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Ate: July 7, 2006 Published: July 9, 2006 $$ It's been a couple of months since we've reviewed a Mexican restaurant, so we set out to find such a place for our dinner this evening. Heading south, we were hopefully optimistic that tonight would be a better experience than our last Mexican outing. We made our way south to Surfside Beach and turned into El Patio. When you walk in, the restaurant is surprisingly large, more so than it looks from the outside. This evening, it was also somewhat busy - about half the booths were filled. They were apparently a bit understaffed as well, based on the time it took for them to take our drink orders and bring chips and salsa. The wait staff was earnest and polite; there just weren't enough of them this evening. From where we sat, they never stopped hustling the whole time we were there. Speaking of chips and salsa, the ones we got at El Patio were pretty darn good. Their chips are thick, crisp, hearty and perfect for scooping up lots of salsa. Those of you who don't particularly like overly spicy food should be warned, however. El Patio's standard salsa that they brought us was some of the hottest we've ever gotten without having to specifically ask for the hot stuff. It's not "bring tears to your eyes" hot, but it is memorable and hotter than your usual salsa. The whole reason we do these restaurant reviews is to try new restaurants and new dishes. This week, my wife did this by trying their Enchiladas Verdes. Instead of the usual beef or chicken, her enchiladas were filled with roasted pork. We were both a little surprised though. As spicy as El Patio's salsa was, my bride's dinner was decidedly un-spicy. The chunks of roast pork had very little seasoning and the green sauce was not very hot. We both agreed that her dinner was good and well prepared, but it just wasn't what we had expected it to be. For my own foray into something new, I forsook the Pollo Borracho (drunken chicken) and chose a dish whose name I'd never heard before. The description sounded interesting, so I ordered their Shrimp Chilaquiles. It started with small corn tortillas stir-fried in a red sauce. This was then topped with grilled shrimp, more red sauce and melted cheese. I'm sorry for my wife that her dinner wasn't quite up to speed, because mine was really good. It had plenty of spice and seasoning, and the presentation was like none I'd ever seen. My only (very minor) complaint was that the tortillas that made up the base of my meal did not stand up to re-heating for the next day's lunch. After our meal, we took the opportunity to spend a little time sitting back relaxing, chatting and enjoying the atmosphere of El Patio. Despite the hectic pace, the short-staffed wait staff was as friendly and prompt as could be expected. The price was very reasonable, even more so when you consider that we are now in the height of the tourist season and many places have raised their prices for that very reason. There are plenty of large, high profile Mexican restaurants in Myrtle Beach, but if you'd rather get some truly local flavor and go to a small, family-run restaurant, El Patio is a good choice. |
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