Santo Coyote goes beyond Mexican

By Jennifer Christman

Photo by Stephen B. Thornton

Shrimp a La Diabla at Santo Coyote

ADVERSTISMENT

LITTLE ROCK — Fries, a Buffalo chicken taco, Caesar salad, and Hawaiian chicken - at a Mexican restaurant?

They are some of the more curious items that nest in the multifaceted menu at Santo Coyote, North Little Rock’s new Mexican restaurant and tequila bar that opened in a tony space formerly occupied by the short lived Fire Fall Grill & Bar. While there are surprises, the bulk of the edible inventory is Mexican (even the Hawaiian chicken is technically called Pollo Hawaiiano).

The restaurant’s upscale appearance and ambitions are balanced by paper napkin practices and an accommodating range of prices. We’d guess it was a chain if the manager hadn’t assured us it wasn’t. While we encountered a few snags, we appreciate the spirit and the selection and believe the place has potential.

The owners have kept the best of what the previous tenant possessed - a clean, classy atmosphere with gentle modern lighting and earthy elegance. Metallic wall sculpture suns and the abundance of tequila in the bar (which doubles as a second nonsmoking dining room) are the only clues that the eatery furnishes fajitas fare; we spotted neither sombreros nor maracas. The main dining room features glossy wooden tables and chairs and padded booths.

We can’t pretend to be tequila aficionados. But we know good margaritas. Santo Coyote’s Margarita Especial ($5.25), made with a 100 percent agave tequila, was strong yet smooth. The Perfect Margarita ($7), made with Patron Silver and Patron Citronge, was just strong.

Diners wanting more than complimentary chips and firepacked salsa might start their meals with soups, salads or dips. There are also $2.50 tacos or sopes (corn cups) holding interesting ingredients like the aforementioned Buffalo chicken (deep-fried chicken breast, hotly sauced and then cooled with a blue-cheesy cabbage - not Mexican but not bad at all), or marinated pork with pineapple.

We were sorry we let a server talk us into the Beef Dip ($3.50), an unappetizing mix of white cheese and greasy ground beef. We preferred the standard smooth white traditional cheese dip ($3.95 small, $7.99 large) on a subsequent visit.

The Guacamole Casero Mexicano ($6.95) is an appetizer with a show - the fresh avocado dip is mixed at the table to the party’s specifications using tomato, cilantro, onion, jalapeno and lime. We relished the tasty, well-balanced result, but the thin, fragile chips failed to stand up to it or any dip, for that matter.

We would have enjoyed our lively shrimp Ceviche ($5.49), with shrimp cooked in lime with cilantro tomatoes, onions and avocado, had we not come across a few shell pieces.

As for the soup ($4.95), the Sopa de Tortilla Azteca featuring grilled chicken, tortilla strips, pico de gallo, an avocado wedge and sprinkling of cheese had a quirky acidic flavor, not like the saltier comfort Mexican soup we’re used to. A friend found her Creme dePoblano, with corn and dusting of cheese, a bit bland.

Evening diners can order anything from simple tacos (three beef or chicken tacos cost $5) to a more swank steak (the Filete El Patron is the most expensive single item at $16.95).

The Sizzling Famous Fajitas ordered Texanas style with steak, chicken, shrimp ($13.99) were served on a hot skillet with peppers, onions and tomatoes, tortillas and a side plate of beans and rice with the lettuce, tomato, sour cream and pico de gallo in a corn cup. The protein was plentiful, but so was the salt.

Also salty was the ground beef in the Combination No. 7 ($7.99). Despite the “no substitutions” stipulation on the menu, our server said we didn’t have to settle for the usual beef, so we asked for a chicken burrito and cheese enchilada and tamale. But we were given a salty beef burrito with more salty beef in the sauce on top of the mushy tamale.

The El Jefe Surf and Turf ($13.95) featured a decent New York strip steak topped with chubby shrimp. Steak, chicken and pork dishes come with a choice of two side items: three kinds of beans, rice, chipotle mashed potatoes or vegetables. But we’re so used to ordering refried beans and rice, we did it - with satisfactory results.

A standout Santo Coyote signature is seafood. Diners can choose shrimp, salmon, red tilapia, mahi-mahi or scallops ($12.95) and choose from six sauces (such as chipotle and garlic butter). The Shrimp a La Diabla was a wealth of plump shellfish in a tomato and chile sauce that was more tart than hot. Again, we had a choice of three kinds of beans, rice and vegetables. While we did branch out with the black beans, the kitchen decided we needed rice instead of vegetables.

The restaurant offers a Pronto Lunch menu of lunch combinations ($6.75 served with soup or salad): fajitas ($7.99-$8.99), wraps ($8.95, served with two side choices of beans) and a la carte items ($4.50-$7.50). All are designed to be served in a timely fashion, although we never encountered much of a wait for our food on any visit.

A friend reported her Burrito El Marino ($7.95), a flour tortilla squeezing grilled shrimp, tilapia, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and topped with cheese dip and ranchero sauce, was well executed. It was served with sides of cheese-covered refried beans and rice.

I was not star-struck by Santo Coyote’s Famous Salad ($9), nothing more than a simple pile of mixed greens, strips of grilled chicken, four tomato slices and a barely-there powdering of cheese. Using the salsa and some leftover guacamole livened the dish.

The restaurant extends curbside pickup to those who want to phone in orders. Technically. But it didn’t work that way the night we tried it. When we called from the curbside spot (as the gentleman who took our order instructed us to do), no one answered the phone and none of the employees standing in the entranceway came out to check on us. So we had to go inside for curbside.

Santo Coyote has something we’re not sure we’ve ever seen in a Mexican restaurant - a dessert tray (bearing a quite tasty $3.50 slice of chocolate cake). But two employees jumped the gun during one visit, waving the cheesecake and sopapillas before us after we barely sampled our entrees.

Santo Coyote Address: 2513 McCain Blvd., North Little Rock Hours: 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Sunday Cuisine: Mexican Credit cards: AE, D, MC, V Alcoholic beverages: Full bar Reservations: Yes Wheelchair accessible: Yes Carryout: Yes (and curbside pickup) (501) 753-9800

Weekend, Pages 31 on 11/05/2009

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Comments on Santo Coyote goes beyond Mexican

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dkwymkc_cablelynx.com says...

I would like to be able to locate & print specific recipes from Food Section. I cannot always locate the recipe or the Food section, & the recipe is not in a printer friendly format. If I copy & paste i have to edit recipe into a user friendly format to print. Lots of work. Sites like allrecipes, cooks.com etc. have several print formats available & are much easier to use. Right now i am trying to locate the marinated cauliflower recipe in Wed food section. I can't find it. What am I doing wrong?

November 5, 2009 at 11:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

ksterling_windstream.net says...

dkwymkc, I, too, would love to see a recipe archive that had easily accessible information. In my specific situation, I had been collecting Food Section recipes for at least 5 years, going back to when there was a section devoted to nothing but recipes from local contributors. I was out-of-town when a well-intentioned house sitter decided to throw away all of those "old newspapers" she found in a basket in my kitchen. Now, I can't replace any of those great recipes, as there is no backup. I'm still grieving over the loss.

November 6, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

virginiadee_comcast.net says...

Same here....looking for the lamb recipe from this week.

November 6, 2009 at 4:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

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