Prickly Pear

I am surprised to see such a mix of reviews for this restaurant. Hubs and I went here for the fourth time last night, and our experiences here have been consistently good. The décor was upscale but not stuffy. The wait staff was prompt and courteous. Our food arrived in a timely manner and was cooked to our satisfaction. Hubs ordered a skirt steak, and they managed to cook it medium rare despite the thinness of this cut of beef. His macaroni and cheese side was the creamiest macaroni and cheese I have ever eaten. The loaf-​sized yeast roll that came with our wedge salad was also very tasty. I also enjoyed my elk burger. The corn and jalapeño fritters were not greasy or overtly bready, and the applesauce was a nice complement. I will say I was disappointed with their french fries. Everything else is so special, why would they serve me pre-​made, frozen fries as a side? Also, the menu was a laminated piece of paper which is a cheap, tasteless option for a nice restaurant. However, we had yet another enjoyable dining experience at the Prickly Pear.
May 2013 UPDATE: This restaurant is no longer open to the public. We tried to go there last night and were told it is now a facility dedicated solely to group functions.

I went last Saturday around 9 hoping for a quick dinner before a movie. As you enter the restaurant you notice that there’s a nice open flow to the dining area. To mask her sickness the hostess spoke minimal words to us as she hurriedly greet and sat us. The sick hostess immediately made my bf leery of the restaurant. We ordered the duck quesadilla and 2 burgers.
Since we had to catch a movie, we were keeping track of time. It took half an hour for our appetizer to come out and another 15 for our entrée. The manager was working the dining area going from table to table to apologize for the kitchen wait. Looking around the dining room, there were only 6 tables. What was going on back there? I would like to imagine a food battle Armageddon where the chef and line cook were holding a Mexican stand off so the cooking duties were deflected onto the busboy.
Our server was bubbly, but spent most of her time doing side work. Getting refills on our drinks didn’t seem like an obvious thing to do for her. The duck quesadilla had only 2 pieces, my bf’s burger bun was super soggy, my fries were stale somehow, and my burger patty was so charred it tasted burnt in some areas. On a bright note, the smoked mac and cheese was yummy.
If you are still curious about trying this place then at least do your wallet a favor and save some money by getting a certificate off of half off depot during their 60% off sale. I think if it wasn’t for the discount and the overly likable night shift manager, then my perspective about this place would have been more unfavorable.

Went for Valentines Day, not impressed. I don’t think they use any seasoning on food. Is this a trend? I hope not.
Black and white soup was nice but only because of the pepper jack. The bean side had no taste.
I’m from Texas so I expect a steak to be seasoned and cooked properly. The steak had no seasoning and was not very hot. I think they left it under hot lamps.
Also tasted the salmon. It was cooked perfectly and had a little taste (dill and rosemary).
The desert was awful. Had the s’mores, marshmallow was cold and brownie portion dry.
The restaurant has potential but needs a new chef. Preferably one that has been to Texas or New Mexico.

Keep your expectations low. It is a nice concept with interesting themed decorations.
The atmosphere of the restaurant was nice, and the staff was as well. As for the food, the complimentary bread given tasted store bought and was cold to the touch.
I ordered the 14oz Ribeye which came out well prepared and seasoned; yet cold. I may try a burger if I go back
One interesting surprise was the 18 cent soup — worth tasting it

Prickly Pear is another under-​appreciated restaurant in Orlando. It doesn’t get the credit that it deserves.
Food: The menu is southwestern cuisine with a sophisticated flare to it. They serve you bread and truffle butter. Yum, butter shouldn’t be made any other way. Their menu changes with the season, but they keep the main staples. Appetizers, the mini tacos are delicious. As well as the fried goat cheese, and the 19 cent soup. Yes, it really is only 19 cents. Entrees, I’ll try not to list them all, but my favorites are the Bullseye and Elk burgers, Pan Roasted Duck Breast, and Salmon Burrito. They also have a nice selection of steaks, if you prefer.
Atmosphere: Awesome decorations, great bar, nice layout. Very clean. Outdoor seating if the weather permits. Great place to take a date. And they have a really nice wine list. The also have killer margaritas that they make tableside.
Service: Everyone is very friendly and very attentive. The food usually comes out pretty quick. They usually aren’t too busy so you waiter is pretty much always available for you.

We really liked this place. Bought the Groupon, then read the reviews and started to get buyers remorse. We went in with low expectations but were pleasantly surprised.
The service was a little quirky but the food was excellent. We sat on the patio on a cool night. Great atmosphere for people watching. We order wine and steak. See attached pictures of steak. It was cooked/​seasoned perfect. Side veggies and loaded potato were an excellent compliment.
We picked up another Groupon and will head back to try a different item.

Food was not good and price very high
They need new menu nothing special
Restaurant is nice inside

Awful doesn’t adequately describe how terrible this place is. We were sat right away and then… nothing. We waited 10 minutes and no server showed. Hostess didn’t care when we told her, no apologies offered.
We just moved to around the corner and were looking forward to trying this place out. Management needs to reevaluate how they train their staff or do us all a favor, go out of business, and let a real restaurant open in its place.

Came here during the magical dining celebration to take advantage of the great prices. Nice place with a good atmosphere and trendy décor.
The food, overall was OK i have no real complaints. I had the corn pancakes with shrimp, i thought the dish was under seasoned, i really like the idea of the dish but a bit of salt and pepper would’ve made a world of difference and def make this dish a winner.
For entry i had the duck breast with mash potatoes. The duck was cooked beautifully, crispy, crunchy skin and super tender juicy meat, It was seasoned to perfection, the mash potatoes were a bit on the bland side also but it really went well with the duck.
I have to say that the presentation has enormous room for improvement. I thought presentation was pretty sloppy and careless. Def doesn’t match the looks of this restaurant.
Wife had the Bison Burger and it was good.
The prickly pear margarita was nothing special and kind of weak.
Service was acceptable but not the best, waiter took a while to get our drinks and when we asked to get more bread while we waited for our food, the bread never came. This is what i dislike about these restaurants that tips are automatically added to the bill, it just seems in my experience that servers rely on this fact and don’t really «work» to earn tips.
Looking at the regular prices for the dishes i got, i would have to say that this place it’s def overpriced. I’m sure glad i didn’t pay full price for the food, because i would have been pissed then.

Great staff can really set the tone and the owners of Prickly Pear, who also own Bananas and Funky Monkey, really know how to hire people. (Josh and Kay are the best if you’re reading this)
A group of 6 and I went for magical dining month. The presentation was beautiful!
The menu for the month is and we had the following: (becuase I tried everyones food lol)
Appetizers:
CHILE RELLENO — deep fried beauty
Poblano pepper, roasted corn and mushroom, pepper jack cheese, chipotle sauce, lime cilantro oil, crema
TEQUILA GRILLED SHRIMP AND CORN PANCAKES — loved! fluffy, tasty and I could have eaten a bowl of this
Tequila marinated, chipotle butter, tomato salsa, cilantro
GRILLED MUSHROOM TOSTADA — ehh
Sliced mushrooms, shallots, cheese, fried tortilla, roasted chiles
Choice of Entrèes
PETITE FILET — nicely seasoned, but I’m a big eater
The most tender cut of beef, hand cut, 6 oz.
PORK PORTERHOUSE — best portion for your $, and reallllly good
Grilled, annatto marinated, bourbon ancho sauce, yellow pepper coulis, sweet potato mash
RACK OF LAMB — loved
Rosemary grilled, mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables
Choice of Desserts
CHOCOLATE FRITTERS — tasty
Fried chocolate cinnamon pâte à choux, deep hot fudge, vanilla bean ice cream, raspberries
CAMPFIRE S’MORES — it’s literally a single smore –_​-​, but you cant mess up a s’more
Coffee marshmallow, hot fudge, graham cracker
The only reason this didnt get a higher rating is because I’ve eaten at 2 of their other restaurants and sat outside next to another, and the other 2 had more flavorful food and the one next door (Nicks located next to Sonoma) smelled better than what I was eating.

Our first visit to the Prickly Pear will undoubtedly be our last due to the lack of fast service and quality of the food. …oh, and the PIECE OF PLASTIC in my food.
Let me preface this by saying that our waiter was very kind, upbeat, and yet sympathetic to the awful service we received:
After passing by the restaurant a few times in the past, a couple of friends and I decided to go in and check the Prickly Pear out. None of us had heard any word of mouth about the place but we figured it couldn’t be too bad. After being seated we were pretty quickly greeted by a very nice waiter. After going over the menu a few times I decided on (remember this, it’ll come in later) a BBQ chicken salad (dressing on the side), another friend got the enchiladas, and another got a medium-​well steak. Pretty simple orders — no one asked for anything special to be done.
After the orders are taken, it takes an unbelievable amount of time for the food to come. I can understand if the place was packed but there were literally only about 4 – 5 small groups of people in the entire restaurant (at around 7:30, on a Friday night!). Either way, we remain patient and just wait for the food. Eventually it arrives and we encounter our second and third bad experience.
– The BBQ chicken salad (dressing on the side) not only arrives already drenched in salad dressing, but the cook forgot to put the BBQ chicken in it! It’s pretty much the biggest part of the salad. It’s like ordering a hamburger and someone forgetting to put the burger in the bun!
– The steak that was suppose to be medium-​well arrives cooked rare. So much for the delay being because they were cooking the steak!
I tell the waiter and he kindly gets the manager to come over. The manager offers us free wine or a dessert. We accept the dessert and order the marshmallow s’mores.
We figure, how can someone mess up a simple dessert. Well, apparently the cooks can always find a way! After our complimentary s’mores get to the table, what do I still see tucked into the (apparently pre-​made) brownie just as I’m about to take a bite? a piece of plastic saran wrap!
Once again, waiter is called, manager is talked to, we are offered the bill ½ off.
Never again. I’m pretty sure this was probably one of the worst downtown dining experiences we’ve had.

Great happy hour specials with $ 5 off all mouthwatering hamburgers. My Elk burger was sooo good with fresh ingredients! I love how it’s decorated, with old west remnants on the wall and tons of bizarre Oregon Trail-​like props laying around. I wanted to take pictures of everything.
I can’t wait to return and try the 18 cent ham soup!

My overall experience at Prickly Pear was surprisingly pleasant. Armed with a coupon and a somewhat lackluster prior experience at one of the other Funky Monkey International restaurants, we were wary and cautious about what might unfold that evening. It was a weekday evening, around 7pm, and the restaurant was perhaps only 20% full if even. So seating and service was quite prompt.
We started with the Prickly Pear Margarita and Prickly Pear Mojito. Both were delicious drinks that are probably on the weak side for most people, but we were fine with. I feel it is also my duty to note, like others have, that they did not make the margarita by our table.
As we waited for our entrees, we wondered about the bread service mentioned in several reviews, especially when we noticed that the few other tables had them. After about 5 – 10 minutes of waiting, we finally asked our server. He seemed confused, then said, «I’ll check on that for you.» Moments later he returned with a loaf of Stone Wheat bread. We quickly pounced on it and it proved to be quite delicious. But it is curious that we were not provided with it earlier and even had to ask.
For our entrees, we ordered the Pork Porterhouse and a Petite Filet Steak w/​In-​house Cut Fries. The Porterhouse was seasoned extremely well which made every single bite incredibly delicious and tender. The sides of Baked Sweet Potato and Sauteed Green Beans were also complementary to the pork. The Steak was also seasoned quite well, and the fries was sprinkled sparingly with the truffle salt so that it wasn’t overpowering.
I did have an issue with the steak, however. It was served extremely dry. Not that the meat was dry — it was cooked almost perfectly Medium which was what I requested — but there was no accompanying sauce whatsoever unless you pay an additional $ 4 (you have 4 sauces to choose from). This was quite possibly the first time that I’ve ever had steak at any restaurant (including specialized steakhouses) where my plate came out completely devoid of any kind of sauce or jus. In my humble opinion, this has to be some sort of culinary violation.
For dessert, we had their Brownie S’mores and all I have to say is, «thank goodness we decided to order dessert even though we were already full!» It’s messy to eat just like a regular S’more is, but it’s certainly worth it.
I’m not sure that when I do return I will order their steak again if their pricing stays the same, which is ironic considering they label themselves as a «Steakhouse». For that matter, even though I left the restaurant feeling fulfilled, I did not feel the desire to return immediately. I would return with others if that is their choice, but I would most likely not do so on my own accord.
Yes, the food is delicious, but every single item is overpriced for what they are. Perhaps they fancy themselves to be a «high-​class» restaurant, which is perfectly fine, but it certainly did not come through the dishes that we were presented with. In the end, Prickly Pear, to me, is simply «extremely overpriced good food».

The happy hour margaritas are a pretty good deal! Normal price is about $ 10. They didn’t make them tableside as expected. Which maybe happy hour they don’t? Even though the place was pretty empty? Coula used the entertainment.
The view outside was nice on the patio, good people watching stylee.
We tried the shrimp and corncake app. It was pretty tasty. I’d PROBABLY get it again, tough call though since only had i think 3 shrimp (don’t quote me on it though). The prices are a tad high for most entrees.
Go check them out I suppose. The happy hour is worth it. I’ll have to go back for the full dinner experience… unless it becomes like Mimi’s. lol

I have to say that I did not get all of the bells and whistles like some of the other Unilocalers got. I did not have my Margarita made by my table, or have the «special» bread. Although, the prickly pear margarita and honey wheat bread were very good.
I came here on a Sunday night. It was very dead, but our waitress/​hostess was very responsive. I decided to skip the appetizer, and went with the full rack of ribs. yummy! They really were fall off the bones. For $ 20, you get more food and better quality than the Ale House. I had some difficulty figuring out the theme though.
They were playing reggae all night long… not really Southwestern… It felt very modern, has a nice bar, and good food. Can’t beat that.

I decided to give Prickly Pear a go for Magical Dining Month as I love to visit the Southwest, I have a thing for green chilies, and I love eating downtown because it makes me feel so damn snooty. Truthfully, I was a little scared of Prickly Pear is its owned by the same people who gave us Bananas, The Most Over-​Hyped Diner in Orlando, but I proceeded.
Despite its location in a building called The Sanctuary, a condominium that appears to be mostly vacant, Prickly Pear doesn’t feel snobby at all. It’s a trendy take on what the Southwest looks like, the Southwest, of course, always being orange and cactus-​filled.
We were seated at 6:55 for our 7 pm reservation. Our waiter, Jon, spiffy in a Western-​wear shirt (to remind you it’s the Southwest) was fantastic. He didn’t give us attitude about ordering from the $ 30 Magical Dining menu (only available in September) and didn’t push anything off the higher-​priced menu. As I’ve taken advantage of Magical Dining for years now, this is a big deal because it often means crappier service. Kudos to Jon.
Let’s start with the liquor. They have an extensive cocktail menu and tableside margarita service. I opted for a Rattlesnake which is vodka and Chambord because I didn’t want tequila to force me to become a déclassé lassy, but those around me who ordered margaritas got fresh lime juice and a selection of tequilas. The Rattlesnake was pretty strong and I copped a fine buzz off of one.
The bread, as many people have mentioned, was pretty lame. Being a Carb Whore, I had never encountered a bread basket I didn’t like until this night. The butter tastes like mayonnaise. We left it alone.
For the appetizer, I had the Black & White Soup. It was foodgasmic and I slurped it down like a British orphan devouring gruel. My friend ordered the Smoked Duck Quesadilla. While pretty good and served with a huge blob of guacamole, my appetizer was better.
For the entrée, I chose the Duck Breast. This is where Prickly Pear lost me. I’m not really a big chicken fan because there’s not a whole lot you can do with it to make it stand out, and perhaps it’s the same with duck. It was cooked properly, had a crispy skin and was accompanied by the most important ingredient ever, bacon. Still, it managed to be pretty bland. My friend had the Pork Tenderloin, and while beautifully presented and cooked perfectly it didn’t wow either of us.
For dessert, we had Campfire S’mores. Prickly Pear tries to re-​imagine this classic staple in weird fashion by giving you three large portions of brownies with a graham cracker and marshmallow on top. It’s a cool concept and beautiful to look at, but it was entirely too sweet and I left the restaurant kind of wanting to vomit or lie down in traffic.
I really wish I had loved Prickly Pear because it’s got great service (the manager came by and asked us how we were doing a whopping 3 times) and nice ambiance. The entrees, however, are a little boring given the concept.

Hey oh! You want to make me a margarita at my table? Yes, I will marry you.
Ha! OK so I have a soft spot in my heart for margaritas and they fact that they have a Prickly Pear Margarita that is made by your server in front of you at your table from the Margarita cart just sent my heart a flutter. What a lovely touch. Also, you have your choice of tequilas, a well informed cocktail maker and they use a special juice from a cactus. SOLID! I had two and they were delicious =)
Robert was our server and he was a delight. He really put my experience from 3 stars to 4! He was delightful, funny and just so friendly. He made me and Rosa feel like we had all been friends for years and were just catching up. I asked him his opinion on what to order, we chatted about being from PA and we also had tons in common. It was great.
Now I was not blown away by the bread selection due to the butter being a little to hot for my liking. I am not a fan of spice and this spread had some kick to it. We were not famished though so we went ahead a split an appetizer and entrée.
For the appetizer we went with the Tequila Grilled Shrimp and Corn Cakes. Three Rustic «Corncakes», Tequila Marinated Shrimp, Chipotle Butter, Tomato Salsa. The presentation was lovely. Here is my qualm… We ordered an app and an entrée, you would expect to receive them in that order as we just wanted to take our time and enjoy our meal. Well, our entrée came out BEFORE the app… I was thrown off. Robert said he figured he would bring them out at the same time but the app was running a but behind. So, I am not sure if I would have had a better experience with this dish if it was received prior to our entrée. This just didn’t wow me. Maybe because I was devouring my entrée and it got cold? The corn cake was just bland and my favorite thing about the dish was truly the salsa and well… I would have rather had that smothered on my bread than the spread at the beginning.
Now, where did Robert bounce back? We split the entrée so he had the chef place the meal on two separate dishes without us requesting, that was a nice touch. I went for Robert’s suggestion and got the boneless ribs with grits. YUM! The rib meat was literally fall off the bone (hence no bone) delicious and succulent. I didn’t want to stop eating… I just wanted more to appear on my plate. The flavors literally burst in my mouth. The grits were a lovely touch adding a texture to the plate that was welcoming and delicious. I really can describe this as a velvet seduction on my tongue. So, as you can see… it’s hard to judge the just ok app after feasting on the mecca of all the ribs I have eaten in my life.
I can’t wait to go back and try more =)

Fellow Unilocalers,
I was surprisingly disappointed with the Prickly Pear. Maybe it was an issue derived from high expectations that I had about this place. There was so much prickling buzz about this prickling place that I couldn’t wait to prickling try it.
The parking situation on a busy night is a bit precarious considering that there is a huge shortage of spots. However, here comes the opportunistically business minded individual to set up a valet service which of course given the aforementioned is a must here. It’s not bad though since it’s only 5 bucks and they are actually there until 2am.
Walking into the restaurant I was surprised at their selection for a hostess. I understand this is a Southwestern themed restaurant, but her attire was terrible. The first impression presentation failed to say the least. Her tight top with her cleavage oozing out like marshmallow in a squeezed together s’more with her ruffly skirt and cowboy boots was a terrible choice. The outfit may have worked if she was attractive. They should just have given her the uniform that all the others were wearing.
We were sat down on a good table by the entrance. This place offers high tops, bar seating and regular table seating. The inside (see my photos) is not very spacious, but they managed to make it work very well. The decorations are very cool and there is a big mirrored wall at the end of the restaurant giving the impression that this place is larger than it actually looks. I call it a ‘space oasis’.
The wine list is fairly extensive, the menu offerings pale in comparison though. One noteworthy comment is that this is a Southwestern cuisine restaurant, therefore most of the dishes do have a kick to them. If you are sensitive to spicy food, either go somewhere else or make sure to ask for them to go easy on your order. Luckily, if your mouth does catch on fire, that bazillion Dollars boondoggle of a fire station on Central can come put it out for you. Courtesy of yours truly, the tax payer.
The portion sizes are good thus making their prices acceptable. It isn’t very cheap, but it also isn’t über expensive. Onto the food…
At first we were served a bread basket (see my photo) with a nice yellowy butter that had a bit of a spicy kick to it. Since I am not a huge bread fan, I did not try all of its contents. I do believe there was a cornbread in there.
The food took some time to come out, not sure if it was due to the «well done» Bison burger I ordered for my mom, or if they had to fly to the great plains and hunt one down themselves. I have my money on the former. Hunting would be quicker.
I ordered the Corn Fritters (see my photo) as the appetizer and it was a little round corn cake that was very delicious. It came with an applesauce which kind of made me feel like a refined kindergartner. The applesauce is a must in this dish as it definitely chills the spicy flavors of the corn fritter. I recommend this appetizer.
I then had the Cowboy Steak and Bison Burger (see my photos) as the two entrées. The steak was of good quality and of a generous size. It was accompanied with cheddar mashed potatoes and caramelized onions as well as some mushrooms I believe. Overall, it was a very hearty dish, but nothing really impressed me.
My mom’s Bison Burger was also of a decent portion and so were the fries served with it. I ended up having to play garbage can and eating the remnants of this burnt out Bison. Even though I’m not a fan of well done meat, there was still a flavor to it that was good and I enjoyed the sweet BBQ sauce on it. I would recommend this burger at a better temperature.
Overall, I might come here again since maybe it was just an off night. Additionally, for some reason the restaurant got really smokey, I suspect it was my mom’s fault with her well done Bison. The bar scene looks like a cool area to lounge and chill at, so I may try this some time as well. Go and judge for your prickling self!
Cheers.

Glad to see life coming back to this block! We stopped in for drinks, appetizers, and dessert. The restaurant has the same feel/​layout as Graze did prior — large bar, tables and booths inside and an outdoor patio — and was a bit quiet, probably a combination of it being a Tuesday evening and having only been open about a week.
As Lisa W. mentioned, they have a signature Prickly Pear margarita which they mix at your table, and I saw a neighboring table order at least one of these, pretty cool. We were more in a wine mood though, and the wine list is impressive — two pages of excellent selections both by the bottle and glass. With one meritage and one cabernet secured, we hit up the menu and selected a variety of small plates: duck quesadilla — supremely tender duck served with berry sauce and avocado on the side; mussels, in a lightly spicy broth with tomatoes and bacon; and the grilled portobello mushroom tostada — a flaky crispy pastry also topped with cheese, red pepper and onions. All were decent portions and well worth ordering again.
For dessert, we opted to share their version of s’mores, which were three graham crackers topped with brownies, coffee-​dusted marshmallows, raspberries and more chocolate. They are rich, decadent and delicious. If only there had been a candle on the table to melt them over :)
Two glasses of wine, three small plates and dessert were about $ 70. Service was extremely attentive and personable, with the hostess, our server and the manager stopping by several times to see how we were enjoying our dinner. Good start for a new place!

Prickly Pear is a new restaurant located in the Sanctuary condo building on Eola Dr., just two blocks south of the intersection with Central Blvd. downtown, south of the main Thornton Park area. The vibe is contemporary Southwest from the décor to the cuisine.
I enjoyed a nice evening here with friends last night. I was a big fan of the restaurant that previously occupied the large «L» shaped space, it was nice to see that the new owners kept the open feeling while also bringing new elements. The Bar area feels expansive, comprised of a large wrap around bar, several high tops and a large communal hightop dining table. The dining room is appointed with both booths and dining tables; there is also outdoor dining available at the front and side patios.
We were greeted by 2 friendly hostesses and promptly seated for our 7PM reservation. Our server, Howard, was very attentive and friendly in his introductions and walking us through the menu with recently sampled favs of his and items that have been popular with customers during their opening week. We were in no rush and waiting for the rest of our party to arrive, so we placed a drink order and settled into the menu to make some app selections.
The drinks are very well made. One friend ordered a dirty martini and I selected the Prickly Pear margarita, being a fan of them from my travels in the Southwest. (The Prickly Pear is the spiny fruit off of a specific cactus. After carefully peeling the prickly exterior, the pink fruit can be made into a syrup which is popular in drinks out West. The overall taste is tart, fresh and vaguely cherry-​like with a hint of baking spices. IMHO.)
The pink margarita was made tableside, offering a choice of 4 tequilas. Freshly squeezed lime juice (really, a lime squeezed right there) and prickly pear juice were added to the tequila in the cocktail shaker, vigorously shaken and served in a Prickly Pear pint glass. DELISH! They also offer the margaritas frozen if you prefer, but you’ll miss out on the show.
After sampling my Prickly Pear margarita, another friend at the table ordered one choosing a different tequila and we could definitely taste the difference between the drinks. Rounding out the table was a beer drinker, who navigated the beer list that offered microbrews, imports and non standard domestic beers. Hubby would have been thrilled, but for the average domestic beer drinker or those seeking a lite beer– the current list will leave you wanting. We’ll see if that changes, it was their first Saturday. The wine list is expansive, offering a wide assortment of red and white wines by the glass and by the bottle.
We decided to drink and nosh, the Chile Relleno was amazing and a must order. A light, airy batter covered the mild pepper that was stuffed with an amazing melty cheese concoction. Not just heavy cheese which gets old after a few bites. The large pepper was served in a pool of savory red sauce; tomato and chipotle that was pleasingly smokey with lingering spice, not at all overpoweringly spicy. We raved as our party of 4 devoured it in quick time.
Also ordered was the Portobello tostada, which was another great option. Well seasoned, the portobello mushrooms had a smokey grilled taste that went well with the caramelized onions and cheese on the crispy flour tostada. We also ordered the Heirloom tomato capresi, comprised of red and yellow tomatoes and a medium sized ball of fresh mozzarella cheese dressed lightly with olive oil, a few drops of balsamic and a large basil leaf. The cheese was spectacular, some of the best our table had ever enjoyed. We cut it into slices, finding it soft and slightly gooey in the center, really just lovely. The light dressing of olive oil and a hint of balsamic allowed the freshness of the tomatoes as well as the creaminess and quality of the cheese to really shine through. Howard brought us a delicious bread basket that offered several selections of breads and rolls accompanied by a tomato Chipotle butter and a roasted garlic spread. Yum.
We finished off the night with the Chocolate fritters. The plate came with the fritters placed around a scoop of vanilla ice cream, fresh raspberries and generous drizzles of chocolate sauce. The fritters look like chocolate hush puppies– the hard exterior gives was to a moist, almost molten center of chocolate yummy with a hint of cinnamon. Save room for this amazing treat.
Throughout our time at Prickly Pear we watched the entrees arrive at the tables around us, everything looked very tempting and well prepared. The diners around us seemed just as happy with their selections as we were with ours. I’ve posted pics of the current menu and our food, all was amazing.
We left to find beer for friends, however, we headed back with more friends at midnight to enjoy the late night bar. More PP margaritas were enjoyed and there was a healthy crowd at the bar. Great to have a late night option, as everything else nearby closes at midnight.