Reviews

Bella Milano is an excellent Italian restaurant in my home town of Edwardsville, IL. I’ve eaten there many times in the last several years, but I had never thought to try a Margarita there. Of course, this had to change on my next opportunity, which happened to be during an impromptu lunch with my wife and a friend.

The presentation of the Margarita was impressive, with a colored salt rim. Similarly, the Margarita was also impressive with a nice light and refreshing taste. The flavors were all nicely balanced and I couldn’t help but to order a second. I rate this Margarita an 8.

If you are in the Edwardsville area and you find yourself looking for good Italian food to go with a good Margarita, Bella Milano will not disappoint!

A Margarita with Cabo Wabo Blanco.

My wife and I found ourselves at The Tenderloin Room again celebrating a friend’s birthday. Given the opportunity, I decided to try a couple of Margaritas made with different tequilas to sample the difference.

Mary the bartender said her favorite tequila was Cabo Wabo so I tried that first. As usual, the Margarita was very good with a nice balanced flavor and smooth finish. Next I tried one made with 1800 Añejo. As Añejo tequila is made by aging in oak barrels, I could definitely taste the oak flavor come through in the Margarita. Personally, I didn’t really like the way the oak combined with the other flavors in the Margarita. It wasn’t bad, it was just different.

It is often recommended to leave the Añejo tequila for drinking straight and to use good Blanco or Reposado tequila for Margaritas. Given that Añejo is often much more expensive and that the oak may actually detract from the overall flavor of a Margarita, at this point I must concur with this recommendation. But I’ll need to sample many more Margaritas just to be sure!

A Margarita with 1800 Añejo. Notice the darker color due to the use of an Añejo tequila.

Cleveland Heath is a great upscale dining restaurant in our town. I’ve been to Cleveland Heath a handful of times over the last year or so and have always enjoyed what I’ve had there. However, I hadn’t yet sampled their Margarita. Obviously, I had to change this.

I’m happy to report that the Margarita I had was very good. The flavors were all very well balanced with a nice light citrus flavor and sweetness. It was also nice to see a Margarita from a non-Mexican restaurant served in a Margarita glass. I give Cleveland Heath’s Margarita a 7.5.

If you happen to be in the Edwardsville area for either lunch or dinner, make a point to stop by Cleveland Heath, even if you aren’t going to have a Margarita.

This was the El Perfecto

It had been awhile since I had eaten at a 54th Street Grill restaurant. We have a few in our area and one in my town. We just happened to be near our 54th Street Grill and decided to stop in for a family dinner. While not technically a Mexican restaurant, 54th Street Grill does have a lot of Mexican-themed options on their menu. They also have a healthy selection of Margaritas. So my wife and I each had one to compare.

I had the “El Perfecto” Margarita. It came served “martini-style” in a shaker and martini glass, which I’ve only ever seen done at Applebee’s and their “Ultimate Margarita”. El Perfecto had a good citrus component and not too much sweetness. The finish was just a little bitter, but overall it was very good. I give it a 7.5.

My wife had the Top Shelf Margarita. The main difference in my mind was that the flavor was a little smoother than the El Perfecto so the finish was nicer. Just like the El Perfecto the sweetness wasn’t overpowering but it did seem the consistency was just a little thinner. So for the pros and cons of the Top Shelf, it also gets a 7.5.

This was the Top Shelf Margarita

The presentation of this Margarita flight was really cool! From left to right: Orignal, Melon, Mystery, Pomegranate

Edison’s Entertainment Complex has been one of the most exciting new developments in our town over the last couple of years. It is basically a video arcade, laser tag arena, bowling alley, restaurant, bar, and frozen yogurt shop all in one. My kids love it – ok, I do too – so we’ve been out at Edison’s many times. This time I had the chance to sit down for dinner with one of my daughters and as luck would have it, Edison’s was featuring Margarita flight. So obviously I had to check it out.

One thing I really like about Edison’s is that the restaurant isn’t an afterthought. They employ an executive chef and I can tell that the food is well-prepared. The servers are all well-trained and very friendly and attentive. I’ve had some drinks from the bar before and they were good quality as well. So I was really looking forward to the Margarita flight. Since the flight consisted of four different Margaritas – Original, Melon, “Mystery”, and Pomegranate – I will rate each one separately. To start with, the presentation of the Margarita flight in a drink carrier flight was very cool. It was a like a little Margarita rainbow!

The original Margarita had good flavor. It was well-balanced and I could tell the tequila was good quality. However, it wasn’t anything spectacular. So I give it a 7.

The melon flavored Margarita was just OK. The melon taste seemed somewhat artificial. I give it a 6.

The “mystery” Margarita had a very odd taste. It reminded me of cough syrup. Unfortunately, I can only give this Margarita a 4.

The pomegranate Margarita just didn’t have a flavor I enjoyed. Like the other flavored Margaritas in this flight, it seemed they used flavored syrups and it just really didn’t work for me. But this one was better than the mystery Margarita, so I give it a 5.

Edison’s is an awesome place to hangout for both kids and adults alike. So definitely stop by if you get the chance. However, I recommend skipping the Margarita flight and just ordering an original Margarita.

Some friends recommended we meet them for lunch at El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant. They raved about it and said both the food and Margaritas were excellent. Always on the hunt for good Mexican fare and Margaritas, my wife and I didn’t hesitate to take the first opportunity we could to visit.

El Ranchito is definitely off the beaten path so it isn’t very well known around our area. But I’m so glad we found it because just as our friends promised, the food and Margaritas were amazing. The food tastes like it is authentically prepared with fresh ingredients. Everything I sampled was just an explosion of flavor in my mouth. Their burrito made with Carne Asada beef was one of the best Mexican dishes I’ve ever had – and that’s saying a lot. The food at El Ranchito isn’t “fine dining”, but it is definitely a cut above your average Mexican restaurant. Also, the restaurant owners must be huge people because their portions are ridiculously large. Their “small” burrito is bigger than most “large” burritos I’ve ever seen. I can put away a lot of food, but a small burrito is a meal for me.

The Margaritas did not disappoint. We had a pitcher of their Cadillac Margarita to share among the table and it didn’t last long. The flavors are well-balanced with a smooth finish. The first pitcher was just a little on the sweet side, however the second pitcher we had a better citrus flavor to balance things out better. I revisited El Ranchito a few weeks later and the Margaritas were still excellent. My only nitpick is that it seems that each pitcher that comes out is just slightly different than the last. Sometimes just slightly more sweet or a little stronger on the citrus or tequila. Not enough to drastically change the flavor of the Margarita, but it does speak to the fact that the process of making the Margarita isn’t quite consistent. But on the bright side this tells me that each batch is hand-made. Overall, I give the Margaritas at El Ranchito an 8.5. If you want really good Mexican food and Margaritas, make a point to visit El Ranchito.

For those of you who do not live around the St. Louis area, Mike Shannon is a very well-known name. A former St. Louis Cardinal baseball player turned announcer, Mike Shannon also has a restaurant in St. Louis called simply enough, “Mike Shannon’s Steak and Seafood”. Mr. Shannon has ties to our town of Edwardsville, however, as I believe he used to live here and may still do so. I assume that is why he expanded his restaurant offerings by opening up an establishment in Edwardsville.

Mike Shannon’s Grill is not the same as Mike Shannon’s restaurant in St. Louis. As the name implies, it is more casual than the original restaurant, however the food is still high quality. I’ve been here twice now and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve had each time. This time, however, I wanted to sample their Margarita of course!

The Margarita I had that night had a good blend of citrus and sweet flavors, however it seemed to come on a little strong at first. Unfortunately, a bitter finish tended to overpower the overall flavor. So while it wasn’t a bad Margarita, it just wasn’t anything to rave about. A 6.5 is what I rate it this time. I’m sure I’ll be back again one day and I’ll try another one so we’ll see if it can get higher marks.

The Margarita is in front; my wife’s Mango Crush is in the background.

At one time in my life I would have never tried sushi. Luckily for me, during a party at a Macworld conference in San Francisco several years ago I mistook sushi for some sort of veggie roll. After eating a few rolls I figured out what I was putting in my mouth. Strangely, once I had tried sushi and liked it, I actually began to crave it. It is now one of my favorite meals. Wasabi Sushi Bar is a great place to get sushi in our town and when I went there recently, I took the opportunity to try one of their Margaritas. Like I’ve said before, I’ll try a Margarita anyplace!

While I really like the citrus component of a Margarita, it must be well-balanced with the other flavors. This Margarita had too much of a citrus hit up front. Then the finish was a little bitter, perhaps a consequence of the tequila used. Overall, the flavor made me think it came from a mix. It wasn’t terrible, just not really good. So I give this particular Margarita a 6.5. To compare, my wife had a “Mango Crush” martini. It was actually good for a martini – but martinis just aren’t Margaritas!

One thing I noticed is that after I ate some sushi with spicy Sriracha sauce, the Margarita actually tasted better. Maybe there’s something about spicy food and Margaritas? This could be one reason Margaritas go so well with spicy Mexican food. This is something I’ll need to explore further.

Guido’s Pizzeria and Tapas is an interesting concept in a restaurant. Located in the famously Italian “The Hill” area of St. Louis, it is no surprise that Guido’s serves Italian. But Guido’s also serves Spanish (as in from Spain) food. So one could say it is Mediterranean cuisine. Regardless, I was more interested in their Margarita, even if a Margarita isn’t exactly from the Mediterranean.

The Margarita I ordered had a good blend of sweet and citrus flavors. However, the citrus component had a slightly different taste than traditional lime, almost more like grapefruit. It wasn’t bad, just different. The tequila was balanced nicely, however the overall flavor was a little thin. I would have liked a bolder overall taste. However, it wasn’t a bad Margarita for a place that isn’t necessarily known for Margaritas. I give the Margarita at I and that night at Guido’s a 7.

A side note: it seems that almost every restaurant on The Hill is closed on Sunday. Guido’s is one of the few places that are open on Sundays. If you’re in the area on a Sunday and are looking for a good place to eat, definitely check out Guido’s. I’ve had their pizza and lasagna and both were excellent.

My wife and I were so impressed with Milagro Modern Mexican, we decided to go again with friends – and my mom who was visiting from out of the country. I don’t think I gave Milagro enough credit for their food last time. Most people don’t equate Mexican food with fine dining, but Milagro is really, really close. Certainly make sure to stop by Milagro Modern Mexican for the food or the Margaritas.

The last time I visited, I tried their “house” and “Top Shelf” Margaritas. The Top Shelf version was much better. One thing I liked was the options they gave with the tequila, so this time I sampled several different combinations of Milagro’s Top Shelf Margarita.

I ordered a Top Shelf with Don Julio tequila. It was an excellent and balanced combination of citrus, sweet, and tequila flavors. I rate it an 8.5

I then tried a few sips of a Top Shelf with Patron tequila. I honestly could not tell the difference between the Patron and the Don Julio version. So I give the Patron version an 8.5 as well.

As last time, my wife ordered a Top Shelf Margarita with Riazul tequila. I took a few sips of hers to compare again. As before, the Riazul is a smoother tasting tequila, which accentuates the sweet flavor and just slightly dampens the citrus. An excellent Margarita nonetheless.  Another 8.5.

I also had a chance to try a Passion Fruit Margarita, which is an off-menu option suggested by our server. This Margarita had a stronger citrus flavor to it, just slightly more bitter than I would like, almost like grapefruit. Still, the overall taste of this Margarita was very good.  I would give the Passion Fruit Margarita a 7.5.

One visit, four Margaritas. I’d say it was a good day!