STANWOOD – The cold winter weather made warm Mexican food sound extra appetizing, so my friend and I headed for Amigo Mexican Restaurant.
A Herald reader had recommended the restaurant – in part, she said, because it boasts fresh ingredients and friendly service.
One of five locations in the Amigo chain, the Stanwood restaurant is located in a shopping center that houses movie theaters and two other large restaurants. All three have open dining areas that face the theater’s entrance.
By the way, use the door into the center of the complex to get to the dining area, not Amigo’s cantina door. When we opened the door, we were greeted with the aroma of fresh popcorn. The popcorn was nice, but I missed the smell of warmed corn tortillas and chilies.
On our Saturday visit, the dinner crowd was seated at the tables in the open dining room, which offers a panoramic view of a mural depicting Stanwood in its early days. For fun, we followed the telegraph wires from the pole across the open area.
Another fun accent is the distinctive chairs in the Amigo dining area. Brilliant colors decorate the carvings of tropical fruit, birds and the face of the sun that highlight the back of each chair, which also has a traditional woven cane seat.
The restaurant’s menu includes children’s and vegetarian sections, and has all the anticipated selections including hearty appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes and combination plates. Distinctive dishes include chicken flautas ($9.99), which use crispy flour tortillas to hold the chicken, cheese and pico de gallo, and spinach enchiladas ($8.99) for vegetarians plus 12 signature dishes including Mexican shish-ka-bobs ($14.99).
The couple in the next booth ordered fajitas, which looked and smelled wonderful when they were served. My dinner companion and I weren’t hungry enough to do justice to that large an order, so we decided on the combination plates.
At Amigo, there are three combinations and each has two different sets of choices for that price. For example, in the two-item category, my friend ordered the taco-tamale combo ($8.99) and I selected the enchilada-chili relleno duo ($9.99). I added a Mexican beer ($3.75) from the 15 beers on tap. There’s also sangria ($4 a glass) and 50-plus tequila selections ranging from $5.50 to $20 a glass, with most costing $7 to $8.
We didn’t have to wait long for our dinners, which were served with a helping of extra attentive and friendly service from our server.
My enchilada was stuffed with a tasty, mild Cheddar cheese, and the chili relleno was plumped with Monterey jack cheese. Both were a little too hot to eat, so the cheese made lots of strings in the beginning. The chili relleno was a little disappointing because the deep-fried crust wasn’t crispy. Another little disappointment for me was my pico de gallo. The tomatoes tasted like the cilantro that tasted like the onions it had been in the fridge too long.
My friend said his taco was OK and his tamale too dry. He guessed that the tamale had been microwaved instead of re-heated by steaming. He rated his dinner a “six.”
Our meals came with a hearty serving of refried beans topped with lots of melted, stringy cheese and rice dotted with chunks of pepper and onion. We liked our side dishes, but were puzzled by the inattention to the little things, especially when we considered the recommendation that motivated us to visit.
Herald restaurant reviewers accept no invitations to review, but readers’ suggestions are always welcome. Reviewers arrive unannounced, and The Herald pays their tabs.
Contact Anna Poole at features@heraldnet.com.
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