Iguana Grill

Since she’s a DJ, it’s a rare treat to be eating out with my honey on a Friday night, and what made last Friday even better was that we were dining at the Iguana Grill in downtown Rehoboth. I love dining at any restaurant downtown, especially after Labor Day. As the glorious madness of summer fades, the shoulder season feels like the whole town is exhaling and settling back in its puffy chair to relax.

It was a blustery fall evening last Friday when Sharon and I ventured from our own puffy chairs, said a silent prayer to the parking goddess and drove the short distance to downtown. As we pulled up in front of the Iguana Grill, a Greyhound Rescue vehicle pulled away from a spot directly in front. See, prayer works sometimes.

Lauren and Lisa from the Pelican Loft were among the lively patrons at the bar, and a large party took up the big table in the back. We were warmly greeted and picked out a table. The bright colors and homey atmosphere of the cottage-style building were made more welcoming by some great toe-tappy disco playing on the house system.

Although it is small inside (in the past I’ve usually eaten outside on their amazing porch), the atmosphere did not feel cramped, and the music was just loud enough so that we couldn’t hear the conversation at the next table.

After much deliberation over the menu, we decided to start with margaritas. When, in doubt…drink. I learned that from Fay Jacobs, who used to write these restaurant reviews before she took up golf and got Tivo. I ordered the special margarita of the day which was the Gold, made with Cuervo Gold. Sharon perused the tequila menu and ordered the Cadillac.

Yes, they have a tequila menu, but I’ll get to that in a minute. The Gold margarita has a light limey bounce on the tongue, and I swear it brought summer back to life for a few refreshing minutes. The Cadillac, on the other hand, had a heavier flavor, was not quite as sweet, and packed a real punch. Drew, the manager/bartender described the Cadillac by saying, "It’ll get you where you want to go."

Yes, I know I’m halfway through this review, and haven’t gotten to the food yet (which is definitely worth getting to), but first I have to tell you about the Tequila Menu. The Iguana Grill claims to have the largest Tequila selection at the beach, offering about 50 different brands. There are three different categories of Tequila based on how long it’s been aged, but I’ll let you read about that for yourself on the Tequila Menu which is an educational experience.

There is even a Tequila Flight Sampler you can order which is served with a tomato-based Sangrita chaser (not to be confused with Sangria, Sangrita is like a shot of virgin bloody mary mix that’s used to cleanse the palate). Don’t worry, it all comes with instructions. These aren’t the tequilas that you would shoot or chug; these are sipping tequilas, Jalisco-style.

On our way to the Iguana Grill that night, Sharon and I had discussed our strategy. We took this reviewing thing seriously and knew that in order to give you a good idea of the various menu items, we would be ordering a lot of food…so we tried to get into a "tasting" mindset where we would taste a lot of things, and then pack them up in to go containers.

But Sharon made the "mistake" of starting with the Kicking Crab soup, and instead of packing it up, she ate the whole bowl. It’s a cream-based soup with corn and a dusting of red spice. She said it went really well with the Cadillac margarita, and the flavor changed as she ate it. It started out tasting more like a tap than a kick as the name had suggested, but then as she kept eating, the Old Bay-type flavor became enhanced. I started with the homemade Jerky Chicken Tortilla Soup, which is chuck full of fresh tomatoes and thick like a stew. It was delicious.

The Iguana Grill is best known for its Quesadillas. They start with a grilled tortilla filled with two kinds of grated cheese, tomatoes, black beans, and cilantro pesto. They are served with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. When you cut a piece, the black beans are just gorgeous against the yellow cheese and red tomatoes. You can also add spinach, chicken, shrimp, beef, crab, etc. if you desire.

We then decided to taste the Smoked Apple Pork Loin Chop, which was very tender and permeated with a subtle smoky apple flavor; it was served with fresh green beans and wax beans and garlic mashed potatoes.

To finish off the delightful meal, we ordered two slices of their homemade pies, Key Lime and Peanut Butter. These were both very tasty. The key lime pie was a perfect zesty topper to my fresh summer meal, and the peanut butter pie was rich and dense.

As Ricky Martin sang about his "Vida Loca," we chatted with Dan, our server, manager Drew, and the owners, Carmel and Ken, who will be leaving to spend their winter in Florida at the end of October. The Iguana Grill will be closed for the winter season, so get down there quickly and enjoy your own little taste of summer.