This wasn’t our destination, but we ended up having dinner at El Monterrey Restaurante Mexicano at 513 Signal Mountain Road. Although we didn’t have to wait for a table (there were two or three empty), the restaurant was very busy.
The menu lists several appetizers and salads and also has a vegetarian menu. The menu reminds me a great deal of Amigo’s and I would say the food is very similar. Wayne ordered the tomatillo sauce and said it was not the same, and in fact, said he liked it better. It was also very hot (to his liking). The chips could be a bit thicker so they don’t break so easily in the salsa.
Wayne ordered the Enchiladas Supreme ($7.50), consisting of one shredded chicken, one cheese, one beef and one bean enchilada, topped with supreme sauce, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. He usually tries to get the bean swapped out since he doesn’t really care for those, but we had a bit of a language barrier with our server, so he went with the menu.
Wayne enjoyed the enchiladas, felt they were a bit above average, and would order them again.
I ordered one of the $6.80 combination plates – one tostaquac, one tamale, and one taco. For some reason, rarely have I found a place that prepares their tostaquac or chalupas in such a fashion to keep it from getting soggy before you eat it. Most places, they arrive soggy. In fact, off the top of my head, I can think of only one place where I have never been given a soggy chalupa. It would appear to me (just in my thinking), if they were to put the lettuce on the bottom, then top it with the hot ingredients, it would solve that problem.
I ate the taco and the topping from the tostaquac (the tostado was too soggy to be edible). I took the tamale home as I was too full to finish. It was over-stuffed, so you certainly got your money’s worth on the tamale; it was a meal in itself.
They offer the usual menu of quesadillas, fajitas, burritos and Especialidades de la Casa featuring pork, chicken, steak and seafood. They even offer a low-carb Chimi-Light. El Monterrey has thirty combination plates (half priced at $6.50, the other half at $6.80)! For $7.50 you can create your own combination plate.
In addition there are special dinners for two priced at $13, $14 and $19.99. The $19.99 dinner features shrimp, chorizo, chicken and rib-eye steak cooked on the grill and served with rice, beans and tortillas. Children or Senior Plates are $3.99 (if you get this to go, the price zips up to $5.24). All carry out orders are $.30 more than the menu price.
They do have beer and mixed drinks. Desserts include Flan and Fried Ice Cream among other items.
Hours for El Monterrey are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 10:30 p.m.
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