Cantina Plates at El Torito Grill Irvine

 

Cantina Plates at El Torito Grill

Just down the street from John Wayne Airport is one of Orange County’s most popular Mexican restaurants, El Torito Grill. The location is attached to a huge parking structure making it easy and convenient for parking. Plus, they offer valet parking as an option too.

On a recent visit there with my family, we tasted several of their Cantina plates for their First Friday Catina Party. From the minute we walked in I knew we were going to have a good experience. There was awesome music playing and the place was buzzing with happy people.

Cocktails

I started off with a pica de Sandia. This beverage is crisp, chill and refreshing and if you like watermelon this will remind you of being on a tropical island.

El Torito Grill also has a nice selection of red, white and sparkling wines as well as beer.

Appetizers and Tapas

My husband tasted the Mango Margarita, also a good choice for a light drink. It was fruity but had a nice kick with the tequila.

Next up came the Charcuterie platter. Did you know that El Torito has a Charcuterie platter? Neither did I but it was amazing! there were things on it you do not find a typical charcuterie boards like aged chorizo, crunchy pepitas, crispy wheat cracker, provolone cheese and manchego cheese. The were so many flavor points happening on this board and it wasn’t outrageously priced either. Around $15 for all of that.

Then came the filet mignon asada tacos. Woah, these were definitely my favorite of the night. The meat was so flavorful and the tacos were topped with chipotle slaw, pickled red onions,  and jalapeño, cotija giving it a cool yet crispy texture.

If you like seafood, try the tres ceviche. Fresh  Salmon, shrimp, and mahi-mahi are served in a trio along side one another and you can use their mouth watering tortilla chips to scoop it up.

Dessert