Subsequent discussions had us heading downtown the following day with a bottle of the Rockford ‘08 White Frontignac with a view to a spot of spicy tucker for the noonday meal.
The place lacks a liquor licence at the moment (that’ll change, but these things take time). I’d hope Col and Nikki end up adopting a BYO Wine Only policy when it arrives, with a corkage charge that’s commensurate with the mark-up on what ends up on their own wine list.
It’s a fairly old building and the premises have had a number of incarnations over the years. Prior to my arrival in Bowen the building had apparently been a Chinese restaurant, which then became a steakhouse. Over the past twenty-something years has variously been Patrick & Sylvie’s (French), Good Times and Fullagan’s Irish Bar before this most recent rebirth as Coyotes. The cantina-style renovation fits the overall structure in a way that an attempt to convert the interior into something sleek and glossy wouldn’t.
Once we were seated, a glance at the menu revealed the usual offerings you find on most Bowen menus redrawn with Tex-Mex flavour elements, as well as the fare you’d expect in to find in a place calling itself Coyotes.
Since it was our first visit and lunch time, we didn’t go overboard in the ordering department, opting for a platter of Coyote Bread as a starter, and a Tex-Mex Burrito (‘Er Indoors) and the Chilli Beef (Hughesy). Madam isn’t chilli-tolerant, and while I’m a bit more adventurous, but I opted for the ‘medium’ option on the Chilli Beef, figuring that if extra heat was required, there was a Tabasco Sauce bottle close at hand. Next time I’ll be looking for Hot, but maybe that’s just me. (Side note: Many years ago before I acquired my current level of culinary sophistication I was wont to prepare Chilli Con Carne without realising that ‘tsp’ of chilli powder referred to teaspoons rather than tablespoons).
The Coyote Bread was a more than adequate starter. Under normal circumstances, given four pieces I’d end up with three, but Madam decided she liked the cheese so much that we ended up half-and-half. The salsa underneath the cheese was spicy enough to provide interest without doing anything incendiary to the taste buds. Tasty.
Madam reported that the Tex-Mex Burrito was quite tasty as well, an opinion I was able to confirm when I polished off the leftovers. Her decision to go the extra piece of Coyote Bread meant that there was plenty of burrito and the accompanying guacamole, salsa and cream to get a decent taste.
The Chilli Beef, served on a bed of rice surrounded by corn chips and topped with salsa and cream was also very nice - a bit lacking in the fire department, but that’s what I’d asked for and the Tabasco bottle was handy - with a nice balance of tastes between the beef and the accompaniments. Good stuff.
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