señor tequila cantina - Epicurean Charlotte Food & Wine Magazine

owners maria jose and oscar gonzalez sea bass vera cruz
all the stronger flavors of the sauce. I kept coming back
for more, but alas, another entrée was attracting my
attention. Served in its own bowl made from a perfectly
baked-crisp tortilla was a mixture of chicken strips, poblano
peppers and mushrooms cooked in a smooth cream
cheese sauce. If ever there was comfort food, this was
it—the ultimate Spanish chicken pie!
I quickly realized that the final entrée on my tasting
journey through this special restaurant was designed for
two—even three—people. The new house specialty, Molcajete
Señor Tequila, is served in a kettle-type pot, which
offers up slices of steak, chicken, fried cheese, shrimp
and cactus leaves carefully dipped into a green sauce. A
whole green onion, with its lengthy shoots, garnishes
and flavors the pot. Bites into the juicy freshness of the
cactus leaves enhance the flavors of the meats. The
cheese is simply an indulgence that is worth the guilt.
While we ate, Oscar explained to me the various types
of mole: chocolate, red and green. His green sauce, however,
departs from the traditional tomatillo-based mole.
Instead, he uses spinach, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, bread
and chicken stock, and it is delicious.
Whether you refer to it as torta, pastille or cake, Tres
Leches Cake is among the best. A sumptuous sauce
made of three kinds of milk—condensed, evaporated
and heavy cream—is swirled around the cake. Other
desserts available are equally inviting.
Throughout the week, lunch favorites and combinations
are freshly prepared and served. Reservations for lunch
or dinner are available.
As the name suggests, that much sought after juice
from the blue agave is an important feature at Señor
Tequila’s Cantina Grill. There are three types of tequila:
distilled, white (which spends more time aging in the
barrel and has an oaky flavor) and reposado, or wine.
More than 20 brands of tequila appear on the beverage
menu along with numerous recipes of homemade sangria
and a host of red and white Spanish wines and beers.
Every three months, the restaurant hosts tequila tastings.
Children get special treatment at Señor Tequila’s as
well; children’s menus are listed inside of storybooks such
as Home on the Range and 101 Dalmations. Kid’s meals
are $1.50 on Sundays and include an ice cream cup.
Señor Tequila Cantina Grill will provide catering from
the whole menu for up to 150 people in homes and offices.
Oscar has been in the restaurant business—specifically
in Latino, Mexican and Spanish establishments—for
17 years. He has experience in all ‘sides of the house,’
having worked as a waiter, cook and bartender.
Oscar and Maria met in Brazil where both sets of parents
worked in the Brazilian embassy. They attended the
same college and married. Oscar studied agriculture; Maria
pursued communications. Both count the experience of
living in this beautiful city among the best in their lives,
and they learned a great deal about the food there. After
Brazil, and just before coming to Charlotte, the couple lived
TRIVIA
Tuesdays @ 8pm
Bring your team
1/2 OFF
WINGS
Wednesdays
Best on the Blvd
ACOUSTIC
Thursdays @ 8pm
Never a Cover
$ 4
White Russians
EVERY DAY
LebowskisGrill.com
704.370.1177
1524 East Blvd. Charlotte
on Margarita, a Venezuelan island in the Caribbean.
The marriage brought together a treasure of family
recipes from both sides. Maria’s mother, who is
from Spain, operated a restaurant in Honduras, which
contributed to the culinary repertoire they have built
upon through travel and classes taken in Mexico,
Miami and Houston.
Raul Bernudez and Sergio Lopez have joined Oscar
and Maria in the kitchen as assistant chefs for all of
the nine years the restaurant has been in business.
Weekends are already special with paella on the
menu, but on many weekends, new dishes are presented.
Customers are polled for their opinions, deciding
which ones become regular features. Consent to special
requests from good customers is always a possibility.
My visit there seemed a perfect way to spend a Sunday
afternoon. But if your schedule won’t allow for that, try
Monday through Thursday, or Friday or Saturday. Señor
Tequila will be waiting, and you are sure to be pleased.E
Zenda Douglas is a Charlotte based writer whose work appears in a variety of print and online
publications. She also provides public relations and marketing consultation to non-profits and
cause-related organizations. She may be reached by email at zeabest@aol.com.
señor tequila cantina grille
6414 rea road • charlotte
704.543.0706 • senortequilacantinagrill.com
N O W O P E N
Turning seafood lovers into
fishianados everyday.
c ean catch sh market
T R A N Q U I L C O U R T
2 8 2 O S E L W Y N AV E • 7 O 4 . 3 3 3 . 1 2 1 2
0 www.epicureancharlotte.com volume • issue 2 epicurean charlotte food & wine march • april 2011 1
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