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 My Sun Day News.
They say variety is the spice of life. That is why when we do our articles, we don’t review Chinese, Chinese, Chinese, or Italian, Italian, Italian restaurants all in a row. We try to shake things up and spice it up. What better way to spice things up than with a Mexican restaurant. We accidentally came across the El Sombrero Mexican Restaurant in Fox River Grove and wanted to give it a try.
El Sombrero Mexican Restaurant
314 Lincoln Avenue
Fox River Grove 60021
(847)516-4910
elsombrerofrg.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 North to Algonquin Road East to Randall/Rakow Road, North on Rte. 31, East on 3 Oaks Road to Northwest Highway, South to Lincoln Avenue to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 35 minutes
The location is less than picturesque. It is next door to a laundromat, across the street from an empty lot, and very close to the Fox River Grove train station. We’ve learned by now not to judge a book by its cover, so we threw caution to the wind and forged ahead. The inside décor was bland, not spicy. They had 12 tables and two high tops. It is a seat yourself restaurant, so that’s just what we did.
Our waiter brought us the menu with chips and salsa to munch on. And we did exactly that while looking at the menu. The salsa was hot, hot, hot, and Jim’s eyes were sweating.
We decided since we had chips and salsa to skip the appetizer and go directly to our entrees. Jim chose something new and interesting, the Carne Estilo Morelos ($26.99). This was skirt steak topped with melted cheese and served with slices of poblano peppers, onions, and grilled crumbled chorizo. It came with refried beans which were creamy and rice that was outstanding, but the star of the dish was the steak with all the toppings. The steak had a nice tasty char on the outside, and the crumbled crispy chorizo on top was the crowning touch.
Nancy went with one of her favorites, a Chimichanga ($16.99). This was a large fried flour tortilla stuffed with beans, cheese, and your choice of chicken, beef, pork, chorizo, or steak, and it was topped with sour cream and guacamole. She went with the steak and asked for her new favorite style which is Suiza ($2.50 upcharge). For those of you who don’t know Suiza style, it is a creamy tomato sauce with cheese. She asked if they could prepare her chimichanga without the refried beans and the waiter said no problem. Her entrée also came with a side of refried beans and rice and she asked for no beans, extra rice. She is rapidly turning into a waiter’s worst nightmare. With Nancy’s first bite, she realized her chimichanga contained refried beans. They did give her extra rice and refried beans on the side. So close, but yet so far. She looked at me with the old “stink eye” and said, “you have lunch for another day.” She would have sent it back, but then my food would get cold. Her opinion of this restaurant just took a nose dive.
Nancy was getting “hangrier” by the minute when she suddenly spotted an advertisement on our table for (6) Mini Churros ($9.99). These were served with chocolate dipping sauce and whipped cream. They were the best churros we have ever had, but they were also the most expensive. Nancy, who only samples our desserts had four churros and I had two. For my own safety, I decided not to push the issue.
FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.
We are torn on this restaurant. Jim’s entrée was delicious, but they messed up my meal. If you order right off the menu with no changes, then you will be okay. If not, do you feel lucky???
The price for our spicy meal was $70.49. Not seeing one sombrero in the restaurant named El Sombrero, bummer…
Jim’s take: I really enjoyed my meal in spite of Nancy glaring at me from across the table.
Nancy’s take: Loved the churros, hated my meal.
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at: thediningduo@gmail.com
