Tampico 5713 Johnston Street Lafayette, LA 70503-5302 (337) 988-0102

Here is the result of a run to Lafayette for a Bargain Bee. Below is the chips and salsa. Chips were fine and hot but so was the salsa. Heat hot that is which is definitely not my favorite. Pretty much skipped on it.

What came next was up my alley. They were Sopes. Mini corn masa boats topped with picadillo served with two salsas. I am corn masa nut. These little platforms (thicker than a tortilla) unfortunately were just filled with taco meat not picadillo (meat with things like potatoes and raisins). They were still good. The red salsa was a creamy tomato one with some heat and the green one creamy tomatillo with considerably more heat. The meat was topped with lettuce, tomato, grated white cheese, and sour cream. A mini boracha

Next came stuffed avocado with crab salad. To be honest I was not expecting two avocado halves but this was so delicious I devoured both in a hurry. Perfectly ripe avocado stuffed with a fantastic salad of lump crab, minced vegetables (carrot celery peas) and capers held together by mayonnaise. Also surprising was the assortment of accompaniments. I suppose the tortilla chips and crackers were suppose to bases for the crab salad. It was too good for that. I also ignored the cheese. Now the grapes I found useful. The sweetness and juiciness help cut through the richness of the avocado and mayonnaise laden salad. My sister would make a meal of this

Main course was their Delmar Platter. It consist of Shrimp Ranchero (cooked in a ranchero sauce with onions and peppers) at the top, Shrimp Flore (stuffed shrimp wrapped in bacon, battered and fried smothered in queso), and shrimp and rice (grilled shrimp on top of spanish rice smothered in queso) along with some grilled vegetables and pico de gallo. The flore was spectacular with sweet shrimp, spicy jalapeno in the middle, crisp smoky bacon and the unctuous cheese sauce. The shrimp and rice were good also although the shrimp were a bit overcooked. They had good flavor and the cheese sauce made the dry spanish rice a treat to eat. The ranchero sauce was great also with good spice and lots of onion and peppers. It needed either rice or tortillas. Again although flavorful the shrimp were overcooked.

I ended up with Tres Leches. Moist mexican cake with three types of milk. Unfortunately only the bottom half of the cake was moist. The top half had drained out and was dry. It also had a strange taste like it had been sitting out for awhile. Would not recommend it.

I would however recommend the restaurant. Both the exterior and interior bring you to Mexico. The atmosphere and service were great. If you like good tex-mex and mexican food this is the place for you

Tampico