Live, from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night starring this week’s host, Hacienda El Mirador and featuring a ghoulish crew celebrating Dia De Los Muertos! Now, please welcome this week’s host from Junction City, Hacienda El Mirador!
Last August when I did the “Taste of Junction City” post, Hacienda El Mirador wasn’t open yet, so I made a mental note to check back when it opened it’s doors here in Junction City. Judging by the lit-up sign, I’d say that they’re open for business!
Last Saturday my friends, Amber and Joe were having lunch here and Amber texted me and told me that they were having a Dia De Los Muertos festival all day and night at the restaurant. I had never heard of Dia De Los Muertos and it’s a Mexican holiday that translates into The Day of the Dead. Well, that sounded like a perfect place for a Halloween post and since today’s Halloween, here we are! Let’s go inside and let the celebration begin!
There’s the front dining area and check out the make-up on the two women at the hostess stand! Very cool! And speaking of cool, look at the bar in here, very nice! Let’s grab a seat and see who’s back there...
Wow, I love all the make-up and the outfits they all have on! I’m definitely going to have to make this an annual MBIP Halloween tradition!
Right off the bat, they brought me some homemade chips and a flight of sauces to try and they all were so tasty. Some were spicier than others, but each really had a unique and bold flavor, a perfect start to dinner!
I placed my order with Bobbi and we’ll take a little look around while it’s being prepared. As you can see, the bar is fully stocked and they have a nice selection of Margaritas and tequila on the menu. I love the skeletons up on the chandelier!
As you can see, Monday is margarita day in here, so you might want to stop in tonight! There’s tables opposite the bar and check out the Dia De Los Muertos potion on the bar in between glasses of dry ice. I really like the hand painted artwork on the walls in here. This place really has a lot of charm to it and a great atmosphere!
I wandered into the main dining room and met Julie (on the right in the second photo), who told me she did all the design work in here and her twin sister is the artist who did all the paintings. She’s standing next to Julia who owns the restaurant with her husband Lucas who pictured below. The final shot is their entire party enjoying a shot of tequila. Cheers and great to meet all of you!
There’s another dining area next to that one and since it was unseasonably warm outside, people were even dining on the patio! That won’t last long and soon I’ll be bitching about the cold weather! After my little tour I went back to the bar...
Where it looks like it’s just about time for my Saturday night dinner!
And here it is! I started off with an appetizer of marinated shrimp. it was really tasty and pretty spicy as well. The cucumbers it’s served with made for a nice combination with the spicy shrimp.
Here’s Bobbi with the main course...
I got the Chorizo Quesadillas which comes with rice, guacamole, sour cream and beans. You can read more about it in the review below, but it was really delicious and no, I didn’t eat the beans!
Thanks to everyone here at Hacienda El Mirador for the wonderful meal and the really fun evening! I had never celebrated Dia De Los Muertos before, but I think it’s going to become an annual MBIP tradition! Happy Halloween and we’ll see you all tomorrow!
I started off with a flight of sauces and homemade chips and all of the sauces were flavorful and had different degrees of heat and spiciness. Even the hotter varieties had great taste combined with the heat and it was a great way to start off this Mexican feast!
For an appetizer I got the marinated shrimp (I forgot to write down the name, but it’s the third appetizer down on the menu), which are served cold on a bed of cucumbers. These are spicy shrimp and were really a tasty appetizer. The cucumber definitely helped withe the heat!
For the main course I got Chorizo Quesadillas and they were really delicious. Crispy on the outside the outside and the Chorizo was seasoned perfectly and I dipped them into the sour cream and guacamole which is served on the side and it was really a tasty and satisfying meal. The menu here has a huge selection including Enchiladas, Fajitas, Tacos, Burrtios and selections of full-plated dinners. There’s also specialty soups and a nice selection of Mexican dessert items which I’m definitley going to sample the next time I visit here, which will be soon. The staff here is especially friendly and nice and this was a great dining experience, I highly recommend you stop in and sample the food and margaritas!
SN Rating
Three and three quarters Galloping Gourmets—The food, drinks and atmosphere in Hacienda El Mirador is fantastic! They just opened up in Junction City and I think they’re going to be open for quite a while. They may have celebrated The Day of the Dead, but I think this place will be alive for a long time!
Hacienda El Mirador
5805 N Humboldt Avenue (In Junction City)
Peoria
309-839-2820
Related Posts: Saturday Night @ Maquet’s Rail House, Donnelly’s Irish Pub and Jukebox Comedy Club.
Surprise link...click on it, I dare you!
---------------------
The MBIP Halloween Costume Winners!
Amber and Joe are this year’s Halloween Costume Winners, for their fabulous Paul Bunyan and Babe The Blue Ox outfits! Don Pardo, what do they win? Don...Don...oh wait, Don’s dead, well, that fits in perfectly with the theme of today’s post!
---------------------
Hal The MBIP Halloween Crow!
Speaking of Amber and Joe, we had lunch yesterday with Amber’s parents, Diane and Chuck and they gave me this Halloween present, it’s a crow whose eyes light up and he flaps his wings and talks! I love him and thanks so much to Diane and Chuck for giving him to me! He’s a great addition to the MBIP World Headquarters! I named him Hal, which is short for Halloween!