The night I ventured to Coyote Blue there was a freak thunderstorm, and although I managed to find the restaurant, some of my friends had more trouble locating the cantina amidst the pouring rain. The blinding weather created quite a contrast to the jovial, tacky atmosphere we discovered inside.
The fairly small restaurant, whose building is cutely designed to look like a hut, is constantly packed. While waiting for a table, my friends and I sat at the loud bar, which serves complimentary chips and salsa. The chips were crispy, but could have been saltier and the salsa lacked some punch. The soft drinks were served in jars with a handle, evoking the small-town tradition of jam-making. The cowboy boot lamp-lighted the tawdry cowboy decorations around us as we waited and waited to be seated.
We were finally seated in a booth with dreadful acoustics. My friend commented that, “We need microphones to hear from one end of the table to the other.” The dining room consists of wooden booths with paintings of Texas and cacti on the walls, reminiscent of the Nickelodeon show “Hey Dude.”
The menu is composed of typical Tex-Mex fair. The West Texas Burrito with chicken was simply a burrito filled with slightly dry chicken, covered with cheese and red sauce. It looked like a rolled-up quesadilla, and needed something more in the filling. As with all entrees, the plate included refried beans, Mexican rice, sour cream and guacamole. Unfortunately, it did not come with salsa, which might have added some pizzaz. The refried beans were tasty, but the rice and guacamole could have used more flavor. One of my fellow diners requested this entrée without cheese, yet sure enough, it arrived covered in the stuff. The gulf shrimp quesadilla, which was filled with jack and cheddar cheese and sweet shrimp, was much tastier.
There are many vegetarian options. The spinach and feta quesadilla was pretty good, if not particularly imaginative. The cheese and scallion enchilada was smothered in cheese, but the scallions gave it a much-needed kick that many of the other entrees lacked. The West Texas Burrito also comes with two vegetarian options, either button mushrooms and cheese or beans. Both options were uninteresting, as there was either too much cheese or too much beans. A combination of the two, however, would have been delightful. All of the food was simple, which works only if the chef pays greater attention to the ingredients and preparation.
The dessert offerings change daily. The night of my visit three desserts were offered, including a promising jalapeno carrot cake. I opted instead for the safe bet: Peanut Butter pie. This pie was my favorite item at the restaurant, with a buttery graham cracker crust topped with layers of chocolate and frozen peanut butter pie filling. Another nice touch was the cinnamon mints offered at the end of the meal.
Besides the pie, another reason to venture to the restaurant, if you can find it, are the bathrooms. Swinging doors lead to the bathrooms where “cowgirl” and “cowboy” are written on the doors and toilet seats. Look around and you’ll also find beer bottle caps arranged in the shape of a cactus. If only the kitchen were so creative.
The bottom line: The food is satisfying but nothing special. The kitchen needs to be more creative with flavors.
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