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The Arcadia News features restaurant reviews each month.
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Los Sombreros
2534 N Scottsdale Rd ~ 480-994-1799

In the summer of 1989 I was packing up my things and moving back to Phoenix from my three years of college life in Chicago. As I was leaving my digs on Clark Street, Rick Bayless was opening his Fontera Grill just a few doors down. Had I known at the time how famous Rick’s mesquite grilled menu was going to become, I would have spent my life savings on one of his seven dollar tacos so that I could brag about eating there before it was the “in thing.” Wait, I take that back. I would have bought Microsoft stock. Lots of it. It was cheaper than anyone’s tacos back then. I know they were groundbreaking tacos but let’s be real. Yes indeed, Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft. Down the road, I could always lie that I ate Rick’s tacos anyway and then tool away in my Benz. Who would know?

Los Sombreros restaurant has been around for some time and recently moved its ovens to an old redbrick home on Scottsdale Rd. The Chef and co-owner Jeffrey Smedstad comes from a similar school of thought as Bayless and his skill with sauces and the nuances and varieties of chilies has made Sombreros a great place for Central / Southern Mexican Cuisine.

After a round of margaritas on the rocks, we started in on some fresh chips with guacamole which was a simple blend of cubed avocado, cilantro and a bit of lime. The salsas were excellent, one green and one a fire roasted red. Perhaps as a novelty and certainly entertaining, our basket of chips was crowned by 3 or 4 Funions. Remember Funions?

My associate was suffering from chronic neck pain and had slipped into a euphoric mode of what we had diagnosed as Post Ibuprofen Depression. Mercifully, we allowed him the pick of the litter, the critically acclaimed Lamb Adobo ($14.50). The Adobo sauce is a spicy, fruity sauce created from Ancho chilies, orange juice, roasted garlic, Mexican cinnamon and bay leaf. Sombreros sauces are masterfully crafted and worked so powerfully against the depression you’d think the margaritas were salted with Effexor.

I knew I had gone overboard with the chips so I went for the lighter entrée. The Pepita Crusted Snapper ($12.95) turned out to be a good pick. The roasted pumpkin seed crust gave the snapper a nutty crunchy coating and the roasted tomato salsa added the right acidity back to the dish.

My wife, a skeptic of Mexican food ever since I proposed to her at Ralibertos, decided on fish tacos ($6.95). She likes to make entrées out of the appetizer menu and this was a good choice for doing so. The tacos were filled with a well seasoned mix of fish and shrimp, tossed up with some cool green cabbage and topped off with avocado and crema.

If you have ever regretted over-eating Mexican food, remember it’s all your fault. The chips and salsa are very filling. For everyone counting calories as well as quarters, I recommend the following dinner for two: 6 margarita rocks, Cadillac style with a grand Marnier float, chips and salsa with guacamole, fish tacos and a shrimp cocktail (shared). I have a new theory about splitting dishes up. It’s more fun to battle over the same plate than have it come out separately and scant looking. Anyway, these picks should leave you room for Mexican coffees and flan. Buen Provecho!