You’ll Be Crazy about Dos Locos
Joe Zuber and Darryl Ciarlante are two wild and crazy guys looking for
American chicks with big breasts. But those large breasted chickens are
turned into lip smacking versions of great Mexican food at Dos Locos. When
they took over Dos Locos a few years ago, Darryl and Joe had the goal to
try to combine seafood and Mexican cooking on their menu, and the results
are a combination of tasty successes.
You’d expect any restaurant with a Mexican theme to be bright and
festive, and Dos Locos lives up to that theme with its decorations of
fanciful piñatas, vibrant blue and yellow walls, and wonderfully festive
hand painted tables. Susan and I were barely seated when our server, Linda
(whose eyes are an amazing amber green!) put down a basket of nachos with
home- made salsa. A good start, and we had to remember not to gorge
ourselves on these so we’d have room for what was to follow.
This is a place where you could be totally intemperate—the list of
drinks is mind boggling. You can choose from over twenty seven martinis,
twenty four brands of beers, muchas margaritas, and a wide array of wines.
Think apple martinis are so last winter? Then how about a Purple Armadillo
(Hanger One Citron, Rose’s Blue Razberry & cranberry), or maybe a
Peggy Lee (Absolute Vodka, Orange, banana liqueur and cranberry). If you
really want to get to a happy place fast, order the Big Girl Margarita, a
42 ounce concoction that just might put you under the table, or on top of
it, depending on your mood!
There’s a lengthy list of starters, or Loco Munchies, and choosing
from them isn’t easy. The Seven Layer Dip looked interesting, but I had
already put away a fair share of chips. Then my eyes fell on just the
right thing—a Mexicali Corn Dog, served with a small side dish of
homemade honey mustard. Corn breaded and yummy, it tops anything you’re
likely to get on the boardwalk. Susan ordered the Black Bean Skins, which
were four potato skins filled with black bean chili and topped with melted
cheese with sour cream on the side. It’s a delightful version of an old
favorite, the black bean chili really raises the bar for potato skins.
Dos Locos fajitas were voted 2005 Best of Delaware in Delaware Today.
Susan focused on the eleven fajitas listed and finally decided that the
Shrimp Fajita would do the job. And did they ever. Three flour tortillas
stuffed to overflowing with onions, peppers and plump shrimp. They come
with a huge side plate of rice, beans, tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour
cream and guacamole. I thought, "there’s no way she’ll finish all
of that"—wrong! And when I sampled it, I understood why she scooped
it up.
Huge Burritos and Big Chimichangas are a large section of the menu, I
picked the Ground Beef version, which is served spiced to order. Some like
it hot and I’m one of them. The size of this burrito was intimidating,
huge they said and huge they meant. It was a large flour tortilla crammed
with beef and slathered with a tasty red sauce, topped with cheese,
guacamole, and sour cream. The accompanying Mexican rice and refried beans
were really good. As flavorful and delicious as everything was, I just
couldn’t finish it all. You really need to bring a huge appetite with
you to Dos Locos. The portions are generous to a fault.
That said, you might wonder how either one of us could possibly have
room for dessert. Hmmm. I think I mentioned earlier on that this is a
place where you could easily be intemperate. Well, bring on the dessert
list. There’s a low carb cheesecake listed. Sounded good, but the Nuevo
Sliced Plantains sounded ever better. They arrived warm, browned, sugar
dusted with a dish of honey to dip them in. Susan selected the Sopapillas.
These were the perfect ending to the meal. Golden triangles of fried crisp
pastry smothered with sugar and cinnamon and served with a smooth vanilla
sauce. Ay yi, yi.
As well as the great tasting Mexican food, the extensive menu offers
dishes with American Flare, as well as salads. There’s also a Sunday and
Thursday Mexican Lobster Menu with fourteen tempting dishes made with,
what else?, lobster. Lobster burrito anyone?
You don’t have to go south of the border for authentic Mexican food—Dos
Locos is right here a few steps from the ocean. The food is delicioso, and
the price is right. Vamos!
Dos Locos, 10 Wilmington Ave., is open daily for dinner from 5 p.m.
and for lunch on Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m.