Ah, Dos Coyotes.... Where do I BEGIN with my praise?
The food gets an EASY five gold stars from me. (And, I'm pretty darned picky about bestowing that elusive fifth gold star!) They have a wonderful southwestern influenced menu that is appealing to quite the diverse diners. Options include low carb, low calorie, gluten free and vegetarian.
They use top quality fresh ingredients and are committed to sourcing as locally as possible. They have great appetizers, burritos, salads, some of the most glorious grilled fish masterpieces I've eaten, burrito bows, mesa taco plates, southwest plates and a great kid's menu that does NOT include chicken nuggets. Their prices are very reasonable. The flavor combinations and influences are always unique, delicious and huge. I NEVER leave hungry. They offer seasonal options that give you a variety of innovative dishes that rotate regularly. You'll never get bored!
Last night, we had one of my favorites: The California fish tacos and one of their seasonal specials, The Roadrunner Chicken Sandwich.
The California Tacos are two marinated charbroiled fish tacos served on a warm flour tortilla with Chef Mark's dawg sauce, cilantro-onion, agave-lime slaw, fresh avocado, and mango salsa.
My husband got one of their seasonal specials: The Roadrunner Chicken Sandwich: charbroiled chicken breast, house-made green chile jam, honey cured bacon, white cheddar, arugula, DAWG sauce; on a toasted bun with chips He gave it a big thumbs up, but does prefer those of the deep fried variety. ANYTHING that gets that man to eat healthier options and still be happy is VERY noteworthy, though!
Many dishes include their house-Made tortilla chips, made there with low saturated fat canola oil. All of their salsas are made fresh each day.
They offer an extensive variety of beverages, ranging from artisan bottled soda and fountain drinks to fresh brewed iced tea and low-fat organic milk. They also serve a variety of alcoholic beverages.
You order at the counter just as you enter and get a table number. Fill up your soda, if you ordered one, get your napkins, cutlery, and salsas yourself. And then your food appears - very quickly usually. I am always amazed at how efficient the staff seems to be to crank out dishes so quickly.
I almost forgot about their catering menu. You GOTTA check out their catering menu if you have a gathering to plan for.
Now... for a few of the "extras" that make this review five star worthy for me.
Their ambience is always fun and comfortable. American Southwest artwork and artifacts are a hallmark of Dos Coyotes restaurants. There are colorful lizards, snakes and other critters galore tucked here and there. For me, plants also make a place very inviting, so I appreciate the great (and well cared for) greenery.
For fellow dog lovers, this restaurant has a comfortable patio in the back where you can bring your pup too. Just walk around to the back and there is a gated entrance. A bike trail is back there. We see many cyclists lock up their bikes back there and dine comfortably with their bikes in easy view - a GREAT plus!
Admittedly, I'm very visual and love art (and I'm basically a big kid in an old body), I love the eight foot tall big red bull metal sculpture standing out front - a piece of fun and eye-catching kinetic art. The head is moveable, but the wind is not strong enough to move it. One has to stand on the rock wall mounting and manually move it to see the effect. This used to be a tradition when my son was younger - to get that bull rocking as we left. Ahh..... good times!
Lastly, one thing that makes Dos worthy of five stars to my family is their commitment to sustainability. Take-out containers are compostable - made from sugarcane, not treesLids are made from plant-based plastic (which requires 68% less fossil fuel to produce!) Their cutlery is made from corn and other vegetable solids
Napkins are made from 100% recycled paper. They use special dishwashers that recycle rinsing water.
I could go on and on but my fingers are tired from all of this gushing. There are a few things that are less star worthy for me. The parking lot can be crowded at peak times. Nearby parking is a bit of a hike and that parking lot can be tricky to maneuver thru. The back patio can get noisy, as busy Folsom Blvd is right there and traffic can be LOUD at times. The last thing might very well be an old person's thang, but i think that the restaurant is usually pretty cold too. Those of us with more delicate constitutions might bring a sweater.
All I can say is try it out and see for yourself!
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