Let the enciladas roll: Cantina reopens in Sackets

Sackets Harbor — The Mexican restaurant on Main Street in Sackets is open once again.

Sackets Cantina began serving up fajitas, quesadillas, tacos and enchiladas in June after a two-year siesta. The menu leans toward Tex-Mex with a smattering of smoked stuff, and offers some upscale entrees they call “platos principales.”

I was the first member of the Watertown Daily Times Reviewing Team to arrive. Since you enter the restaurant through the bar area, I grabbed a stool to wait for my party.

Finding a seat at the bar wasn’t a problem. I was the only customer there. I did have a problem getting the bartender’s attention. She was busy chatting with several employees and providing shots for a member of the kitchen crew. One of the idle waitresses informed our bartender that she had a customer.

The rest of the reviewers arrived and also required beverages. Our bartender had her back to us, and I hated to interrupt her while she was texting, so I politely said, “Hi, we’ve got a few other thirsty customers here. …” She finished up her message and promptly took care of us.

Things got better as we entered the large dining room. Maria, a veteran of the restaurant business who understands the importance of congeniality and hospitality, greeted us and seated us, and was also our waitress.

It’s an interesting menu, probably not what the enthusiast of real Mexican food is after, but seemingly perfect for the tourist crowd that frequents the streets (actually it’s just one street) of Sackets in the summertime.

Most Mexican restaurants start you out with a complimentary serving of chips and salsa. Maria told us that’s not the policy here, but it is available under the “bocaditos” (little mouthfuls) portion of the menu for $10 and includes homemade guacamole.

Other bocaditos offered include smoked Texican wings, stuffed poblanos, empañada fritters and nachos carnitas. We blew off the bocaditos in favor of more traditional Mexican fare.

Tacos come in threes for $9. You choose soft or hard. You can mix and match. We chose hard tacos: pollo (chicken), pastor (pork) and veggie (vegetable — but you knew that).

The chicken was marinated in cilantro intermingled with citrus salsa. The pork was made with grilled boneless ribs and grilled corn salsa. The veggie was most interesting, with grilled zucchini, queso fresco (fresh cheese), smoked veggie slaw and whole cloves.

Both meats seemed rather dry. We couldn’t detect much of a smoky flavor in the veggie slaw. Be careful not to bite into one of those cloves.

Enchiladas also come in threes ($12) but you can’t mix and match. However, since they weren’t too busy, Maria checked with the kitchen and they were willing to accommodate us.

Enchiladas are stuffed and sauced flour (soft) tortillas. Conveniently, there were three choices: ropa vieja (braised beef), carnitas (pulled pork) and pescado (fish).

The kitchen sent out an eye-catching platter, the enchiladas surrounded by yellow rice and bacon-studded black beans. They were covered with two sauces: a white, mild cheesy sauce and a brown mole-type sauce with a slight kick. The menu said there was a green sauce, but none showed up on the plate.

The pescado was our favorite, billed as sautéed whitefish gumbo. The white sauce paired perfectly with the fish.

“Platos principales,” entrées priced from $15 to $21, offer more extensive and imaginative dining.

Red snapper vera cruz ($19) heads the list, a beautifully presented although slightly overcooked filet of fish, placed over a bed of tender Swiss chard, topped with a tasty tomatillo/grilled corn succotash.

The mesquite-rubbed flatiron steak ($16) was also slightly overcooked. We ordered medium; there wasn’t a trace of pink. But this well-marbled cut of meat fared OK at the higher temp, further enhanced with a yummy, buttery Sangria sauce and a generous portion of fresh, sliced mushrooms on top.

Although it was not a Mexican dish, we did enjoy the shrimp and mussel paella ($19), nicely cooked shellfish nestled in yellow rice along with chorizo (a smoky, spicy pork sausage) and peas and a touch of seafood broth.

Smoked half chicken ($15), served on the bone, benefited from what appeared to be a dry rub of garlic and spices, and not overly smoked. A very nice fresh romaine salad dressed up the plate, complete with sliced red onions, peeled and seeded cucumbers, tomatoes and an oregano vinaigrette.

Although the menu indicated that it came with refried beans, it arrived with the same black bean and bacon side that we had received on other plates.

There were four desserts offered. Luckily, we got one of each, because each was a home run, made on site, presented well and reasonably priced. A highlight of the evening.

Deep-fried ice cream ($4) consisted of a large ball of vanilla ice cream with a thick oatmeal/brown sugar coating. A bowl of chocolate sauce with a zippy kick was served on the side.

Kahlua flan ($4) had just a hint of Kahlua, but was covered with a rich, buttery caramel sauce with homemade granola sprinkled over the top.

Fried rice pudding ($4) was amazing, meatball-sized rounds of rice pudding and banana deep-fried till crispy, served with a refreshing piña colada sauce.

Even more amazing was the fried cheesecake ($5). The rich, creamy, cheese-y filling was warm inside a crispy flour tortilla and set in a puddle of smooth raspberry sauce.

Yeah, this one was out of the park.

Dinner for four excluding cocktails came to $115 before tip. Maria provided attentive, helpful and friendly service.

There’s a courtyard behind the restaurant for outdoor dining. The dining room is tastefully decorated in Southwest style, and separated by a wall from the bar. There was pop ’70s and ’80s music playing over the sound system.

Does “YMCA” go with Mexican cuisine?

The food at Sackets Cantina is far from being fiery hot, but is certainly flavorsome and very attractively presented. Desserts were exceptional.

And I’m going to find out the bartender’s cell phone number so I can text her my drink order the next time I’m in.

TIDBITS

We recently dined at two of my favorite restaurants, Violi’s in Massena and bc in Syracuse.

After 62 years, Violi’s continues to be the destination for fine Italian dining in St. Lawrence County. You can always count on interesting conversation with one of the Violi brothers, Ross or Dom, tending bar.

My all-time favorite is saltimbocca a la Violi, prime veal scallopini with prosciutto and mozzarella in a smooth Marsala wine sauce. Another great choice is Aragosta fettuccini with lobster in a lemon/vodka cream sauce. And you can’t beat their meat — tournedos speciali is always special, tender filet mignon with fresh mushrooms in a dark, beefy wine sauce.

Syracuse’s bc is a relative newcomer to the downtown restaurant scene.

We had an amazing lunch — eggplant bisque, a salad with lobster, shrimp and goat cheese with a spicy lemon dressing, and a tuna tartare pizza with dicon sprouts, wasabi aioli, sweet soy, lime and cilantro.

Professional service and an extensive wine list make this restaurant a special stop for lunch or dinner.

Check out the complete menu on their Web site: www.bcrestaurant.com.

You can contact Walter E. Siebel via e-mail: wsiebel@wdt.net.

Sackets Cantina

210 W. Main St.

Sackets Harbor, NY

646-7118

The Mexican restaurant in Sackets Harbor is open again under new management with a new Tex-Mex menu, serving lunch and dinner seven days a week, breakfast Wednesday through Sunday.

Try the tacos, a mix-and-match deal. We particularly enjoyed the veggie taco.

Enchiladas are good, too, especially the “pescado” fish enchilada.

“Platos principales” are their upscale entrées. Go for the red snapper vera cruz or the flatiron steak with mushroom sangria sauce or the shrimp and mussel paella.

RATING: 3 and one-half forks