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| - A friend and I had a hankering for some Mexican food and tried this place on a whim on a calm, late Wednesday night. I had always driven by this place, but had never stepped inside or inquired much about it. Most "Americanized Mexican" places bore me (too much salt, no flavor), especially after having worked in one for years in Florida before moving to Cleveland.
I was pleasantly surprised by this place. It's small and quaint with an intimate seating area and fashionable decor (I believe the owner features his own art in the dining room). The music is nice and at a volume where it sets a hospitable atmosphere and a calm tone so you can enjoy it without having to scream at your friends. It wasn't terribly busy; I believe only two other two-tops were enjoying their dinner when we arrived.
You place your order at a counter with the owner, Antonio Carafelli. He's really fun to talk to and really knows his stuff! He's really passionate about what he does, and it shows in his cooking. Service wasn't especially fast, but that is no complaint because my friend and I wanted to relax and enjoy ourselves without feeling rushed.
While we did not order any beer or margaritas (tempting as they were), we started our meal off with the tortilla soup and quesadillas. I had the soup and it absolutely blew me away. I love soup (seriously; I'll order it even if it's 90-degrees out), and this is easily one of the top three tortilla soups I've ever had; the other two being while visiting Mexico and Belize. Everything tasted fresh and not like it had been stewing in a pot all day smothered with salt. It's a definite must-try! My friend ordered the quesadillas and thought they were amazing and served with some sort of delicious slaw in a larger molcajete bowl. The soup and the quesadillas could have been meals, on their own. Absolutely stunning and would definitely order both again.
We both ordered the large and in charge handheld chicken burritos, thinking we'd have room. Woof. We ended up splitting one and taking the other home with us! The textures of everything inside the burrito to the tortilla itself was absolutely perfect. The chicken could easily tear apart and was cooked flawlessly, the rice was not overdone, and everything had a perfect balance of spice and flavor. One note: I'm not a huge fan of any sort of beans, but for anything Mr. Carafelli cooks, I'll make an exception because they tasted fantastic.
I definitely say give El Tango a stop, relax, bring an empty stomach, and enjoy the atmosphere. I'll definitely be back!
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