A taste of the Southwest

Fairfax has added spice with this tasty Southwestern type grill

 

 

By Tomi Olabanji

April 25, 2008

 

Instead of making the weekly trip to Chipotle, upgrade your chicken burrito for a freshly prepared meal at Coyote Grille and Cantina.

 

Coyote Grille is a pleasantly small restaurant located in Old Towne Fairfax that serves a variety of Tex-Mex cuisine.

 

The stone-ground tortilla chips and freshly made salsa are a great way to start off the meal. Customers are given a basket of the chips and a side of the blended salsa. The salsa is very good, but could be a bit spicier to add more flavor. And because the salsa is homemade, the taste varies each visit, so you are sure to never get the same-tasting salsa.

 

The signature Coyote Burger is unlike any burger that you can find at a fast-food restaurant. It comes on a toasted bun, and the ground beef patty is cooked to your liking. Even though I ordered my burger well-done, it was still very juicy and complemented the many toppings.

 

The burger also came with a sliced tomato, a mound of lettuce, melted pepper jack cheese and, to add a southwestern Mexican twist, a chipotle dressing, plus side pile of crisp batter-coated fries. The burger was very good, but it has too much lettuce on it, and every time I took a bite the lettuce would fall out. But I think that the unique toppings make this burger stand out from other burgers that I have had in the past.

 

The chicken and steak fajitas are marinated in a tasty blend of spices. The fajitas come with a plate full of the standard toppings such as sautéed onions and sweet peppers, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo and sour cream. The only bad thing about the meal was that the three flour tortillas served on the plate were not enough for all the many toppings. And because of that at the end of the meal you are left with an excessive amount of meat and vegetables.

 

The chicken taco is also very memorable because of its simplicity. And the grilled grouper fish taco is a major step up from an ordinary fish taco because the toppings were just enough to not overpower the fish. The fish taco is dressed with a very good sauce, but the fish could have been cooked differently because it was interfering the taste of everything else served on the plate. The fish would have been very good by itself, but in this case it did not complement the rest of the dish.

 

Entrees range from $6-$17, and the taste and presentation are definitely worth the price. Appetizers and salads are also available. The portions are a large size and the food is very filling, so leftovers mostly depend on how hungry you are. There are also many desserts to choose from like the key lime pie and the hot fudge brownie sundae.

 

The service at Coyote Grille was very attentive, and they constantly asked if you needed a refill. The waiters were always two steps ahead of what you wanted. And that respectful experience is what makes Coyote Grille one of my new favorite restaurants. I would definitely return to Coyote Grille because they have great service and excellent food. Even though the restaurant is small compared to others, it is still worth visiting.