Taqueria El Pueblito - 70 and First Capitol

If you didn't know that Taqueria El Pueblito (1411 S. First Capitol, St. Charles, 63301) was there, you would drive by 100 times and never notice it. That's what we did. We probably pass by every other day, and just happened to catch it out of the corner of our eye. It's just south of 70 on First Capitol -- and I do mean JUST. It's the very first strip mall, next to the El Pueblito grocery store.

It's not a fancy place - just a handful of tables, and ordering at the counter off of a hand-written menu. The young woman at the counter cheerfully explained every single item on the list to us, when it was apparent that we didn't understand a lot of Spanish. As she explained in detail the many things that are made by hand, it was apparent that we were about to get some very authentic Mexican food.

I chose a large sope, which is made from fried masa (maize) which are made in the shape of a tortilla, by hand, and then fried. It's topped with beans, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese. There was salsa and guacamole on the table to put on top. The masa was excellent and I could really tell that it was made fresh.

My husband chose the burrito, which was of good size. For both the burrito and the sope, we chose pork al pastor, which was cooking on a spit right behind the counter - and it looked absolutely delicious. This is a huge chunk of pork marinated with spices and slowly cooked on a vertical rotisserie with a slice of pineapple on top. It was really, really tender.

We also had a steak quesdilla which had lots of steak, cheese, and a few tomatoes. I had a Lime Mexican soda - and they have a large selection of drinks from Mexico -- but no alcohol.

While we were there, several parties came in, including a family. Diners order at the counter, and the young woman (she was more than a waitress - she seemed to do eveything!) brought the food to the table. Chips, salsa and guacamole were on each table. The chips are fried fresh on site.

Bottom line - this isn't your normal Mexican restaurant. There aren't any margaritas, waiters or smoking section. However, the food is delicious, authentic and inexpensive. This was a nice place for dinner, and would be a great place to take the family for lunch.

Llywelyn's Pub - Main Street St. Charles

Llywelyn's just opened this location - at 100 Main Street at Jefferson in historic old town St. Charles - within the last week. The building used to be a bank way back when I first moved to St. Charles. It was a few other things, and now it's had a full remodel and looks absolutely fantastic. The old safes are still there, and have been turned into a room for a small group.

The beer list was daunting - over 20 beers on tap...and many more bottled. I chose a Kilkenny red, and it arrived at almost room temperature. For dinner I tried a pub burger and sweet potato fries, which were really different. The pub burger used an English muffin as the bun and the sweet potato fried were waffle-style. My husband had some great homemade chips, complete with malt vinegar to make them truly Irish.

The only opportunities for improvement that we saw were probably a result of the newness of the restaurant - the beer was a bit warm, and the food was a bit cool. Once the staff gets more experience, we will probably go back and see if these things are ironed out.

The decor was great. I couldn't believe how fantastic that old bank looked. Our waitress, Lacey, was friendly and attentive. The cost was between 8-15 for a regular pub meal. They have a great selection on the menu, including a lot of Irish dishes.

Llywelyn's Pub will probably do well on Main Street, as a tourist attraction.

Alexander's Bar and Grill

Alexander's is so new, they don't even have a web page. Our waitress, Gabby, said that they've only been in business for about two weeks, but the owners are no strangers to the business. They've owned restaurants in the Chicago area for about 30 years. Located at 2865 Veterans Memorial Pkwy near Zumbehl and 70, next to the PetSmart, they're easy to see from the highway.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that a place called Alexander's Bar and Grill was a whole lot more than that. The menu has a lot of surprises, most of them Greek. There are Gyros, Spanakopita, and homemade Baklava. Of course, there is the usual sandwiches and burgers, but also a large seafood selection.

They make their own chips, and served a basket of them hot as soon as we arrived. We went with the spinach and artichoke dip to start, then I had a spicy tenderloin sandwich and my husband chose the monte cristo.

Everything was so great, we had a hard time choosing something to suggest as an improvement. First, I'd say that if they are going to serve hot potato chips (and they should!), they should have some more side item choices with the sandwiches, other than french fries, sweet potato fries, or more chips. That's a lot of potato.

That's a very small nitpick, however. The staff was very friendly. Our waitress, Gabby, was cheerful, nice, and attentive but not bothersome. I hope she's there next time we go. The manager came around a couple of times to check on us. Prices are very reasonable...the sandwiches were under ten bucks, and most larger entrees were under 15. Couple that with Happy Hour half price appetizers and a couple of two-dollar beers, and you have a fantastic and inexpensive dinner. It's close to home, so we'll be back!