Cantina Laredo is a national chain, but don’t expect to see sombreros on the waiters or bull fighting posters on the wall. The hip new eatery, that opened in Clayton last fall, doesn’t serve your typical Tex-Mex grub either. Taco Bell, it ain’t. CL is known for its ocean-fresh fish and its sauces, salsas and chips made from scratch daily. The sleek restaurants serving “gourmet Mexican,” stretch from Boulder to Birmingham to Branson.
While I enjoyed my fish taco and chicken enchilada, the star of the show was the guacamole prepared at the table like a fine Caesar salad. When asked which ingredients to mix into the guacamole, my dinner companion picked “the whole enchilada”— the works, everything on the cart. The outcome was splendid, as you can see in the photo below.
Guacamole prepared table side
The desserts were also displayed tableside. With our resistance weakened by guacamole sauce, we succumbed to splitting the Tres Leche Cake, though the Apple Pie with Brandy Sauce and Cinnamon Ice Cream was a close runner up. (Note: When you split a dessert, the calories are removed; I thought you’d want to know that.) It was a huge slice of cake and terribly addictive. We were barely able to finish it. . . but somehow we managed.
Cantina Laredo’s Clayton location is in Centene Plaza, where they have a 174-seat interior space and a 60-seat patio with a retractable, soft roof, overhead heating, and an outdoor fire pit. The perfect place to enjoy their signature Margarita on these first warm days of spring.
Cantina Laredo, 7710 Forsyth Blvd. Open: 11a-10p.
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