Fiesta for four from The Cactus
Spicy Mexican delights, with enough left over for lunch the next day
Way back, when my husband and I were dating, he said something that only he found amusing. I looked deep into his eyes and gently told him that his newness had worn off. I am feeling the same way about social distancing right now and I suspect that I am not the only one.
In our home we are fortunate as we are safe and healthy, but everyone has faced some sort of loss. Summer job offers have evaporated, prom is cancelled, and any plans to celebrate milestones have vanished. To top it off, the warmish March has given way to a very peevish April with a sprinkle of snow thrown in for fun. It is a struggle some days to simply appreciate the small pleasures in life.
One tradition that my family has not tired of is the opportunity to order in dinner on Friday evenings. Normally, we gather around our phones and text back and forth regarding what we would like to eat, and come to a sort of consensus. This time round I wasn’t in the mood to consult anyone and announced we would be enjoying a Mexican feast from The Cactus in Waterloo. One child — for the purposes of this article I will refer to him as That Child — declined my offer.
I have been a fan of The Cactus since it first opened. I was delighted to have a sit-down Mexican restaurant in our region and have enjoyed eating in the cheerful dining room, and we have also ordered in a couple of times. I used Uber Eats to place this most recent order as we prefer the cash-free transaction, and that our food can be left by our door.
In my bossy frame of mind I took charge of picking the appetizers, and I am proud to announce they were a hit with everyone. The Guacamole ($11.99) was thick and creamy, and had a really satisfying blend of spices and garlic. There was an occasional punch of heat that came through as we worked our way through the container.
The second choice was the Frijoles Refritos con Queso ($10.79), a delicious refried bean dip. It was excellent with the melted mozzarella cheese and sour cream swirled throughout, and a salty garlic flavour. Because I was feeling generous, I allowed That Child to share in our starters. Our order included a large paper bag full of fresh unsalted tortilla chips, which were perfect for the dips, and contained more than we could all finish at one sitting.
I forced myself to stop eating the dips so I would still be able to enjoy my main dish, the Enchiladas Verdes Plate ($17.99) with chicken. It was a mildly spiced dish with tender, shredded chicken wrapped in a tortilla along with onions, sour cream and cheese, baked and topped with green tomato sauce. That sauce was the star of the show and I wish I had ordered an extra container. The sides of rice, beans, and more tortillas chips made for a very filling meal.
My husband had chosen the Tacos del Carne ($10.79 for three) prepared spicy. The spiced ground beef was served in soft tortillas and sprinkled with tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, sour cream and lettuce. The tacos came with a side of Mexican Sauce, which was a very tasty accompaniment.
The Burrito de Carne ($13.19) that my daughter ordered was filled to overflowing with mildly spiced beef, tomatoes, lettuce, mozzarella cheese, sour cream, onion, refried beans and rice. The mild version of the Mexican Sauce was drizzled over it all. The only drawback was that it didn’t want to stay wrapped up so she ended up using a knife and fork to eat it. My son enjoyed his three Tacos de Pescado ($5.10 each), as they disappeared very quickly.
We all ended up back in the kitchen the next day to share the leftover dips at lunch time. They really were delicious, and the chips stayed crispy and fresh overnight. Spending time with my whole family has been an unexpected blessing during these stressful days, and continuing traditions makes this time a little easier.
Dining In reviews focus on Waterloo Region’s delivery, pickup, and takeaway dishes and are based on unannounced orders from the establishments. Restaurants do not pay for any portion of the reviewer’s meal. Sandra Walneck can be reached at swalneck22@gmail.com and on Twiter @swalneck