El Rincon Mexican Kitchen + Tequila Bar

On “the Corner” of Elm and 4th Street in downtown Carrolton, you’ll find El Rincon, a family-owned treasure serving delicious Mexican food. Brandon with Brandon Does Dallas invited me to a media dinner at El Rincon for a look at (and taste of) their popular menu items. Few things in life are better than great food, drinks, and conversations.

About El Rincon

Susan Na, along with her husband and brother, moved from New Orleans to Dallas with the idea to open a restaurant. When the space for El Rincon came available, they jumped on it and immediately renovated it to the cool, minimalistic, Mexican resort-style theme you see today. With the help of talented chefs and bartenders, they have made their dream a reality. El Rincon offers a variety of the best tequilas in their craft cocktails and a menu to drool over.

Most notable is their hospitality. From the moment you walk in the door until you leave, you truly feel that they hand-crafted everything just for you. Their goal “is for you to come in our front doors as a guest, then leave our tables as family.” They accomplished that goal for me, and I cannot wait to come back for a family reunion.

The drinks

El Rincon uses house-made fruit juices and infusions to give their drinks the freshest flavors. They offer unique flavor combinations.

The Margarita of the month rotates, but is always a good choice for people who don’t know what to order.

As a child, I loved cinnamon apple sauce.El Rincon’s Apple Habanero Margarita is an adult version of that favorite treat.It tastes completely different drinking it from the straw than it does from the cinnamon, salt and pepper rim.The habanero gives it a hint of spice that is leveled out with the apple.

Another great drink is the Pineapple Serrano Gimlet.They infuse Sauza blue with roasted pineapple and serrano peppers. Don’t let the serrano scare you, it’s not as spicy as it sounds.

If tequila isn’t your favorite, then order the Hola Mami! Not only will this drink transport you to the beach, but the hibiscus simple syrup is fantastic. Most places use ginger beer to give their drinks that ginger flavor, but this drink gets it’s ginger from a ginger puree.

The food

El Rincon gets food right.Their menu boasts a wide range of Mexican favorites.

The Nachos Locos are crazy huge and is a perfect appetizer to serve several people.Chipotle dressing sets these nachos apart from any others you have had, so it’s alright if you want to keep them to yourself.

My MeMe makes the best enchiladas in the world, but El Rincon makes a close second.The Rincon Enchiladas are stuffed with shredded chicken and covered in that delicious chipotle cream sauce.In order to even out the indulgence, they are served with asparagus and mushrooms and cilantro rice.

A house favorite is the Pollo en Champinones. The chef tops grilled chicken breast with mushroom cream sauce and serves it with cilantro rice and spinach.I loved how tender the chicken was.Don’t forget to sop up the chicken with all of the sauce, you don’t want it to go to waste.

I should know by now that restaurants serve more than chocolate.It is inevitable that I will order the chocolate dessert every time.However, the Rosita Flan at El Rincon should not be ignored.Imagine a cross between decadent strawberry cake and Mexican flan and that is this dessert. Do yourself a favor and save room.