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Good Food

Good Food

Tia Lou's Mexican Restaurant

By Zachary D. Lyons


The main dining room and fountain at Tia Lou's. Zachary D. Lyons photo.
Jan 31, 2002 -- Tia Lou's Mexican restaurant is immediately noteworthy for two things: It is reasonably priced in Belltown, and it serves very good Mexican food in Seattle. Okay, to be honest, says owner Greg Contreras, the food harkens back to his New Mexican roots. Still, the menu is filled with homestyle recipes as Mexican as any menu in town.

Contreras owns Tia Lou's with his brother, Eric. They opened it on Cinco de Mayo, 2000. They had always dreamt of having a place which would pay homage to Grandma's cooking. "As we were growing up, Wednesday nights were reserved for going to Grandma's house for her homemade tamales, enchiladas, pozole, green chile stew and other favorite recipes." The restaurant is named for her --Eluteria Garcia Contreras, or "Tia Lou", as their dad's cousins called her.

The interior of Tia Lou's feels like you have just stepped onto Main Street, Anytown, Mexico. The designers of Bauhaus, The Baltic Room and Zeitgeist in Pioneer Square morphed the old 2218 Club into an old-world Mexico atmosphere. A wonderful fountain dominates the center of the dining room, while an adobe-style storefront facade, accented by huge timbers, adorns the face of the balcony bar area. Huge chandeliers made of recycled iron hang overhead. Indeed, the designers used a lot of recycled material--the Spanish red tiles, the tile work on the fountain, hardwoods on the walls and floor from an old gymnasium--to give the space its "I've been here a while" feel, while creatively reducing waste.

The menu features 10 of Grandma's recipes, as well as other old favorites brought in by friends, family and their crack staff of Seattle-area Mexican restaurant veterans, who never once let my water glass go dry. The Especialidades section offers excellent full dinners sure to please. Pollo al Chipotle does brilliant justice to the almost commonplace-anymore chipotle pepper with its clear, smoky flavor. The Carne Asada's beef is beautifully accented with the distinctive use of green chiles. "I'd put our Carne Asada up against anyone's in town," said Greg Contreras. So would I.

Still, it is all the little options that often make Mexican food so fun, and these are at the core of Grandma's recipes--Green Chile Stew, Pozole, Tamales. The new menu addition of The Pinata Plate allows guests to sample "a little of everything, like a pinata." It comes with tasty chicken and beef taquitos, gooey cheese quesadillas, bean dip, guac, pico de gallo, and the only nachos you will find anywhere on the menu. As a starter, it is a meal. The Green Chile Stew is straight off the, er, train from New Mexico. Indeed, they ship green and red chiles in from there. The Pozole, Mexico is ultimate comfort food, combining the great texture of hominy against the background of yummy roasted pork and a perfect red chile broth. Add the fresh oregano, onions and a squeeze of lime, and you will be one happy camper come siesta time. These guys definitely have translated their memories from youth into a healthy respect for the use of the chile.

Enchiladas are well seasoned and quite filling. We tried the Verdes with chicken. Yum! We also had the Rellenos Tia Lou's--Poblano chiles stuffed with homemade chorizo--a nice homestyle recipe.

For dessert, try the flan or the fried ice cream. All the margaritas feature top shelf tequila, and food and drink portions are generous. And there is a large deck for warmer months.

Tia Lou's, 2218 1st Avenue, 733-8226, open for lunch, Tuesday - Friday, 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., and dinner, Tuesday - Saturday, 5 - 11 p.m., bar open until 2 a.m.


Reader Comments

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Scott Kathan Nov 03, 2002 Belltown Network Engineer
   This place is superb! Excellent, friendly service coupled with satisfying, delicious food! Not to mention the margaritas that will make your head spin. My wife and I come here all the time; we never go to any other Mexican restaurants; there's just no need to. One of the best Mexican restaurants in Seattle...period. Keep up the excellent work! Scott
Sheila Martinez Nov 18, 2003 Tukwila Secretarial/Event Planning Coo
   Tia Lou's is one of the authentic Mexican Restaurants. I usually try the tamale first to test and YES it's true - they do use Grandma's recipes at Tia Lou's (reminded me of MY Grandma Martinez's). The staff also provides great service and are quite helpful. I highly recommend dining at Tia Lou's!
alice wright Mar 22, 2005 Naples, Idaho 83847
   Hello, I am interested in your mexican flan to be shipped to Idaho in wholesale quantities. Is this possible. thank you.

 

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