Review: Coyote Cantina Initial and Revisit

Hey guys, what's up? I'm bringing back this blog with another restaurant review. This time, I will be reviewing the Coyote Cantina restaurant in Redondo Beach, CA. As it's name suggests, this place serves up Mexican cuisine and claims as voted by the populace, to be the best Mexican in town. Since I was little, I have always passed by this place, yet never bothered to drop in. With it's inconspicuous exterior and shades, this restaurant has remained an enigma for several years. Having recently been there, I decided to revisit the Cantina and boy, have my opinions on it changed with each visit. The first time I went, I had the pleasure of accompanying my relatives there, a big ensemble if you will. Witnessing it's interior for the first time, I drunk in my surroundings and decided the atmosphere to be lively and inviting. The moment we sat down, we were greeted with water and warm, salty tortilla chips and exquisite salsa. I took a look at the menu and noticed it had many selections, with several options being Asian fusion. Eventually, judging Mexican restaurants by their carnitas, I settled on a carnitas taco combination plate, with rice and beans, and the majority of the family ordering a seared ahi salad with habanero lime dressing. 

When the meal arrived I immediately went for the carnitas. To my disappointment, this was not the best Mexican carnitas in the city, having had better at Weeman's Chronic Tacos, El Burrito Jr., and Maria's Mexican Restaurant, albeit pretty tasty. The beans were not spectacular, and the rice was less than satisfactory. I then proceeded to taste the ahi salad. Finding the tuna to be initially tasty, I tried it again, only to find that the tuna was not very fresh. It did not taste fresh at all, and the like. Despite these setback, I found my experience very enjoyable, and told the rest of my family about it. The second visit however, was extremely disappointing.

As I walked into the dining room yet another time, I found that there was no hostess to greet us this time, contrary to the previous time. We took a seat and ordered guacamole as an appetizer. After a few moments of deciding what to order, I decided on a Flat Iron Steak. Taking forever on the guacamole, my family decided to inquire about the situation, finding out that the waitress forgot to input the order. She quickly brought it and after she brought the main meal, she came back once to check on us. And, to be honest the steak was pretty tasty, yet the quality was not good at all. A sub-par quality steak at best. The next thing that I realized was mind-blowing: the busboy actually provided better service than the waitress. The waitress seemed dissatisfied with her job, being only partially happy and not providing decent service. The busboy was courteous, friendly, and full of character. Only then did I realize they focus on their bar scene more than the food scene. So, this trip was very underwhelming. And frankly, after my second experience at Coyote Cantina, I believe I will never set foot in that establishment again. Oh yeah, one last thing, I heard the margaritas were good. Case Closed.

tl;dr

First time I went, I was great. Good decor. Second, time, it was terrible. Busboy had better service than waitress. Carnitas + Steak, meh. Emphasis on bar and magaritas. Have good drink, mediocre food. 

Information:

531 N Pacific Coast Hwy Ste B
Recondo Beach, CA 90277

Tel: (310) 376-1066

http://www.coyotecantina.net

Menu:

http://www.yelp.com/menu/coyote-cantina-redondo-beach

I give this restaurant 2.95 out of 5 stars.
Remember to give feedback, comments, and critiques, as constructive criticism is always welcome and encouraged. Alright, time to beat this joint, and have a nice day everyone. Thank you for reading, and I bid you farewell for now.

P.S. What do you guys think about the new title and heading? I know its hard to read. :P

Review #11: Sparrow Restaurant

Hello folks, it's Stephen here again after a long while. Surprisingly, I've been busy, yet I also am not the most interested in food right now. However, I still enjoy it immensely, so with a little help of my friend Catherine Kim I've decided to retry. Well, this time it is a review of Sparrow (Vietnamese) Restaurant in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. This joint recently opened up replacing the unpleasant food that WAS known as the Brown Bag Grill. Everytime I pass by, this place seems to be crowed. The story is, I was having dinner with my friends, Hannah Hulbert, Haruka Hiyoshi, Winnie Liu, and Alex Liu at Red Brick Pizza. I notice this place across the walkway, and never bothered to try it until today. I've actually been itching to try it after my friends gave it the thumbs up.
NOTE: Personally, I haven't been inside the restaurant, as my dad picked a Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich) for me for lunch today.

The Goods:
Pork Banh Mi (w/ Cucumbers, Carrots, Cilantro, and Jalapenos)
House-made Lemonade

At first, I was not optimistic to try this, as my friends also gave me a tip-off that their Pho (Rice Noodle Soup) was only decent (I have high standards for pho). However, they did give me a tip-off that the banh mi are the bomb. My friends were absolutely correct. How Sparrow does it is they layer warm slices of (natural) juicy pork on top of super-freshly baked baguette, then add on the other toppings. Personally jalapenos are not my favorite, so I opted to leave them out. What it leaves you with is one of the most satisfying sandwiches in the HISTORY of SANDWICHES. The subtle, meaty flavor comes out after a few bites. With the cucumber, it has a fresh aftertaste that cleanses your mouth. BUT, in terms of banh mi, theirs is good, but not very good. (I've had banh mi in Garden Grove (a.k.a. Little Saigon)). Lee's Sandwiches and Mr. Baguette's are still better. However (lol, I say that a lot), it is immensely satisfying (there's a difference). The warm, toastyness is the best. Now, onto the lemonade. This lemonade is some of the best I've had. Screw Country Time or Minute Maid, this stuff is the s**t. Excuse my foul language. The Vietnamese are lemonade-making pros. The cool, refreshing liquid slides down your throat in a flavor landslide. They know how to make it not too sour, yet not too sweet. Just perfect. Another thing to try is their iced coffee- according to my friend, the coffee-aficionado.

All in all, this was a great meal, very affordable, $7.00 for a footlong sandwich and a modest lemonade that packs a punch. I'd give this a 4.05 stars out of 5. (4.05/5).

Sparrow's Information:
http://www.sparrowpalosverdes.com/
550 Deep Valley Drive, Space 147
Rolling Hill Estates, CA 90274
(Located Inside the Promenade next to iBerries and Frascati Ristorante)
Tel: 1-(310)-377-6400

P.S. Sorry for the short post.

Once again, I bid you farewell.

-Stephen