Coyote Blues

For one reason or the other this review will not see print so I am posting on the blog

Coyote Blues
3624 Ryan St
Lake Charles LA
337-502-5131
coyotebluesfreshmex.com

Monday thru Sunday 11 AM to 10:00 PM $3 to $35

Most of the work done to this building to transition it from Appleby’s was on the outside. The interior remains the same except for some cosmetic touches. When you sit down they bring out the chips and two salsas. They see different form most places. I think one is a ground tomato and the other I think is a creamy cilantro. I say I think because they hit the table stone cold which suppresses any taste they do have.

I went for the Mayan Tamale on the appetizer menu first time in. However I found this is no appetizer but a meal. It is 9 or 10 inches long and 2 to 3 inches high. This behemoth comes smothered in chili and cheese. A somewhat dry masa surrounds chunk of pork. It seems to be somewhat typical Mexican tamale. The taste was good. Next I had the Nuevo Crab. Crab stuffed crepes instead of tortillas. It possessed three sauces: a mango red pepper salsa, creamy roasted poblano, and creamy roasted red pepper ancho. It also comes with two sides and I opted for SW mashed potatoes and poblano cheese grits. Instead of just putting the crepes on the plate and covering each one with a different sauce and the sides on the side, they had to stack. It comes to no good. On the potatoes went both crepes and the salsa. The two sauces and grits surrounded it. So instead of getting a taste of each sauce with the crepes it all became a jumble of flavors with no direction. I hated the dessert but that was partially my fault. I did not read the description so I did not realize I was getting a deconstructed Tres Leches. It consisted of cubes of pound cake in milk with sugar, whipped cream and blueberries on top. If I had wanted cereal for dessert I would have waited until I got home.

Next time in I started with the Ceviche. Acapulco style with shrimp and very few scallops tossed with citrus juice and pico de gallo. The ceviche was fine, I enjoyed that. I would have liked it better if served like pictured on the website. Instead I got a handful of green plopped a soup bowl with the ceviche on top. I did not order a salad and had to scrounge through the greens to get bits and pieces of the ceviche. The Corn, Crab, & Poblano soup proved wonderful. The roasted corn flavor came through and the chile added just enough spice to make it interesting. The cactus shaped cornbread added just the right note of whimsy and flavor to the soup. I ended with Milagros. This is basically cheese and ground beef stuffed into a roasted poblano pepper. This one was fried with a crushed tortilla crust not the usual way. It was topped with a chile and cheese sauce. It came with refried beans and Mexican rice. I love stuffed poblano chiles in all their forms. This one was very good and I would order it again. The sides were OK.

Last venture was lunch. I ordered the South of the Border Burger with bacon. Half pound of Angus chuck mesquite grilled and topped with Monterey Jack, cheddar, chipotle mayonnaise, and avocado. It came out stacked mile high on a jalapeno cheese sweet dough bun with some really decent fries. The first half dozen bites were a flavor whirlwind melding all flavors together. Then the bun disintegrated and it became a K&F job (knife and fork), less enjoyable. I ended up with the Godiva White Chocolate Bread Pudding. It came out swimming in a pool of white chocolate and Kahlua. This was fortunate because the pudding was a bit on the dry side. The wonderful sauce was welcome. It possessed great flavors.

This establishment seems well into deconstructing dishes and putting them back their way. I applaud the concept but the execution seems a bit off to me. For this reason and others I do not care to discuss, I will in all likelihood not be returning here. For me the vibe is wrong here. I am sure many disagree with me.





Coyote Blues Lake Charles