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Sergio's Cantina
Restaurant Review
The southeast corner of Routes 38 and 31 has garnered much of my attention for the past several months... and actually for much longer than that. The building housed, once upon a time and long ago, a venue called "John's Tap". It was replaced by a Mexican restaurant that shall remain nameless for two very important reasons, one of which is that the food there was so bland and mediocre that it was always next to impossible to imagine that the place actually served Mexican fare. The other reason? That restaurant closed long ago...
I watched with interest as the place sat vacant for many months. Then, finally, it became obvious that a new lease had been signed and a new restaurant was to occupy the premises. All I could see was the fresh coat of paint, the beautiful new doors and finally, the new awning with the name "Sergio's Cantina" emblazoned on it. Sergio's opened with little fanfare and no advertising sometime in late November of 2007, and after an obligatory, albeit shortened waiting period, I asked Lauren if she was interested in giving the new Mexican restaurant a try. One disappointing e-mail had been received and it had placed a nagging apprehension in the back of my mind. Unless I just got lucky on this visit -- which I now seriously doubt -- my fears were unfounded. Although it is rare for me to pick a weekend night to dine out, the craving for Mexican was strong and we went anyway. It was earlier than normal for us but Sergio's was filled... and there were many families and lots of youngsters. It was difficult to even get through the door. A pair of seats at the end of the bar fortuitously opened up and we took a seat to wait the estimated 35-40 minutes. The place seemed jammed, but when I later asked the bartender about it, she offered that it "was actually less busy than normal". If "normal" was busier than this, the show must be a good one to watch! We waited only a minute or two before we were asked for a drink order, and then watched as the bartender made -- by hand and not from a mix dispensed from the soda gun -- our margaritas: Lauren ordered the Cadillac Margarita and I tried the Sergio's Margarita. Served in tall, stemmed, cone-shaped and blue-rimmed glasses, both were excellent renditions of the standard favorite! (A number of specialty mojitos compliments the drink menu) There were two bartenders behind the bar and both were doing a Mexican Hat Dance trying to keep up with the thirsty crowd waiting for dinner. Nonetheless, one of them still found a moment to bring us some warm, crispy chips and fresh, piquant salsa -- very tasty as well with just the right amount of spice. I found out later that one may also ask for the hotter version made with habanero peppers. I also found out that all sauces (as well as the lemon-lime mix for the special margaritas) are made fresh daily.
Sipping our cocktails and looking around, I noticed that the dining room was not particularly large -- perhaps only about 60 seats -- but it was nicely decorated: painted in warm blues, pinks and yellows with a large and attractive mural of Puerto Vallarta at the far end. There were also a number of plates and pieces of pottery that were displayed on a rustic shelf above the wall on one side. The ambience was friendly and comfortable; the sounds of rhythmic and inviting Mexican music played unobtrusively in the background. A large deck outside will add perhaps another 40 or so seats that I'm sure will be filled to capacity when the weather warms; I have heard that live music is also being contemplated. We were soon seated at a tall deuce that was a bit too close to the door... only because the cold January air flooded in every time a new group of patrons entered the building. But my mind was soon led to other, more important things... like my growling stomach! Unfortunately I cannot supply more of the menu items here; I forgot to take a menu with me. However, I will tell you that the choice was difficult; the menu was loaded with great sounding fare that I know I will go back to try. (I do remember Chile Rellenos and a Skillet dinner with sautéed rib-eye steak, slow-cooked carnitas (pork) and Mexican sausage) Lauren decided to get the Taco Platter (three soft corn tortillas filled with sautéed ribeye steak, onions and peppers and topped with lettuce and cheese; beans and rice accompanied the dish: $8.95) and I chose the Flautas (three deep-fried corn tortillas filled with chicken and topped with lettuce and cheese; beans and rice were also served: $8.95). Served on colorful plates, both meals were incredibly tasty and served by our attentive waitress -- one of numerous scurrying but smiling wait-staff working that evening. Owner Sergio De Los Santos was present that evening -- I get the feeling that he is always there -- and kept a watchful eye on things, stopping occasionally to chat with diners, check on how things were going, or even to bus an occasional table when and if necessary. Everything seemed to run smoothly and I saw no unhappy patrons that evening. Pleasantly surprised? Definitely! Happy to report it, I think that the bar has once again been raised a bit for the area. Important to note: no matter the venue type or location, ratings are always based on four major criteria -- Food quality, Plating/plate presentation, Service and Distractions (excessive noise level, sloppily attired or non-attentive wait staff, etc). At Sergio's Cantina, along with very reasonable prices in a festive atmosphere, all four of those factors were very hard at work; it was a Four-Zin experience and I can definitely recommend that you put Sergio's on your list of places to try!
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