Guacamole Casero
Nashville has no shortage of Tex-Mex eateries, so I have to admit that I wasn't excited to learn that the old Sylvan Park Restaurant site on Franklin Pike in Melrose was becoming Cilantro Mexican Grill. But on a recent weekend night, I was feeling the craving for "Mexican" food (as in, not authentic Mexican food, necessarily), so we gave it a try.
I was pleasantly surprised. Cilantro includes all the menu items you see on standard Tex-Mex chains around town, but adds a number of items with a more authentic Mexican flair. In addition to the fajitas, quesadillas, nachos and burritos, there are "street tacos" and a large selection of other tacos served in double-layered corn tortillas, elotes (Mexican corn on the cob), carnitas and ceviche.
In fact, the "seafood" portion of the menu really sets Cilantro apart from the order-by-number restaurants. My husband is a seafood lover and really struggled to decide what to order. He finally settled on some fish tacos (grilled, not fried) as well as the Santa Ana Tacos, which were filled with pork carnitas, onions, and fresh avocado slices. He enjoyed them all, particularly the sauce that accompanied the pork tacos.
I wasn't feeling overly adventurous, so I stuck with a familiar vegetarian combo of a cheese enchilada, chalupa and refried beans. The quality was better than some places, helped by the fact that the guacamole is made fresh every day and is not the neon green, previously frozen guac served in some restaurants. The real star of the meal for me, though, was the Guacamole Casero. A casero is like a casserole, but this dish is like the chunky guacamole I make at home. It's made to order, so you can even request to have the jalapenos left out (as I did). I really liked having this alternative to the usual guacamole. It was delicious.
We also got a kid's meal (a quesadilla, of course) for my daughter, and the whole meal — including tax — was less than $35. We didn't order from the bar (obviously), but that will be on the agenda for my next visit. The bar serves a number of creative flavored margaritas and has an impressive selection of tequilas.
2330 Franklin Pike
11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday
