Posts by Marcel Brown

Peel Wood Fired Pizzas has one of the best Margaritas in the St. Louis area. They have 3 locations currently and I’ve tried their Margaritas at two of them. On this day I was at their Edwardsville, IL location.

I find it comforting to experience a good consistency between different locations of the same establishment when it comes to their drinks. The Margarita I had on this day was virtually the same excellent drink I’ve had at their O’Fallon, IL location that I frequent. At both locations I can describe their Margarita as having excellent balance, great flavor that goes down easy but has a hearty feel as well. It definitely deserves the rating of 9 that I give it on this day.

On this evening I found myself taking my lady out to a French bistro called Brassiere by Niche. We sat at the bar and had a wonderful conversation with the bartender Matt who explained the details of some of the drinks on the menu. Of course I had to try a Margarita from such an excellent bartender.

Matt offered to make the Margarita with Exotico Tequila. I trusted his suggestion. The first Margarita he served had a good flavor, being well balanced albeit it was a little on the tart side for me. I ordered a second and asked him to add a little more sweetness and no salt on the rim. He did as requested and this time the drink was excellent. This experience serves to reinforce the idea that the quality of a Margarita, and almost any cocktail, is largely dependent on the knowledge and skill of the bartender. On this night I give the second Margarita that Matt made a 9.

Tucanos Brazilian Grill features a variety of meats being brought to the table where the servers cut the portions off of giant skewers for you. It’s a really fun and different experience and I would highly recommend this or any similar Brazilian restaurant if you’ve never tried.

Given that this restaurant had a full bar and when I ordered the Margarita i was given my choice of tequilas including Don Julio, I had my hopes up that it would be a really good drink. Unfortunately, on this night it was disappointing. The Margarita had a decent flavor but overall it was too artificial tasting for my liking. It was tart but with very little sweetness. Otherwise it was very light tasting and not really a lot there. At least they offered the Don Julio so perhaps with a different bartender on a different night it would be better. For for this experience, I can only give the Margarita at Tucanos a 6.

Global Brew Tap House is a franchise that prides itself on the variety of beers it has on tap. I know the owner that started the company (10 years ago?) and as a technology consultant, I actually helped him evaluate and choose their point of sale system back when they were launching their first location. I happened to stop by one of their franchised locations this evening and noticed that they had a Margarita on the menu. Of course I decided to give the drink a try.

For an establishment known for their beers, the Margarita was a nice surprise. Overall it had a decent flavor and was pleasant to drink. It seemed to have a little carbonation that gave it a little bit of a bite. My only nitpick would be that it had a little bit of a bitter aftertaste along with the tartness. I would give the Margarita on this night a 7

I’ve often told people that I’m not a big fan of salt on the rim of a Margarita. To me, the salt just doesn’t really add to the drink flavor. I much rather experience the flavor of the drink without the salt getting in the way. Additionally, if not done correctly, the salt on the rim can fall to the bottom of the glass and alter the taste of the drink, especially when the margarita is almost finished and those precious last draws are overwhelmed with salt.

This day at Brio Tuscan Grill was a perfect example of this phenomenon. I ordered two Margaritas that night (the Ultra-Premium Italian Margarita as I had ordered on a previous visit) and the difference was significant because of the salt. The first was a good drink but the rim was not salted properly. My fault for not specifying that I did not want salt but unfortunately some of it fell to the bottom of the glass and disrupted what was otherwise a pleasant experience. I ordered a second Margarita and this time was careful to specify no salt. This one was a much better representation of what a Margarita at this establishment could be. It had great lime flavor up front and the overall taste was well balanced. Assuming you get a drink that is not salted improperly, I will rate the Margarita at Brio Tuscan Grill this night an 8.

While on a trip to visit my younger daughter in college, we decided to go to an Indian restaurant for dinner. Zayka Indian Cuisine is conveniently located in downtown Springfield and has a good reputation. I had been there once before and I really enjoyed the food. This time, I decided to try a Margarita.

For those of you that have read my blog entries where I talk about how well Margaritas go with spicy food such as sushi, it should come as no surprise that I also enjoy a Margarita with spicy Indian food. The Margarita presented well as it looked very well done when served but unfortunately for this drink, while it had decent tequila taste, it just wasn’t very flavorful overall. So it wasn’t unpleasant to drink, but it just didn’t really do much for me. Maybe next time I go back we’ll see if they can make a better one. But for this visit, I rate it a 5.5.

As the COVID pandemic wears on, I’ve been going out to restaurants a lot less and when I have, it’s been mostly to familiar places where I’ve already had Margaritas. So the reviews were few in the last year but I’m starting to get back out more to new places. For example, I went to a concert at the iconic Blueberry Hill Duck Room in St. Louis and figured I’d have dinner at the Blueberry Hill restaurant before the show. No surprise of course that I chose to have a Margarita.

I wasn’t expecting all that much given that Blueberry Hill is fairly standard fare restaurant. However, I had not been there in a very long time and I noticed the extensive bar they had. So I held out hope it would be a good Margarita. As it turned out, there was a good balance of flavors between the citrus and the sweetness. It was more citrus forward with a sweeter finish and the tequila was blended in well throughout. A very nice Margarita with a 7.5 rating for me. Perhaps a bit surprising that it was a good Margarita, but maybe not given that Blueberry Hill has a good reputation in the St. Louis area.

“The Traditional” Margarita at Maria’s Mexican Restaurant

My younger daughter selected to go to college in Springfield, MO. While on a trip there to tour the campus (which was delayed due to COVID restrictions), we had some dinner before heading back home. We stopped at Maria’s Mexican Restaurant where, quite obviously, I had to sample some Margaritas!

First was the Margarita they called “The Traditional”. The listed ingredients were 100% Blue Agave Cazadores Reposado Tequila, a layer of Gran Gala Orange Liqueur, topped with fresh squeezed lime juice. This certainly sounded like a good set of ingredients for solid Margarita. This particular Margarita had strong tequila flavor with good citrus flavor. However, it was a little harsh on the palette. Perhaps the bartender was a little heave handed on the tequila? Because it just wasn’t balanced well, I give it a 6.5.

Maria’s Mexican Restaurant’s “Agave Nectar Traditional” Margarita

Next up was their Agave Nectar Traditional, which they called their version of a “skinny” Margarita. The ingredients on the menu were Cazadores Reposado Tequila, 100% agave nectar, with one freshly squeezed lime. Even better ingredients than the first Margarita! I wasn’t wrong. The flavor was well-balanced and very similar to how I make a Margarita. So good that I gave it an 8.5.

If you find yourself in Springfield, MO, make it a point to find Maria’s Mexican Restaurant in the downtown area and get a Margarita. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

I’m not sure why Bonefish Grill serves their Margaritas (maybe all their drinks?) in slanted glasses but I think it’s pretty cool!

I had previously been to Bonefish Grill where I had tried the Patrón’s Perfect Cucumber Margarita. On this trip I wanted to try their Parker’s Margarita, named after the founder of Bonefish Grill and according to the menu, his favorite drink.

The menu does not list the ingredients specifically other to say the drink is “finished with fresh OJ and Grand Marnier”. That being said, it was very well made with a good flavor. The tequila was definitely pronounced, as was the orange juice and Grand Marnier on the finish which adds some citrus and sweetness. Unfortunately, there is a little bit of bitterness as well on the finish as I find Grand Marnier tends to do. Overall it was very pleasing and nice to drink. Had it not been for the little bit of bitterness from the Grand Marnier, it probably would have rated higher than the 8.5 I’m giving it. I can see why this is the founder’s favorite and I wonder if they used Patrón Citronge orange liqueur instead of Grand Marnier would it be almost perfect?

After the long COVID lockdowns of spring and summer 2020, towards the end of the summer I decided to take my girlfriend to Vegas (yes, twice in one year) for an early birthday experience. While there we met some friends and went to a bar called Lucky Day Tequila & Mezcal House where I, quite obviously, tried one of their Margaritas.

Being a Tequila and Mezcal House, they have quite a selection of alcohols but as we were there later in the night, they have a smaller “Late Night” menu available. I chose their standard Margarita which had ingredients of tequila, lime juice, triple sec, agave, and sour mix. I chose Casamigos Tequila for this Margarita. The Margarita was well balanced with a pronounced lime flavor, subdued sweetness, a fruity finish with a bit of bitterness. I could have done without the fruity finish and biterness but it was overall a nice Margarita that I rate a 7.5.

I would definitely love to go back to Lucky Day when they have an expanded menu and try more of the varieties of Margaritas or cocktails that they have. The bar was a unique experience given the way it was lit up as you can see in some pictures below. I’m also quite certain they can make virtually any drink to specification as the bar staff seemed quite knowledgable.