El Potro - Troy

Took a little while to get our food to the table but as always the food is terrific, my Margaritas were perfectly made.

I believe the name means The Colt, though the staff had better keep the place clean, or the name will quickly morph into something less flattering simply by changing a letter or two. I 'm going easy on them for several reasons: 5. It 's relatively new, having opened in April, 4. The construction traffic at the nearby I-55 interchange must be negatively impacting their accessibility and visibility, 3. Today 's dishes, shrimp enchiladas and chicken nachos, were presented well and tasted good, 2. The server was more respectful and friendly than almost anyone else I met on this hottest day of the year, and 1. The guacamole was fresh, chunky, and full of cilantro.

My kids and I took my Mom and Sister out for their birthday and they chose El Potro. We've been there before a few times. The food quality is always consistent, the prices are reasonable, and the staff is friendly. This time, I felt for our server, as he was running constantly didn't seem to have much down time. Our Mom sent her steak back, as it was a little overcooked, so she couldn't chew it easily with her dentures. The new steak came out right away and was perfect. When I was paying the bill, our server was chatting with my sister, he seemed genuinely delighted that she spoke Spanish, and thanked her multiple times for being so kind when she sent the steak back (gotta wonder how other people treat him when sending something back). Mom got a steak, and asked for fries instead of rice and beans, which they accommodated no problem, as well as a small margarita, as she really enjoys them there. Sister got a taco salad with chicken. I got a taco salad with ground beef and Dos Equis Amber. My older son got fajitas. My younger son got a cheese quesadilla. Everything was good. And we went in a little early to beat the dinner rush. The place was packed by the time we left.

Back in 2012 I lived in Troy, IL for a year. That's where I first found this place. I live roughly 30 minutes away now but decided to go back for dinner tonight. I can't say I remember what the salsa tasted like. However, tonight it was a bit bland. The chips were light and crispy so it was a give take. I ordered a shrimp chimichanga and the hubby got the quesadilla hawaiiana. He thinks hot pineapple is delicious. I do not. Both of our entrees were delicious and flavorful. Almost forgot about my sangria margarita. Well it was kinda forgettable. Not sure if it had more than a table spoon of tequila in it. It was still tasty though a bit pricey for juice. The place was crowded and the wait staff was really hustling. If you live in Troy or ever have you know they heavily patronize local business. I used to ride my bike around town. Leave this for them. Don't make a special trip.

Your standard Mexican fare here, but it just didn 't have that wow factor and delicious taste. In fact, the food tasted rather bland and could have definitely used some more seasoning. My burrito didn 't quite hit home like I wanted it to- was rather tasteless! But on the positive side: the chips were very good, salsa did the trick, and I certainly got full. If I came again I 'd just try something different- I 'm sure there are plenty of other options out there on the menu that would be great!