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| - When growing up I loved to watch TV. I was the chubby kid so going outside and playing wasn't much in my vocabulary as I was always taken away to a fantasyland of programming that would appeal to me so. Inevitably you'd see reruns of all the beloved favorites, I Dream of Jeanie, Bewitched and Wild Wild West. But there was one rerun that really caught my eye, Bonanza. It's not that I liked Westerns or anything like that; it was because I loved looking at the cast. Those tight jeans clad Cartwright brothers were the dreams of young raging hormones and many afternoons of happy time.
After happy time I would always be ready for something to eat. Food would almost certainly ease the loneliness of growing up the chubby kid, where is that wall of man Hoss Cartwright when a kid needs a hug? I know where he was at; probably back up at the ranch house making something to eat! Sierra Bonita Grill, it's like that ranch house. Low hanging ceilings with exposed wooden rafters and a wonderfully smoky just used fireplace smell, you'd think those Cartwright brothers would saunter in at any moment.
Sierra Bonita is the sister restaurant of the fantastic Phoenix City Grille, which also seems to pay homage to Arizona and the old west with its styling and menu selections. Sierra is just more into the cowboy thing with the sort of cowboy chic and down home friendliness but not enough to be cheesy and contrived. Outdoors there is a wonderfully cozy patio area for complete with fans for the warmer evenings. I'm looking forward to cooler temperatures later this year so I can bask in the glowing heat of their gorgeous fireplace.
There isn't much of a better way to get settled into your evening than with one of Sierra Bonita Fresh Squeezed Margaritas ($8). These tart and heavily liquored versions will take the edge off of any bad day you might have been having. I make a mean margarita at home so when I say I love these margaritas it really means a whole lot, it's the fresh juice! After easing into your margarita, looking over the menu will be more of a challenge since everything sounds pretty good. Like those Cartwright brothers, they sure make them big at Sierra Bonita. The portions are pretty large so be warned when ordering, big eaters will rejoice as I did when the first plates went down.
Fresh seems to be more of a way of life than simply a word. The Guacamole ($9) embodies the word in its wonderful bright green color and just smashed taste. If you've never had fresh guacamole before this version is a great way to bust your cherry, so to speak. The accompanied 3 salsas were all very flavorful including a roasted chile flecked smoky salsa, a fresh chopped pico de gallo and a tangy tomatillo. The large salty thick cut tortilla chips were sturdy and crisp enough to hold up to scooping chunks of avocado and tomato, scrumptious.
Mini Quesadillas ($7) are a plate of 3 small corn tortillas filled with spinach, cheese and huitlacoche. The huitlacoche aka corn smut, is actually a fungus that grows on corn and is widely viewed as a delicacy, I think you either love or hate it. The taste is earthy in a good mushroom kind of way but can tend to be slightly pungent. In the case of the quesadillas, the flavor was indeed earthy and meshed very well with the other flavors. Instead of salsa with the quesadilla, they have chosen to serve a delicious black bean and hominy relish. It's the little choices that seem to make a difference when we're talking about food.
Tacos seem to be on pretty much every menu these days. They are simple, tasty and easy to make, however all aren't created the same way. Take the Carne Asada Tacos ($10) for example; the beef is prime and extremely tender though the real difference is the use of pesto mayo, salsa fresca, shredded cabbage and penela cheese for an interesting play on flavors.
When I took my first bite of the Buttermilk Chicken ($17) I was taken back to the time of being a kid and loving my mothers cooking. Generously seasoned and sublimely tender this is some great chicken. They lightly pan fry it then finish it in the oven so it's ever so lightly crispy but ever so heavenly. Included is a pile of mashed sweet potatoes and asparagus spears all slathered in cracked peppercorn gravy just dreamy.
What's a cowboy place without something sweet to finish it all off? Naturally there is Bread Pudding ($6) but the Buttermilk Pie ($7) seemed like the most unusual choice. This gamble paid of in spades, the pie was choice! The texture reminded me of a cross between cheesecake and flan with the flavor being something like the later. The pie is wadding in a pool of caramel sauce that tasted house made and with being so sweet, is meant to be shared. One bite of the flaky crust and that may not happen.
If you ever have a hunkin' hankerin' for some down home cowboy chow, Sierra Bonita Grill will induce a feeling like happy time with the Cartwright brothers.
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