by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
West Inn Cantina firmly bases their cooking in the Southwestern tradition, throws in some California flash, a dash of the Caribbean and a little Indian spice. I’m used to Southwestern and Mexican being, well, boring really. I was really pleased to find different cheeses being creatively used. Some of the creativity is due to the recent “fusion” trend, which allows chefs to borrow spices and ingredients from all over the globe. Sometimes fusion doesn’t work. Here it does, beautifully.
This neighborhood bar and restaurant attracts a wide variety of people— college students laughing over margaritas, businessmen watching a Jaguars game, thirty-somethings discussing trips to India, an older couple playing backgammon they brought from home and a family playing a game of pool. The West Inn is a fusion of people as delightful as the food.
There are five main areas to West Inn Cantina: a package store, an indoor dining area, outdoor seating to enjoy pleasurable weather of the evening, the bar and the entertainment area. Bands like Little Green Men often come to play here and muted televisions broadcast the latest news or sports events.
The tapas feature lots of dips for your tortilla chips as well as more substantial fare. I tried a number of appetizers starting with the Portobello rellenos. Out of the appetizers I tried, this was definitely the richest, probably because of the smoked gouda. Portobello mushrooms are stuffed with mire poix breadcrumbs, then roasted and topped with a divine smoked gouda queso. The Tex- Mex bruschetta, toasted bread topped with elephant garlic and served with a tomato-jalapeno salsa, is a tasty fusion twist on the common Italian appetizer. In their red tortilla shells, the citrus pork poquitos are excellent with or without the very sweet raspberry sauce that comes with them. It’s difficult to say which appetizer was my favorite because each had its own uniquely attractive resonance—the rich flavor of the Portobellos rellenos, the crisp and spicy notes of the Tex-Mex bruchetta and the delicately spiced citrus pork poquitos all earned an equally high status. Those with less adventurous palates can go with the yummy Southwestern chicken egg rolls, the substantially-portioned chicken wings or the tender buffalo chicken bites.
A variety of salads are available, ranging from West Inn’s house salad to slightly less standard fare—like the crab cake tostada that features a Southwestern-spiced crab cake amidst mixed greens, served with a jalapeño tartar sauce. The house salad, a fresh spring salad mix, comes with avocado, onion, tomato and sprouts. Make trying the amazing cilantro lime vinaigrette a top priority. This dressing is made in the kitchen and can be ordered on a house salad. It comes on the chile seared ahi tostada as well.
Quesadillas, tacos, burritos and enchiladas are, not surprisingly for a Tex-Mex restaurant, part of the fare here. What is surprising is the sheer variety of things you can choose to have the chef put in your quesadilla or taco. Selections include barbeque chicken, shrimp scampi (yes shrimp scampi), citrus pork, bacon gouda and other ingredients both unusual and expected.
Raspberry-glazed salmon, an Angus Certified Margarita steak, honey lime chicken and West Indian barbeque shrimp are just four of the selections that beckoned me on the house specials portion of the menu. In the end, I settled on the Five Treasure Chicken. This house special was an intriguing and scrumptious study in fusion. Served with a pepper and cream sauce that flawlessly blends spices of India and the West, the chicken is coated with crushed tortilla shells and bread crumbs. The portion of chicken cutlets is very generous. Fortunately, the Five Treasure Chicken made for tasty leftovers.
If you’re looking for a lighter meal or just stopping in for lunch, there are many wraps and sandwiches to choose from.
Desserts can vary here but generally include a Key lime pie, a chocolate dessert and a cheesecake dessert. These last two can have many different variations. The cheesecake available when I went was a lemon drop cheesecake. Two chocolate desserts were also offered: the coconut fudge brownie and the chocolate toffee mousse. I sampled the chocolate toffee mousse, a delicious labyrinth of chocolate taste with a touch of toffee and whipped cream that led me back to civilization.
West Inn delivers frosty margaritas, friendly help, a varied atmosphere and superior food. I don’t know what more I would want in a neighborhood hangout.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
