El Charro

The owners of El Charro did a nice job converting this former Burger King into an attractive Mexican restaurant. The outside is pretty much unchanged except for a new sign, but once inside, you’ll enjoy the new look. By adding some wooden booths finished with a dark stain, tables with brightly colored ladder-back chairs, and some archways, El Charro has the look and feel of el restaurante pequeo (the small restaurant). More Mexican trinkets and fewer beer signs would complete the atmosphere. We enjoyed the Mexican music playing in the background once the TV sound was turned down. It was a pleasure to find a Mexican restaurant that added specials from the grill to the usual fare of enchiladas, burritos, tacos and chalupas. A few of the unusual dishes we could have chosen were the parillada Mexicana (Mexican barbecue) for two, the sizzling fajitas or camaron al mojo de ajo (sauteed garlic shrimp.) Instead we opted for the enchiladas supreme and pollo pablano. The enchiladas supreme consisted of three enchiladas one beef, one chicken and one cheese topped with lettuce, tomato and sour cream. Each enchilada was a nice size and generously stuffed. They were served with the requisite sides of refried beans and rice. Pollo pablano is chicken (pollo) and a chile pepper called pablano. Large pieces of boneless chicken breast were grilled, then covered with an excellent sauce. Large chunks of sauteed onions, mushrooms and bell peppers were added and it was all topped with melted monterey jack cheese. The whole dish was bursting with flavor each complementary to the other. Both were delicious meals and excellent values. The service at El Charro was excellent, the servers were attentive to our needs, refilling our drink glasses without asking, but not hovering over our every bite. Their only mistake was bringing the bill before asking if we would like dessert. But since flan or sopapilla or fried ice cream is full of calories, their loss is probably my loss, too. There are a few good places for Mexican food in Bowling Green, and El Charro should take its place on this very short list. The reviewer is employed at the Daily News. He/she pays for his/her meals and his/her gym fees to maintain his/her figure. New restaurants are given an eight-week grace period before being reviewed. To comment, contact managing editor Mike Alexieff at 783-3235.