I’m still pretty new to this blogging stuff. When I was urged to start my occasional blog I asked my editors what I should write about. (For you grammarians out there, I know I ended that sentence in a preposition. Thanks for noticing.)

My editors told me I should write about things I know. Well I know this, I like to eat. So this week I’ll write about one of the River Bend’s restaurants. I’ll write later about some more favorite culinary establishments. Don’t think of this as a restaurant critique, it’s not. Just think of it as my restaurant ramblings.

And before you ask, I’m not getting anything for free here. The restaurants don’t know that I am going to write about them. So here we go……

One of my family’s favorite local restaurants is Casa Romero in East Alton. Located two doors down from The Airliner on Airline Drive, this Mexican restaurant offers something for almost any palate.

My personal favorite is Chili Colorado. Small chunks of beef simmered in a spicy (not hand me the extinguisher hot) sauce, this one is my most frequent order at Casa. It’s served with arroz (rice) and frijoles (refried beans) with a touch of pico de gallo and tortillas. You can eat this dish fajita-style (put the meat and fixin’s on a tortilla) or eat it with a fork and use the tortilla to mop up all that great sauce. (For an interesting twist, ask the waiter to bring it in verde (green) chili sauce. Still good, but I prefer the red sauce. My second choice: Enchiladas Suizza. For treat try Camerones Diabla – shrimp simmered in the red Colorado sauce.

My wife Barb’s favorite can be a toss up, but it will involve chicken. Pollo Palapa is a butter-flied chicken breast cooked on the familiar fajita skillet, smothered in a mild white cheese. Pollo Parilla is very similar, though subtract the cheese, add vegetables and Casa Romero sauce. Both are served with the above mentioned arroz, frijoles, tortillas with guacamole and sour cream added for good measure.

Son Trey is also a chicken eater, but at age 16, he prefers food that’s less of a challenge to eat. He likes chicken tenders, but these aren’t nuggets in a box. Casa serves them smothered in white cheese and pico sauce. And rather than the standard arroz and frijoles, Trey orders a substitute of French fries (surprise!) and dips the fries in the drippy cheese sauce.

Daughters Carrie and Sarah both like Arroz con Pollo (Chicken with rice), but Carrie has them hold the rice. So I guess Carrie orders Frijoles con Pollo. Son-in-law Kyle likes a variety and regularly adds a side of white cheese – sometimes melted – for an added touch.

If you know me, you know I’m a beer drinker. Casa Romero has a full bar if you’re into magaritas or daquiaries, shots of tequila or the like, but I’ll stick with cerveza fria (cold beer). Casa has all the standard domestic brands, but I prefer Mexican beer with Mexican food. Casa carries a wide variety of beers from south of the border: Dos XX, Modelo, Sol, Tecate, they’re all here. My favorite is somewhat less well known. I like Pacifico Clara, a crisp, light-on-the-tongue beer from the Mazatlan region of Mexico. Barb and I discovered Pacifico in Mexico about 10 years ago and it’s my favorite Mexican brew, and I’ve tried ‘em all. (For you A-B supporters, Grupo Modelo, brewers of Corona, Modelo and Pacifico, is half-owned by Anheuser Busch.) I prefer mine with a squeeze of lime.

Now the all important presentation of “la cuenta” (the bill): Barb and I can have dinner at Casa Romero with a couple of Pacificos included and get out for about $26 plus tip. That’s pretty good when $5.50 of the bill was my beer!)

The waiters at Casa are great. Leo, Stephen, Issac, “Berto”, Jake… any and all give great service. If you want something a little different or need a substitution, just ask. New to Mexican food? Tell ‘em what you like, they won’t steer you wrong.

So try Casa Romero, I wouldn’t steer you wrong either. Just tell them “Jamie” (hy-may”) sent you.

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