August 15, 2012
This week, we're visiting Collegetown for some tasty Mexican food at Loco Margarita Bar & Grill. There's nothing fancy here, just nachos and burritos and wings and the like, with a full bar open late every night.
We start with the freshly made tortilla chips and salsa, free on request if you're dining in the restaurant with its several tables and comfortable bar. Chips and a small serving of guacamole is just $4, and of course we couldn't help but try the spinach artichoke dip on the appetizer list. Is this just an excuse to eat large quantities of gooey melted cheese and call it a vegetable? You bet.
Burritos range from $7-11, with fillings from beans and rice to shredded chicken to steak, and they come with a choice of salsa, sour cream, or guacamole. The quesadillas are big enough to share, and there's that gooey melted cheese again.
Loco always has wings, but Monday night's when you want to get them -- they're 25 cents each. (They're reasonably priced the rest of the time, too, but 25 cents is a steal.) Mix and match sauces in batches of ten. Mild, medium, or hot, of course, plus BBQ, garlic, and boulevard -- creamy hot sauce. Give it a try.
We like the margaritas, too, $5 or $8 for a double, discounted for happy hour from 4-7. There are a few beers on tap as well as in bottles, and there are drink specials a few nights a week. The most creative is the Sunday night "PBJ" deal, $4 for a can of PBR and a shot of Jameson, and Monday's wing special comes with an $8 Bud Light pitcher special.
Loco Margarita Grill is at 308 Stewart Avenue, next to the Chapter House in the lower Collegetown space that ABC Cafe used to call "halfway uptown and halfway downtown." The beautiful pressed-tin ceiling remains, and we love the new bar with an acrylic-coated top reminiscent of a tropical fish tank.
Plan on spending $5-15 on a meal. Call Loco at 607-216-6288 for take-out or delivery, and tell them you heard about them here.
