First Look: El Borracho Mexican Cantina, St. Louis, 12/13/08

A first look at El Borracho Mexican Cantina, which occupies for the former space of Nectar Lounge on Locust Street. This is not a review.

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By Egan O'Keefe

El Borracho Mexican Cantina, tucked next to co-owners' other pet project The Pepper Lounge, is the newest and hottest (but only if you taste the salsa) establishment on Locust Street.

By Egan O'Keefe

Erica Kaldenberg bravely ordered the Avocado Mango Margarita on Josh's recommendation and was pleased with the right combination of sweet and sour. In her words, it had a "little zing."

By Egan O'Keefe

Directly inside El Borracho, there is a curvaceous seating area almost entirely illuminated from the outside streetlight and glass bricks.

By Egan O'Keefe

The chef, John Griffiths, tells an interesting story about preparing the entirely organic Mexican menu that he hopes bridges the gap between Americanized Mexican foods and the authentic Mexican fare. Having worked in fine dining most of his career, his Hispanic co-workers made authentic Mexican food for their personal meals in the kitchen. With this introduction, Griffiths says he has adopted the same passion to the menu at El Borracho.

By Egan O'Keefe

The mural along the left wall from the entrance was specifically commissioned by El Borracho for graffiti artists.

By Egan O'Keefe

The bar has a central location that creates a bottleneck feel as your circle it. The crowds get tighter and the intimacy increases. Surprisingly, no one seemed to mind Saturday.

By Egan O'Keefe

Nick makes a similar strawberry margarita with a morsel of strawberry gently tucked on the side.

By Egan O'Keefe

Cousins Brandi and Lynn Aldridge found out about the event through Facebook and took advantage with the signature drink and sampling the food too. However, they both shied away from sampling the beef tongue.