Rosario's

When in Texas, specifically San Antonio, it didn't seem right if we skipped eating Tex-Mex.  It's like going to New Orleans and not grabbing a po' boy or two (if you are Mijune, it would be 8 or 9).  Naturally, there are many choices for the aforementioned cuisine, but we needed to find something that would be representative and convenient.  After walking along the River Walk and almost doing some Tex-Mex there, we stuck with the plan and walked a few blocks from our hotel to Rosario's on S. Alamo.

Viv and I ended up with some frozen Margaritas prior to our eats.  She chose the Coco Rita consisting of Rosario's original frozen Margarita with tequila, orange liqueur and sweet ‘n’ sour combined with pina colada.  This was decently smooth with the aromatics normally associated with pina colada.  It wasn't overly sweet, but sweet enough.  I would've liked it to be stronger, but the tequila was definitely there.  For myself, I had La Tuna made with silver tequila and prickly pear cactus juice.  this was a bit stronger and equally sweet.  It went down easy where it was a nice compliment to the Lengua that I had ordered.  I enjoyed the soft, but not mushy slices of tongue which were bathed in a light tomato sauce that was on the saltier side, but as mentioned, was balanced off by the Margarita.

For Viv, she had the Fish Tacos with pan seared tilapia, chipotle mayo, cabbage lime slaw, pickled red onion and avocado.
Frijoles a la charra (pinto beans) was served on the side.  Although they didn't look like much (as you can clearly see in the picture), they ate rather well.  The fish was perfectly-prepared being moist and flaky (as much as Tilapia can be).  With a few drops of hot sauce, there was more than enough impact to make the taco tasty.  My son ended up with the Tacos Nortenos Mix also with frijoles a la charra.  As evidenced in the picture, the tacos were evenly seared and crispy.  Inside, there was a thin layer of refried beans, enough melty Monterey Jack cheese and tender chicken to go around.  Nothing complex, but it did the job on the cheap.

For my daughter, she went for the children's meal and had the Bean & Cheese Chalupa with refried beans and rice.  For this, it was pretty simple as well with a crispy shell topped with refried beans and plenty of melted cheese.  She ate it without complaints, but then again, she can eat refried beans out of a can too...  Whatever the case, Rosario's did the job for a reasonable price.  Not the most amazing food we've ever had, but it was exactly what we needed after too much BBQ (yes, there is such a thing) and steak.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Kid-friendly
- Decent

The Bad:
- Food could be more impactful in terms of flavour

Boot and Sombrero

I didn't think it would actually happen; but I am literally running out of places to eat in North Delta. So, I took full advantage of the fact I was in Ladner for a meeting. One restaurant that I've been meaning to try is the Boot and Sombrero. It seems to have a pretty good satisfaction rating on Urbanspoon. It's situated in what used to be Uncle Herbert's Fish & Chips. The building itself is divided like an old house and consequently, the dining space is separated into several rooms. Mind you, on a nice day like today, it creates quite a contrast in light within the restaurant because you have the front 2 rooms with an abundance of sunshine and the back room with no light at all (no windows back there).

The Boot and Sombrero is a Tex-Mex restaurant that serves up BBQ'd items and Mexican favourites such as tacos and fajitas. It's located in the heart of historic Ladner Village. In fact, it's right next to the Delta Museum. If you ever have a chance to make it down here, it's definitely a nice place to take a walking tour.

There were several lunch specials available; but I went for the pulled pork dinner instead. Yes, I am eating pork again. Okay, I promise to stop eating pork for the next week, maybe... I had high hopes heading into this meal and usually that is not a good thing. Arriving on a pretty large plate was the pulled pork, sauteed string beans, a jicama slaw, curly fries and cornbread. The pulled pork was more like crumbled pork. It was tender, but quite dry. Moreover, the BBQ sauce seemed to taste like Kraft mixed with some spices. It was more tangy than smoky (like Bull's Eye). I did like some of the sides though. The beans were cooked all the way through; yet still had some crunch. The fries were crispy and the cornbread had a bit of crunch and spice from cayenne. However, the jicama slaw was a bit bland.

I'm a bit torn in regards to the food. I didn't hate it; but I didn't really like it either. The service was excellent and the atmosphere was quaint and relaxing. I can definitely see why people would like this place. But, I'm really in BBQ food and the sauce is usually what makes or breaks a restaurant. For me personally, I didn't like the sauce. This would be a problem since all their meat products would be smothered in it.

The Good:
- Quaint location
- Excellent service
- Decent value

The Bad:
- BBQ sauce is quite generic tasting
- From what I had (which was only one dish), the food was average