My Mexican restaurant

Some nights (and weekends), I just don't feel like cooking, so I do go out to local restaurants from time to time. My most frequent haunt is El Idolo, a Mexican place just on the edge of Bartlett, TN. It sits a good 1/8 of a mile from the geographic center of the county, so it's reached easily enough from everywhere. They also have the best damn margaritas in town.

I've come here frequently and long enough (since they opened, to be honest), that I don't order a drink - my server brings my drink when I've been seated. Incidentally, I go for the medium (used to be large, but they added a new size that's for my Sundays only) margarita on the rocks, no ice, no salt. When a new server starts at "the 'Dolo" (as we call it), it usually takes them 2-3 visits before they remember, and then it's smooth sailing again. Most places that I've ordered this just mix a normal margarita, then top it off with their mix; the 'Dolo says, "nah, hermano, we got you," and there's an extra shot or two of tequila in there because they love me.

It's also gotten to the point that they go ahead and bring out the spicy salsa and spicy tomatillo sauce without any sort of questioning. Last night, I also got the chunky guacamole and a queso because I wanted to engorge myself. The tomatillo sauce has a great kick, and the guac's got some jalapeño because spice is life.

The 'Dolo doesn't really go for the whole "presentation" thing because it's not that kind of joint. This is a "go get a margarita, eat some delicious-ass food, and come back soon" spot. I went for the shrimp embrujados, which has become one of my favorites of late. The shrimp are cooked in an habanero-based sauce (not too much heat, though) and is served with rice, salad, avocado slices, and a few tortillas. Naturally, I make tacos with all of the above, drizzle a little queso, and chow down. Once the shrimp and tortillas are gone, I mix everything up into a nasty mess on my plate and wolf it all down with my chips. Maybe I'll throw a little tomatillo sauce in, too. However the mood strikes me.

I want to reiterate: this is not a fancy place. You're not gonna have your coat taken, your chair pulled out, or see works of visual art adorning your plate: you're gonna be in someone's home, eating real food, hearing weird conversations because people don't realize they're in public. It's a great atmosphere (I have friends that live quite a ways away that hit me up to meet there for dinner), the staff is amazing (shout out to Eddie, who's been my boy for years), and those fuckin margaritas, man...when you see the DrunKitchen posts, this is where I was right before I started. Just sayin.

Comments

Restaurant week: My new Mexican restaurant

As I mentioned the other day, my Mexican restaurant closed down. Luckily, they opened up in a new space a couple of months later. Great new look, new name ("Lopez Grill"), they've got a bar, staff is expanded, and the place is always packed. Business seems to be going great. Now, this isn't just a rehash of my post about the 'Dolo. While the menu is largely the same, there have been a few changes, plus I'm going to share a few things I've learned eating there. On my first visit to the new location (which was opening day, right when the doors opened; yes, I was standing in line outside with the other faithful), Señor Lopez brought me a bowl of their new salsa. He called it "guacamole salsa," but it's a jalapeño-based sauce. It's got an almost creamy texture, but is dairy-free (I asked for my vegan friend). Being a jalapeño salsa, it's got some heat, but not nearly as overbearing as some capsaicin-phobes may fear. It is perfectly bala...

Restaurant week: Polish food truck tasting

Due to a strange combination of circumstances, I recently found myself at a menu tasting for a soon to open Polish food truck called Halinka's Polish Eatery . I'm about 99% sure I was the only person in attendance who wasn't already personally known to the owner/chef, Magda, but it was a good time. Got to meet some nice folks and eat free food, but then I had to give feedback in public in front of other people, so that kind of sucked. Like, really fucking sucked. Pretty sure my face my was red the entire time. This is the price we pay for food sometimes. Our first course was a cabbage and mushroom pierogi with a side of beets. Apparently when the food truck gets going, the pierogis will be steamed, then finished either on a grill or in a skillet with some butter. However, due to facility constraints where we were trying the dishes, Magda had to serve them just steamed. Anyway, to the food: the cabbage and mushroom pierogis were fucking amazing. There was a tremendous depth ...

Stream recap: pseudo-bougie dinner party

This past Sunday (1/18/2025) was my second cooking stream of the New Generation of ODG Cooking Streams. When I was trying to come up with a "theme" for the afternoon, I was thinking a lot about those fancy-ass restaurants where they serve you three bites of food on a fucking plate five or six times and, even though you're somehow full, it still doesn't seem to quite justify spending five million dollars just to eat there for two hours while everyone around you looks at you condescendingly because you didn't wear a goddamn tie. Fuck those people. Anyway, I decided I wanted to figure out a way to do that kind of fun, small plate, presentation-centric food at the house without having to break the bank. My first course, as a direct theft from The Bear , a show I absolutely love, was the mirepoix broth. I started the stream by starting a light stock, which means you don't roast the bones beforehand, using some pork and beef bones. For the mirepoix broth, I finely ...

ODG Eats

Search This Blog