Posts by Marcel Brown

July 2020 – we are in the midst of the COVID Pandemic. We finally have seen some relaxing of restrictions as the number of cases has dropped in late spring and early summer. So we finally get a chance to get out to a restaurant and sit down like normal people. My girlfriend and I end up at Brio Tuscan Grill and they have a very unique Margarita that I simply must try.

Called their Ultra-Premium Italian Margarita, it consists of Casamigos Reposado Tequila, Caravella Limoncello, and fresh lime juice. Certainly some quality ingredients, but I was very curious about how the Limoncello would work in a Margarita. The great news is that after a long dry spell not getting to have any Margaritas from a restaurant, the Ultra-Premium Italian Margarita at Brio was excellent. It was really tasty with a great balance of all the flavors. I personally wouldn’t think this was an “Italian” Margarita as it tasted very close to a traditional Margarita, although the Limoncello flavor was apparent. I guess since Limoncello is Italian, that’s close enough no? Regardless, I rate this very good Margarita a 8.5. I highly recommend trying it.

While on a business trip in Southern Illinois, I stopped by a place known for their BBQ Nachos. 17th Street BBQ has two locations and they both are on 17th Street in their respective towns! The one I stopped at was in Marion, IL.

If I’m having nachos, even of a BBQ variety, I want a Margarita to go along with it. So of course I ordered one. This particular Margarita had a very good flavor. It was highly tart and also pretty sweet, so those flavors balanced nicely. However, there was not a lot of tequila flavor. I would have preferred more of a fresh lime flavor along with a stronger tequila flavor but it was still a very enjoyable Margarita given the downsides, worthy of a 7. Plus the glass was quite funny!

Since my Margarita Run was impromptu and we got off to a late start, our 4th stop was our last for the night. Luckily it was literally a few doors down from our previous stop, El Macho Taco. Another new Mexican restaurant called Viva La Fiesta had recently opened that I had not yet had a chance to try so I took the opportunity that night.

I ordered their Premium Margarita. It was served in a very interesting fashion as it had a mini bottle of Camerena tequila turned upside down in the glass. Score points for that because I am a fan of Camerena. My only advice here is to make sure to let the tequila flow out of the bottle before drinking it. While the Margarita was made with a mix, it had a very good taste with an overall good balance of flavors, including some effervescence. It was a little bit on the sweet side with a little bit of a bitter finish. But overall a good Margarita that I rate a 7.5.

The 3rd stop on my impromptu Margarita Run in Edwardsville, IL was a new place called El Macho Taco. It literally had opened that week so it was still very much an unknown. Fortunately, I ended up stumbling upon a real gem of a Margarita!

I knew I was stepping into something special when the bartender, who was also one of the owners, proudly proclaimed that they do not use a mix in their Margaritas. This was certainly an excellent sign! I became even more excited to their their Margarita and I was not disappointed. Their standard Margarita had an excellent blend of flavors. There were good citrus, tequila, and sweet flavors all in a very smooth overall profile. It was a very impressive Margarita, especially for a brand new restaurant! So impressive that I rate it a 9.

In fact I was so impressed, I went ahead and tried one of their banana Margaritas. I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was! I figured that the banana flavor would change the Margarita into something unrecognizable, but because they use all fresh ingredients, the banana flavor served to add sweetness to the Margarita while still keeping enough of the original Margarita flavors to make a very pleasing drink. I could see the additional sweetness of El Macho Taco’s banana Margarita masking the tequila flavor just enough for some people to get them in trouble after they have a few! I won’t rate this as a normal Margarita because I think you really must like banana to like this drink and I know there are people who do not like banana (weirdos).

Anyway, I highly recommend El Macho Taco both for their food and especially for their Margaritas!

Our second stop on my impromptu Edwardsville Margarita run was an old favorite, Taqueria Z. Taqueria Z is a pretty unique location as it could be described as a cross between a taco stand and restaurant. The dining area is tiny with only a few tables, but it has an outdoor seating area with a lot more room. You can go inside to order or place an order from their side window in the outdoor seating area. Their food is very good and their drinks, including tequila and Margaritas, are excellent.

On this night I ordered their Original Margarita. I know they hand craft their Margaritas and use high quality tequila so I expect a good quality drink. Sure enough, it had great lime flavor, the tequila was forward but not overpowering, and there was just enough sweetness to balance everything out without being overly strong. I rate it an 8.5.

If you want a very good representation of a classic Margarita, make sure to stop by Taqueria Z in Edwardsville, IL. You won’t be disappointed.

I had not planned on doing a particular Margarita Run like I had done twice before on this night. However, it was National Margarita Day and we had been invited by friends to one Mexican Restaurant in my hometown of Edwardsville, IL. So I made a quick decision that night to hit a few other places in Edwardsville, including a couple of new places. Our first stop was Chava’s Mexican Restaurant.

I had done a review of another Chava’s in St. Louis many years ago. The two restaurants are part of the same ownership so I figured the Margarita might be similar, albeit many years apart so perhaps things had changed. I ordered their House Margarita on the rocks* and I can best describe the flavor as “mild” or “soft”. There was not a strong hit of flavor, however it was a nice blend of citrus and sweet taste nonetheless. It had a little bit of a bitter finish but nothing that truly was detracting. I would have preferred a more defined lime flavor, a stronger tequila hit, and perhaps a bit less sweetness. Overall it was a good, but average Margarita that I rate as a 7.

*Side note, I believe frozen “margaritas” to not be real Margaritas. Sure, they might be tasty and I have no problem with them in general. In fact, I had a drink on a Mexican resort many years ago called a Iceberg, where it was a Corona Beer with a topping of frozen margarita. The lime flavor of the frozen margarita went very well with the Corona beer flavor. That being said, the fact you’re drinking a frozen beverage means that you are desensitizing your tastebuds from whatever you are drinking and you are masking whatever flavor there is. Plus frozen margaritas are usually made from a mix and if you’ve read enough of my blog you know that I much prefer handmade Margaritas with fresh ingredients.

My final Margarita review from my first trip to Las Vegas was from the Pink Taco Mexican Restaurant located in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, where my girlfriend and I were staying for a business conference. Unfortunately, it is very likely that the Pink Taco will not be in existence in that location by the time you read this article. It just so happened that we stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on the very last week of its existence. The day we checked out there were already men in hard hats taking down a lot of the memorabilia and beginning the process of remodeling the Hard Rock Hotel into the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, owned by billionaire Richard Branson of the Virgin Group. From what I heard when I asked the staff, they believed that the Pink Taco would not be part of the new hotel. However, there are Pink Taco locations in other parts of the country so you may try a Margarita there.

All that being said, the Margarita from the Pink Taco was pretty tasty, although nothing special. It was well-balanced with a nice tartness to it and good tequila flavor. I’d rate it as a 7.5, so if the Margaritas from the other locations are similar, I’d recommend trying one if you are there.

My next stop in Vegas where I tried a Margarita was the somewhat world famous Heart Attack Grill. I had never heard of it before, but apparently it is a Vegas icon located on the definitely world famous Fremont Street. My girlfriend and I just happened to stumble upon it while walking down Fremont Street and it was right about lunch time so we decided to check it out. The restaurant itself is very kitschy with an anti-establishment, counter-culture theme when it comes to the type of food they serve, which consists primarily of big fat burgers. Their main claim to fame is that if you do not finish your burger, one of the servers will spank you with a large paddle. And just in case you think the spankings are a gimmick, think twice. Let’s just say I was very glad I only ordered a single burger because that was more than enough for me. A few grown men thought it would be fun to get spanked and after the first swat their facial expressions changed – and they had two swats left to go!

Anyway, given the type of restaurant it is, I was not really expecting anything great in a Margarita from the Heart Attack Grill. As I figured, the drink was made with a Margarita mix but the good news was that the tequila was strong, the tequila had a decent taste, and the overall flavor of the Margarita was fairly good. It sort of reminded me of the type of Margarita one might get at a beach. And the cup was really funny! So I’d rate it a 6.5.

Overall, given the fun environment, I would definitely recommend the Heart Attack Grill if you are in Vegas and like big fat burgers (and maybe hard spankings in public)! I’ve included some additional pictures below.

Yes, the pitcher was half-full because my girlfriend and I already had some!

I had never been to Las Vegas before so I was excited to see what I had been missing. And, of course, try some Margaritas while I was in town!

My first Margarita stop in Las Vegas was to Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Cantina on the Strip. And of course, if one is in a Cabo Wabo Cantina then one must try the Cabo Wabo Margarita made with Cabo Wabo Tequila! My girlfriend and I ordered a pitcher so I was able to sample plenty enough for a good review!

The Cabo Wabo Margarita is well balanced and tasty. It is, however, definitely on the sweet side. Sweet enough for me that it knocks the rating just slightly. I give the Cabo Wabo Margarita a 7.5. Had it not been quite so sweet, I think the rating could have been higher if the other great flavors could have been a little more prominent. That being said, if you are in Las Vegas, make sure to stop by the Cabo Wabo Cantina and order a Cabo Wabo Margarita.

When it comes to variations on traditional Margaritas, my experience has been hit and miss. Some are good, some aren’t. When done poorly, the extra flavors can distort the drink so that it’s not really a Margarita anymore in my opinion. However, when done well the experience can be amazing. I was lucky enough to find such a Margarita at the Bonefish Grill in St. Louis, MO.

To start with, the Bonefish Grill is a really great restaurant. I’m not necessarily a big fan of seafood unless it is very fresh and well-prepared. Bonefish Grill excels at this. Plus they have a great bar and cocktail selection which includes a couple of different Margaritas. For this review I’ll be discussing the Patrón’s Perfect Cucumber Margarita.

The ingredients listed are: Patrón Silver, fresh lime and English cucumber, topped with a hint of St. Germain Elderflower liqueur, rimmed with salt and pepper. Certainly an interesting combination of ingredients so I was very curious to try it. As always I am cautiously optimistic about a non-traditional Margarita but knowing that I like St. Germain and that Patrón is a good tequila had me hopeful. I must say that the Patrón’s Perfect Cucumber Margarita from Bonefish Grill is one of the best Margarita variations I’ve ever had. Besides the fact that it is served in a very interesting slanted glass, the basic Margarita itself is excellent and the cucumber and St. Germain accentuate rather than overpower the classic ingredients. I don’t usually like salt on the rim, but the salt and pepper on this rim bring out the cucumber flavor nicely. It’s a bit on the sweet side, but I really like the Patrón’s Perfect Cucumber Margarita. So much so that I rate it a 9.

I would not hesitate ordering the Patrón’s Perfect Cucumber Margarita from Bonefish Grill. Next time I stop by there, I’ll try the Parker’s Margarita, named after the founder of the Bonefish Grill and apparently his favorite drink.