Warm. Inviting. Personable. En Fuego Mexican Grille in Oakbrook Terrace is all these and more. As soon as we walked into the rustically appointed hacienda-like restaurant, we were greeted with a smile. And we immediately got the feeling that we’d be well-taken care of when the hostess, who was seating us in the tastefully decorated dining room, said that our server would be out momentarily with chips and salsa and water. And taken care of, we were.
While welcoming service is important, this modern Mexican restaurant also delivers on its promise of fresh, handcrafted food and drinks. From six options of fresh-made salsas to well-seasoned fajitas to a wide variety of inventive tacos, these dishes are the result of “culinary engineering,” according to Gil Rangel, director of marketing and promotions for the restaurant, which opened on Halloween.
En Fuego Mexican Grille
If you want to start with a beverage, know that much thought has been put into creating the drinks menu, which leans heavily on margaritas, tequilas, mezcals and Mexican beer. And that ingredients are made in-house, including the fresh-made lime juice, according to Rangel. Not to mention that owner Joe Fernandez Jr.’s own brand of tequila, El Nacimiento, serves as the base for five of the six margarita options.
Shortly after we were seated in the high-back dark wood chairs, our server arrived with complimentary guacamole salsa and thick, crunchy tortilla chips. The thin salsa had a nice, slightly sweet flavor and only mild heat. For a kick, we were advised to go with the De Negra salsa, made with roasted tomatillo, roasted arbol, morita peppers, garlic and onion.
We enjoyed the festive Mexican music while perusing the just-right-size menu. En Fuego doesn’t go overboard on menu options, thankfully. Once we decided on which dishes to share family-style, we had time to enjoy our relaxing surroundings, including the beautiful Mexican-inspired paintings and interesting basket-weave light fixtures.
The steak quesadilla botana (appetizer) came out at the same time as our entrees. In this case, we didn’t mind since we were sharing everything. But it was a little overwhelming to suddenly have so much food in front of us.
Three flour tortillas encased the grilled steak and lots of gooey white Oaxaca cheese in the quesadillas. The steak had a nice char — I just wish there would have been more steak and less cheese. Sour cream and fresh guacamole came on the side.
Chicken fajitas arrived sizzling on a heaping bed of grilled green and red bell peppers and red onions. The tender chicken was seasoned well (not too spicy). The thick chewy flour tortillas were delicious, too. Also of note was the Mexican rice dotted with bits of carrots and corn and the creamy refried beans (recommended by our server) topped with queso fresco. I would have gobbled up the beans if I weren’t already filling up.
I had to leave room to try the pastor tacos, featuring marinated pork, grilled red onions and cilantro topped with grilled pineapple and morita salsa on four corn tortillas. The combination worked well, with the pineapple giving a nice bit of sweetness to the savory pork. My only wish is that we would have been able to mix and match tacos so we could have tasted a couple more of the 10 intriguing options. Pollo en fuego, with grilled chicken, chorizo, Oaxaca cheese and arbol salsa, and the pescado al coco, with grilled tilapia, shredded cabbage, coconut shavings and habanero coconut salsa, piqued my interest. Four of the same seems like a bit much, and the menu states no modifications or substitutions.
Since we were pretty full, we almost skipped dessert. But, we’re glad we didn’t pass up the cinnamon sugar churros. Light and crispy on the outside, warm and chewy on the inside, these delightful pastries didn’t even need the chocolate and caramel dipping sauces.
Back to the friendly service: Throughout the meal, our food was delivered with a smile, we never felt rushed and drinks were refilled automatically. Overall a very pleasant experience.
If you decide that you want to stick around for an after-dinner drink, or you want to stop in for happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. during the week, Los Caballos Cantina (the large bar to the left when you walk in) fills the bill. Besides serving 60 tequilas and wine and beer from Mexico, Spain and South America, the bar also sports video gaming and a variety of live music (from country to Spanish guitar and more) on Friday nights. Next up is Pearl Jam Tribute Unplugged at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24.
• Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.
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