Big Night Out #1

Kids, behold the newest feature here on The Cigar- Big Night Out! Lately, it's occurred to the Missus and myself that we're young, we're fun and we don't get out nearly as much as we should- so we added to our list of New Year's Resolutions and decided to get out there and see what Iowa City has to offer in terms of food, fun and nightlife that we haven't tried before...

El Banditos
327 E Market Street
Iowa City,IA 52245
http://elbanditosiowacity.com/

What We Ate:
Hibiscus Margarita
Scorpions
1 Barbacoa Taco
1 Shrimp Mango Taco
Bananas In Rum Sauce

Tom's Thoughts: This might just be the best Mexican food I have ever tasted. (I like Mexican food, but I find the problem with a lot of is that it maybe delicious, but it tends to come in insane portion sizes and sit on your stomach like a lead bowling ball) We'd been in here before some months back, but it had been too late to get any food other that chips, salsa and whatever alcoholic drinks we wanted at the time, so it was a pleasure to get back in here and actually get some food. I ordered a barbacoa taco and some Scorpions- a delicious concotion of spicy Chipotle cream cheese, jalapenos and a shrimp all in a wonton wrapper served on a bed of fresh guacamole. They had a nice kick as they went down and with the fresh guacamole as a condiment it made for a nice collision of flavors. But to me, the real star of the show was the barbacoa taco- I had ordered a lamb taco, hoping to see what that was like (El Banditos makes a point of trying to buy local to use in their food- and it was Pavelka's Lamb from out near Solon) but they were out of lamb- happily the barbacoa was a delicious alternative. Spicy, but not uncomfortably so, the entire thing tasted fresh and healthy and between the well seasoned meat the pico-style salsa I had with it, it was one delicious taco.

There was only one, tiny disappointment to mar the delicious experience and that was the Hibiscus margarita. i was intrigued by the concept and like a good margarita it was cold, wet and went down very nicely- but it was way, way too tart! Maybe that was just me, I don't know, but if I had a choice, I probably wouldn't order it again.

That aside, this is an excellent addition to the Northside Neighborhood's growing pantheon of good bars, coffee joints and restaurants and if you're a fan of Mexican food, you have to eat here- plain and simple. The food is fresh, the portion sizes and the prices aren't insane and between the fresh made chips and salsa and desserts like bananas in rum sauce (I wasn't allowed to sample the wife's Shrimp Mango Taco, but she grudgingly let me have maybe two, two and half bites of the bananas in rum sauce- and oh what bites!)- I gotta ask: what are you waiting for?


The Red Poppy
345 E College Street
Iowa City,IA 52245
http://www.redpoppyiowa.com/homepage.html

What We Smoked (and Drank):
Guava-Mango-Banana
Organic Tangerine Ginger Herbal Tea

Tom's Thoughts: Where has this place been all my life? Tucked away into the bottom level of that apartment complex on College Street just east of the Public Library, The Red Poppy is Iowa City's hookah bar. There's no booze to be had here, though you can bring your own wine- though they do charge you a nominal corking fee of $5- only plenty of tea, hookah smoke and a completely mellow atmosphere that's a great way to spend a couple of hours with friends if you're looking for a place to relax, talk and while away the evening.

I had never smoked a hookah before, so I was interested to try having heard about this place for years now but never actually finding the time nor the inclination (for whatever dumbass reason) to go. After some consultation, we decided to try a tropical trio of guava, mango and banana and our choice tasted delicious- the guava was definately predominant, but there were strong hints of banana as well. If there was mango hidden away in there, it was subtle and hard to taste, but overall the hookah experience was a pleasant one and the tea was a fine addition, even if we did let it seep too long and make it a little too strong.

Overall, the conversation was good, the hookah tasty, the tea delicious, the overall atmosphere was delightfully relaxing and the chill, mellow music they played only helped that out. If you don't want to venture into the crowded bars downtown and are looking for a nice chillaxing evening with friends, bring your wine, grab a hookah and relax for an evening- it's well worth the visit.