrath's signature green-chili mac-n-cheese or his green chili stew. I know those are good!
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