The restaurant on 16th and S always looks very, very inviting. We're always excited to try out their wide range of margaritas and the great, great food that I remember from the time we'd taken my in-laws out there for lunch. The second time they tried Mexican food; the first was in a tiny restaurant in Princeton, NJ. The quality of food in both restaurants had been exceptional and I was pleased to visit a second time, this time I could sample the margaritas that my husband had enjoyed during our last visit.
Despite the crowds inside, we could get a table as soon as we entered. I took this as a good omen for the start of the evening and went through the list of cocktails. A friendly waiter brought us chips and two dips - a tangy and spicy salsa and a lovely mushy bean dip with melted cheese on top. We ordered drinks - a Green Iguana Margarita for me and a Blue Agave one for my husband. The drinks came in clear plastic glasses with salt rims, a slice of lemon and ice. I loved their simplicity; the drinks were green and blue respectively and both very, very good although I was partial towards my Iguana.
With our drinks, we shared quesadillas and a southwestern taco salad with creamy avocado dressing. The salad was good but the quesadillas came in a deconstructed format, the meat, guac and sour cream on the side with rings of jalapeno on top of enormous slices of cheesy quesadilla. We sandwiched meat and dips in the quesadilla and ate messily - or rather I did, choosing to eat by hand while my husband properly used the fork and knife to eat his. After a couple of those margaritas, I didn't care although it was pretty messy. It only spurred me on to try what I'd been waiting for all evening - a Pisco Sour.
I first heard of the Pisco Sour on TV, during an episode of four weddings where the father of a bride imported bottles of Pisco from a country in South America to make the cocktails at his daughter's reception. I remembered it from the show and looked up the ingredients, stopping and staring at the 'egg white' at the end of this list. I didn't know whether I was bold enough to try a cocktail with foamy egg white, it never looked appetizing enough before, but after two margaritas and a lot of food, I felt pretty adventurous. I asked my husband if he would have my drink if I didn't like it and he shook his head. I was on my own, here.
When it came to me, I smelled hints of a lovely rose-water aroma. That alone helped me sip at the eggy foam on top of the drink and wow! Fireworks! It was the best drink of the night and I made my husband sip it. He liked but did not love it - too sweet for him - but I did and actually had a couple that night. Best birthday drink, ever! And I was glad I'd been able to try it here, in Sacramento, at this wonderfully simple yet brilliant restaurant.
Ernesto's helps you relax; everyone taking orders to filling glasses is a thorough professional and they're courteous. Of course, the great drinks and food do help. But the restaurant's main feature (and my favorite reason to return) is the fiesta-like atmosphere they create there. The giant platters of food reinforce the idea that you're at your own big banquet. You eat and drink like a king (and queen). And you walk into the night, a little tipsy but happy, planning the very next celebration.
Despite the crowds inside, we could get a table as soon as we entered. I took this as a good omen for the start of the evening and went through the list of cocktails. A friendly waiter brought us chips and two dips - a tangy and spicy salsa and a lovely mushy bean dip with melted cheese on top. We ordered drinks - a Green Iguana Margarita for me and a Blue Agave one for my husband. The drinks came in clear plastic glasses with salt rims, a slice of lemon and ice. I loved their simplicity; the drinks were green and blue respectively and both very, very good although I was partial towards my Iguana.
With our drinks, we shared quesadillas and a southwestern taco salad with creamy avocado dressing. The salad was good but the quesadillas came in a deconstructed format, the meat, guac and sour cream on the side with rings of jalapeno on top of enormous slices of cheesy quesadilla. We sandwiched meat and dips in the quesadilla and ate messily - or rather I did, choosing to eat by hand while my husband properly used the fork and knife to eat his. After a couple of those margaritas, I didn't care although it was pretty messy. It only spurred me on to try what I'd been waiting for all evening - a Pisco Sour.
I first heard of the Pisco Sour on TV, during an episode of four weddings where the father of a bride imported bottles of Pisco from a country in South America to make the cocktails at his daughter's reception. I remembered it from the show and looked up the ingredients, stopping and staring at the 'egg white' at the end of this list. I didn't know whether I was bold enough to try a cocktail with foamy egg white, it never looked appetizing enough before, but after two margaritas and a lot of food, I felt pretty adventurous. I asked my husband if he would have my drink if I didn't like it and he shook his head. I was on my own, here.
When it came to me, I smelled hints of a lovely rose-water aroma. That alone helped me sip at the eggy foam on top of the drink and wow! Fireworks! It was the best drink of the night and I made my husband sip it. He liked but did not love it - too sweet for him - but I did and actually had a couple that night. Best birthday drink, ever! And I was glad I'd been able to try it here, in Sacramento, at this wonderfully simple yet brilliant restaurant.
Ernesto's helps you relax; everyone taking orders to filling glasses is a thorough professional and they're courteous. Of course, the great drinks and food do help. But the restaurant's main feature (and my favorite reason to return) is the fiesta-like atmosphere they create there. The giant platters of food reinforce the idea that you're at your own big banquet. You eat and drink like a king (and queen). And you walk into the night, a little tipsy but happy, planning the very next celebration.
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