Reviews

After stopping at Margarita’s in Belleville, my wife and friends decided to stop at one more place before heading home. The nearest place was Mariachi’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina so we took the short drive to get there.

Again, being Cinco de Mayo, I wasn’t expecting too much from the Margaritas I would be served. The Margarita at Mariachi’s was certainly more flavorful than the Margaritas we just had at Margarita’s. However, while being told that the Margartias are made fresh every morning, the flavor seemed to indicate that there was a pre-made mix used. The flavor wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t great. But again, given the volume of drinks I’m sure they were serving that day, I wouldn’t be too surprised if shortcuts were being used. While I would rate the Margarita I had at Mariachi’s a 6.5 that day, I would like to stop by again one day to try a Margarita on a normal day.

Cinco de Mayo is probably the best known “Margarita holiday” in the United States. So of course my wife and I met up with some friends and celebrated as well. Now to be fair, in my experience, many restaurants will not serve their best Margaritas on days like Cinco de Mayo, likely because they are serving so many that quality control tends to slip. So I won’t be too particular with my review of the Margaritas I tasted this day.

When my wife and I arrived at Margaritas Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, our friends had already ordered a pitcher and had started on it. So we joined in on that pitcher as well. To be honest, it was a pretty low-key Margarita. It wasn’t a bad tasting Margarita, but simply not a lot of flavor. Everything was well-balanced but the overall flavor was just fairly weak. Now that being said, after two pitchers shared between our party, the tequila really caught up with us. So there are worse things that we could have been drinking. Overall, I would give the Margarita at Margarita’s a 6 this day. One day I’ll probably stop by again and give their Margarita a taste on a day other than Cinco de Mayo.

My wife and I have a soft spot for The Melting Pot. We started eating there probably 15 or 16 years ago and I consider it our first tentative steps into foodie-ism. We usually try to go a few times a year, and we had an opportunity to go there recently. Of course, I figured I would try a Margarita this time.

My wife and I always get the Mojo fondue main course. It’s just that good. We normally get the Swiss cheese-based fondue to start as well. If you’ve never had fondue at The Melting Pot, I highly recommend it as it is quite an experience to cook your own food at your table and sample all the various dipping sauces. Our favorites are the Green Goddess, Gorgonzola Port, and Yogurt Curry. So regardless of the Margarita served, The Melting Pot is one of our favorite restaurants.

I don’t recall ever having a regular Margarita at The Melting Pot, but I do remember having a blackberry Margarita and thinking it was pretty good. But this time I wanted just a regular Margarita so I could review it. I noticed that the bar had a very good selection of tequilas. I chose Don Julio as I’ve had good luck with this tequila before. Unfortunately, the flavor of this Margarita was extremely tart and extremely sugary. It was pretty clear that they used a sweet-and-sour mix to make it. Now I love citrus flavor. But there is a difference between fresh citrus and just plain tart. While I like tart flavors, this was overpowering. So as with many places, the quality of their mix will determine the quality of their Margarita. Of course, it would be best if they used fresh lime juice instead of a mix, which according to their menu they do use on their blackberry Margarita. So I wouldn’t be surprised that if asked they’d make a Margarita exactly as requested because they are very accommodating at every Melting Pot we’ve ever been to. But for this night, the Margarita there only gets a 5.

On our way home from St. Petersburg, we were looking for a hotel that had an indoor pool and hot tub and one of the few we could confirm was located in the town of Smyrna, just outside of Nashville, TN. Our hotel was located in an area that had several places to eat, but most of them were chains so we picked O’Charley’s because we were familiar with it but hadn’t visited in a while. Of course, I checked out their Margarita offerings and was pleasantly surprised with what I found. My choice that night was the O’Fresh Margarita, which the menu said was made with Cabo Wabo Reposado tequila, Cointreau, and freshly squeezed lime juice.

This was an interesting Margarita. First, I really liked the glass it was served in. It was like a short martini glass, but with nice coloring. The drink itself had strong citrus and sweet flavor components, which were well-balanced and made for a good tasting drink. However, I couldn’t really taste the tequila. Now maybe it was because it was really well “hidden” (which some people like), or perhaps the other components were simply overpowering it. I also had a slight cold that night so maybe my taste buds were off (but I didn’t seem to have a problem tasting the other flavors). So while it was a really good drink, Margarita lovers might miss the tequila flavor, so I rate the O’Fresh Margarita a 7.5.

It’s not exactly on the menu, but it should be!

For our last night in St. Petersburg, my wife wanted a seafood extravaganza, so we went to a recommended place called The Oyster Bar. Of course, I always seek out the Margarita at every place I go, so I checked out the drink menu right away. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a standard Margarita and I just wasn’t in the mood to try out an exotic Margarita. So I asked the server if they could modify one of their Margaritas for me. Fortunately they were able to accommodate my request, so kudos to The Oyster Bar and kudos to the Margarita they served me!

One of the Margaritas on their menu was called the Jalapeñoberry Margarita, made with Patron Silver tequila, Cointreau, agave nectar, fresh lime, strawberries, and jalapeños. Well all that sounded like a great Margarita sans the strawberries and jalapeños! So that’s what I asked for and I’m glad they were able to serve it. As I expected from the ingredients, the flavor was excellent. It was just a little on the sweet side, but it was well-balanced and I liked it a lot. Overall, I rate the Margarita I had an 8.5. I should let the management of The Oyster Bar know that they should list this Margarita on their menu!

While walking around St. Petersburg, we decided to grab a quick bite to eat. Being Florida, we figured we might as well eat outdoors. We found a nice little place called Parkshore Grill. I found an interesting Margarita offering on their menu, so of course I wanted to try it.

Parkshore Grill’s Margarita was called a Pisco Margarita. The ingredients listed were Pisco Porton, reposado tequila,  fresh lime & orange, and agave nectar. I wasn’t sure what Pisco Porton was, but apparently pisco is a white spirit from Peru made from grapes. I’m not sure what the flavor of Pisco Porton is so it’s hard to say how it influenced the overall flavor. Given the ingredients, the flavor was tasty and refreshing. However, the orange juice, and I assume the pisco, seemed to dampen the citrus flavor from the lime. There was also a slight hint of what tasted to me like a mix. But perhaps that was the finish of the Pisco Porton. So while it was good overall, it wasn’t a classic Margarita. I rate it a 7.5.

If you are in St. Petersburg you should definitely check out Parkshore Grill. The food was excellent and they have TVs in the back of the bar that are behind a water feature. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen! Unfortunately, pictures just didn’t do it justice so you’ll just need to see it for yourself!

Perfect Margarita – Not exactly “perfect” but still very good

After a-day-and-a-half of driving, we arrived at our friend’s in St. Petersburg. Of course, we were hungry. We also wanted to see the beach, even though it was a little late in the day to actually “go beaching”, but luckily our friends knew of a hangout that would let us eat and hang out on the beach. An additional bonus was that they were known for good Margarita, so of course I had to judge for myself.

A quick look at the menu of Caddy’s on the Beach showed that they served what they called a “Perfect Margarita”. The ingredients were Patron Silver tequila, Grand Marnier, fresh squeezed lime juice, and a “house margarita mix”. In my mind I was wondering why they needed a “mix” after the first three ingredients, but I figured I’d just drink it and find out. A few friends also ordered another Margarita that was off-menu which they called the “Golden Margarita”. This was a little confusing to me as well because from what I understood, most “Gold” Margaritas are made with Grand Marnier … but the Perfect Margarita was made with Grand Marnier … so well, whatever. I’ll just taste everything and figure out what’s up.

I started out with my own “Perfect Margarita”. Being located on the beach, Caddy’s drinks had to be served in plastic cups. Glass is a no-no on the beach. Unfortunately this makes it hard to “see” the Margarita, but oh well. For having such an audacious name, this Margarita did mostly live up to it. It was very light and refreshing with a good amount of sweetness and just a little hit of a fruity flavor to keep it interesting. Certainly a great Margarita for drinking on the beach. I had a few tastes of the Golden Margarita and it was a similar flavor, although it seemed a little heavier, which wasn’t a problem in of itself, but the finish gave me just a slight impression of a pre-made mix. Had I not just tasted their Perfect Margarita prior to their Golden Margarita, it might not have been so noticeable. I wouldn’t turn down a Caddy’s Golden Margarita if offered to me, but their Perfect Margarita was certainly better. As far as a rating, I would give the Perfect Margarita an 8 and the Golden Margarita a 7.

Golden Margarita – The color was a little more golden, but the flavor wasn’t quite there

Over the next few days, we spent some more time on the beach near Caddy’s and of course I had several more Perfect Margaritas. I’m happy to say that the flavor of the multiple Margaritas I had over those next few days stayed consistent. So if you are in the St. Petersburg area, take a little trip down to Sunset Beach on Treasure Island to Caddy’s. Just know you might get a little sand in your shoes!

The Original Margarita

My family and I took a little road trip down to St. Petersburg, Florida to visit some friends. On the way down south, while driving in Georgia between the cities of Atlanta and Macon, we stopped at a little Mexican restaurant called El Agave. Interestingly enough, there are two El Agave restaurants in the same town of McDonough. We had our choice of exits to take off the highway to go to either location, so it seems they are taking advantage of passerby traffic. It certainly worked on us, although I was certainly eager to try a Margarita!

The location we ate at was the Highway 20 location, in case you are ever in the area, but given that both locations are under the same ownership, I must assume they use the same recipes. They had several choices of Margaritas on their menu, but I decided to give their most traditional one a try, which they called “The Original Margarita”. The ingredients listed were very simple: Cazadores tequila, Cointreu, and fresh lime juice. My wife decided to try their Blue Pacific Margarita, made with Sauza Conmemorativo tequila, Cointreu, and Blue Curaçao.

Blue Pacific Margarita

The Original Margarita had a nice balance to the flavor, simple yet very good, as I expected from the ingredients. I rate it an 8. I tasted my wife’s Blue Pacific Margarita, which was also good although it had a more fruity flavor than I would like and it had just a bit of a bitter finish. I would rate it a 7.5

After a long day where I spent the entirety with my daughters at a science fair and then an orchestra concert, my family decided to have a late dinner at Porter’s Steakhouse in nearby Collinsville, IL. Porter’s is an excellent restaurant, well-known for their steak and wine. But of course, I had to give their Margarita a try. As with everything else I’ve had at Porter’s before, the Margarita I had that night was excellent.

The flavor was well-balanced with just the right amount of sweetness. There was a good flavor that seemed to come from a triple sec component, which I unfortunately neglected to get the recipe from the server that night. That’s OK because it just gives me an excuse, as if I needed one, to try another Margarita at Porter’s! Overall I give the Margarita that night an 8.

I found myself with some friends at Dooley’s Beef N Brew House. Normally one would not associate an Irish pub with good Margaritas. However, Dooley’s actually offered a choice of tequilas with their Margarita offering so things looked promising!

It just so happened I was looking to try a Margarita with 1800 Silver and it was offered on Dooley’s menu. Unfortunately, the Margarita that night was just average. The citrus taste was too subdued and there wasn’t much sweetness at all. Simply put, it tasted a bit watered down. A friend I was with who also ordered a Margarita concurred with my assessment. I’d rate the Margarita that night a 6.5. There was promise in the flavor, but it just wasn’t enough, so perhaps it was just an off night. I’m sure I’ll return some day to try again.

On the bright side, Dooley’s is known for their burgers and the burger I ordered did not disappoint. Dooley’s allows you to basically build your own burger, and I ordered one with avocado. I’ve eaten quite a few burgers in my life and I would definitely go back to Dooley’s to have another burger.