Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.
Jim is not known for his athletic ability. He is equally horrible at all sports. This includes the relatively simple game of bocce ball. In his defense, he is improving. Now he is keeping the ball in the court and not throwing it into the bushes. He is so bad, that as of this writing, we have not won a single game. It has gotten to the point that our teammates drive past him when he is walking Rosie, they roll down the car window, and laughingly yell, “YOU SUCK”!!! To soften the pain of our losing streak, we decided to try a new restaurant in Algonquin. With our heads bowed in shame, we ventured off to Casa Tequilas Mexican Grill.
Casa Tequilas Mexican Grill
1505 S. Randall Road
Algonquin 60102
(224)333-0296
casatequilasmexicangrillil.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 North to Algonquin Road, East to Randall Road, South to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 20 minutes
The restaurant site is in the old Giordano’s pizza location. It is actually larger on the inside than you would expect. The spacious dining area is nicely decorated in a Mexican motif and there is also a large “private” dining area adjacent to the main seating.
It goes without saying we were given the obligatory basket of chips and salsa. The chips were salted which was a plus after sweating on the bocce courts this morning. The salsa was just average.
Nancy must have been in the sun too long because she could not make a decision on an entree. The waiters third attempt to get an order proved successful. She finally decided on the Lunch Special Burrito Tequilas ($12.99). This was a mini-smorgasbord of Mexican cuisine. It featured a deep-fried burrito filled with ground beef, shredded chicken, rice, and beans. She nixed the beans. Her burrito was topped with cheese dip, burrito sauce, and Pico de Gallo. It was served with four pieces each of carne asada, chicken taquitos, and cheese quesadillas. Most items on the plate were good but could have used an added punch with seasonings or hot sauce. She had to admit the carne asada was tough. She ate everything except for half her burrito which came home with her.
Jim doesn’t order just any lunch, he has to order something grande or loco, or both!!! He found the Grande Burrito Loco ($19.99) on the menu. When his plate was put in front of him, he went loco in a grande way. It had a large flour tortilla stuffed with grilled chicken, steak, bacon, onions, and mushrooms. It was topped with cheese dip, burrito sauce, and chorizo and served with rice and beans. The combination was a grande treat, and half came home with him in a doggie bag.
To top off a meal in a Mexican restaurant you have to have churros for dessert. We didn’t want to break the tradition, so we ordered the Churros ($8.99). These were four churro pieces fried and dusted with cinnamon sugar. It was served with vanilla ice cream and dollops of whip cream. There was also a decorative flower on the side of the plate. We must admit, we have had better churros, these were too heavy and dense for our taste.
FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.
The service here was top notch with a friendly staff. The lunch specials were a deal.
The cost for cooling off from a hot morning $53.13. Watching Jim suck at playing bocce ball, bummer…
Jim’s take: My burrito was both grande and loco. I loved the cheese sauce on top.
Nancy’s take: I tried a piece of the marinated chicken from Jim’s burrito and it had flavor to spare, mine, not so much.
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