Eduardo de San Angel is one of those restaurants I've driven countless times and never made it to.  That is until this time!  Armed with my Restaurants.com certificate (see link for 50% off their $10 for $25 prices) I decided to give them a try.

The restaurant is located in a strip mall and kind of stands out.  It's vibrantly colored and without a doubt has a Mexican feel from the outside.  The menu boasts "Mexican Infused International Cuisine" so I was curious to see what the food was like.

The inside of the restaurant is small and nicely decorated.  It's a cozy spot and very relaxing.  There is a small bar on the left and the main dining room is to the right.  In all, I think I saw maybe 10 to 11 tables in which 4 were taken.  We got there at about 6:30 PM and there were people trickling in.  (They do take reservations, so if you don't go early, you might want to call ahead.)  The dining room was spotless and the tables were all set perfectly.  Wine is big here and they have a large wine cabinet.  The atmosphere was very relaxing and perfect for unwinding after a long week.
  
                                      (inside Eduardo de San Angel's dining room)

Although they seem to have a very good wine list, we chose iced tea and water.  The iced tea was from a bottle, but not your average tea.  It was 'ginger-peach' and the glass was garnished with fresh mint leaves.  Very nice touch. 

The menu isn't that large, but spans seafood, pork , chicken, duck and beef.  I chose the Grilled Butterflied Boneless Center cut Pork Chop while Jeff ordered the Carne Asada special.  We also chose the daily appetizer special which was a sort of casserole.  It consisted of fresh grilled shrimp and a seared scallop, topped with pico de gallo, a hint of melted cheese...and a few other ingredients I can't seem to recall. 

After ordering, they come around and drop off some fresh rolls.  They don't drop the basket off, but actually 'serve' you.  They give you a total of 3.  One is your standard dinner roll, but was freshly baked.  The other 2 were these wonderful 'cornbread' mini-muffins with cilantro and jalapenos.  They were some of the best cornbread muffins I've had.  The butter even came in a cute little plate and a nicely placed chive garnished that really dressed up a pad of butter!

They actually clear off ALL of your plates and silver in between courses and give you a fresh fork and knife.  Our water glasses never went dry and the service was friendly and spot on.  Good service is sometimes hard to find here in South Florida.

Now to the main courses.  The Grilled Pork Chop is "Brushed with a mulato chili-citrus barbecue sauce, fresh jicama-mango slaw and a black bean chorizo filled crepe."  The chop was a nice size and done perfectly.  The jicama-mango slaw was a nice touch and the black bean chorizo filled crepe was GREAT.  Everything was fresh from the kitchen and had the best flavor and texture.  I'm not one for black beans or even 'refried' beans...but this was so good, I could have had two. (Sorry for the dark pictures...it was kind of dark and I didn't realize it.)


(Grilled Butterflied Boneless Center cut Pork Chop)

Jeff's Carne Asada 'special' was quite the plate of food.  The skirt steak was marinated in and brushed with a cilantro chili oil and grilled.  It was served with a small portion of rice and black beans (like mine, but without the chirizo).  There was also some tomatillo sauce dropped on the plate (making a nice presentation).  There was also some kind of crepe as well.  It was almost like a manocotti, but not sweet.  The top was brushed with some sort of mole sauce (chocolate) which tasted like it has a little anise mixed in as well.  The steak was tender and had a deep flavor.  Jeff enjoyed everything on the plate...nothing was left behind.  I think he almost ate the corn hush garnish!



The total of the bill without tip and prior to our Restaurants.com certificate was $92.00.  Seems kind of high right?  Well the only item that seemed kind of high in price was the 'appetizer'...it was $18.  But it was so good an unique, I'd get it again.  So with the $25 certificate (that we only paid $5 for!) the total was $67.00 plus tip.  While it's a little more than you'd spend at Outback our your local Mexican Restaurant, the service, quality of food and atmosphere make this a great spot.  And with the $25 certificate...you can't pass this place up.  Tell them you read about them on FTLToday.com.



Eduardo de San Angel is located at:
2822 East Commercial Blvd.  (Between US1 and the intercoastal)
Ft. Lauderdale , FL

Open for dinner only Monday - Saturday, 5:30 PM  - 10 PM.

FTLToday's restaurant grade: A

Click below to get your $25 certificate for $5.  Try coupon code "DISCOVER" at checkout now until 10/12/08.