Bandito, a casual and quick Mexican restaurant, has been open for nearly a year now. My family and I have visited a number of times, and we will continue to do so. Parking can be tight at times, and the restaurant can also be busy, but we have found for lunch tables are nearly almost always readily available.

Outside

Orders are placed at a counter and then later picked up from a nearby window. A large bar occupies a good portion of the opposite side of the space and features a good selection of draft beer, craft cocktails, and wine.

Pickup “Trailer”

My favorite things on the menu include the nachos libre ($12) with a choice of verde chicken or ground beef served on top of a bed of corn chips topped with crema, cheese, pickled jalapenos, pico de gallo, tomatillo sauce, and manzano salsa. We also like the chips and dip sampler where $9 gets you a choice of 3 dips from a list of 8 plus a large platter of chips. As far as the tacos go, I really enjoy the buenes tardes amigo ($4) which combines verde chicken, cotija cheese, pico, and jalapeno cream sauce. The porkopolis ($4) is also a favorite with al pastor pork, green pepper sauce, cilantro, red onion, radish, and pineapple.

Tacos

Our kids enjoy the cheese quesadilla, ground beef taco, or even the hamburger (all $7 with a side). We have had a quick visit in under a half hour or we have spent the better part of an afternoon with multiple families catching up and watching sports on the TVs. We all enjoy Bandito and will keep it in our rotation of restaurants.

Over the last year or so, Dutch’s has reopened under new ownership by the folks who own Red Feather Kitchen. This means elevated food in a revamped casual setting. There are more tables than there used to be under the previous ownership that focused more on carryout. My wife and I stopped in for a date night and sampled various dishes on the menu.

Cheese Board

We started with a wonderful cheese board ($14 for 3 kinds of cheese and accoutrements). The selection of cheeses was a great mix and we really enjoyed this delicious start to the meal.

Truffle Popcorn

My wife spotted others snacking on the truffle popcorn ($6) and had to give it a try. The flavor was definitely unmistakable, and while it’s not my favorite thing, it was at least worth a try.

Smoked Chicken Sandwich

We split the smoke chicken sandwich ($14 with a choice of side dish). This adds pickled jalapeno, white bbq sauce, shredded lettuce, and Dutch’s unique “American” cheese crumbles. This was a big sandwich and was very good. The potato salad on the side was a nice mixture of local red potato, mustard seed, and mayo.

Butternut Squash Bisque

My wife also had to try their butternut squash bisque ($6) which she declared the best she’s had. Overall we had a nice meal and we should be back in the future!