El Tiempo Cantina

El Tiempo Cantina Restaurant Review:

The powerful margarita that made Ninfa's famous is served at the Laurenzo brothers' hotspot --- and its popularity has never wavered. A vaguely mission décor, accented with giant sepia-toned prints of Mexican aristocracy, has a lot to do with the comfort level of the dining room. But regardless of the proud prices and the loud crowds, El Tiempo attracts the hordes with its generous, tasty dishes. Tex-Mex standards such as mesquite-grilled fajitas are prepared with proper respect, and for kicks, you can have lobster tails on a sizzling platter instead of beef or chicken. Seafood also shows up in rich crab meat enchiladas, and jumbo shrimp-stuffed jalapeños. In addition to tortilla soup, we like to start with the poblano-and-baked-potato soup, or one of the salads with homemade dressings like buttermilk-garlic. Ribs, sweetbreads, beef, chicken and quail dishes all come to the table piping hot, kept so with coal-burning warmers that add to the festive atmosphere. On weekend mornings, Montrose residents meet up for plates of scrambled eggs and salsa with grilled quail, or pecan pancakes and ham.