The Spotted Donkey Cantina

The Spotted Donkey Cantina Restaurant Review:

The gimmick is a cute “spotted donkey” theme, with lots of funky artwork featuring the furry beasts. But the menu is serious stuff, offering creative and well-crafted specialties like spicy Oaxacan bean soup with pork hocks; a delightful meatloaf fashioned of veal, pork, beef and green chilies; and juicy beer-braised beef tacos with borracho beans. Some ingredients are local, like the Cedar River Farms beef and La Canasta tortillas, and everything is house-made. Yes, Spotted Donkey is a fine place to grab an ice-cold margarita and a plate of nachos. But these are designer margs with fresh fruit, thank you, and gourmet nachos piled with drunken black beans, pulled pork, Serrano chilies, roasted tomato and tomatillo salsa, cheddar, manchego and Monterey Jack cheeses, and Mexican crema. Views of the surrounding desert are as attractive as the fashionably garbed clientele.