Gringos love Mexican food. While the ubiquitous nature of Taco Bell (outside this valley) is case in point, there's another reason why our southerly neighbor’s gastronomy is so popular… it is delicious!
Which is why everyone should check out La Cabanita, celebrating its third birthday this month! One of Ketchum’s three amazing Mexican restaurants and arguably the most authentic, it’s predictably off the beaten path (at least by this town’s small standards). Still, La Cabanita is hard to miss. Walk around the corner from the Ketchum Post Office onto Fifth street and look for the massive white lettering reading, LA CABANITA MEXICAN RESTAURANT. The signage is plain and the message simple: food and no frills. As a rule of thumb, it’s often the least pretentious establishments, such as La Cabanita, which serve the best meals.
The restaurant’s substantial menu is standard Mexican fare, with a few surprises, at reasonable prices. Added value comes in getting a basket of fried tostadas (basically big chips), homemade salsa and a small plate of refried beans and melted cheese with every meal. According to my friend Armando, the two most popular items are the La Cabanita platter (grilled steak, shrimp and onions served with rice and beans) and the $2 Tacos, which come with chicken, ground or shredded beef. The latter is an unbeatable deal, each small taco generously packed to capacity. I usually fill mine with spoonfuls of the house guacamole and sour cream, hot sauce naturally on everything. Ingredients are bought fresh and cooked daily, the meat has almost no fat, and the difference is noticeable.
Left: The household BIG chips, salsa and beans that come with every meal. Right: La Cabanita may be off the beaten path but it is hard to miss.
Other plates worth trying, all of which are served with the ever-present rice and beans, include the delicious Chili Verde Enchiladas, the many varieties of Chimichangas, the Carnitas Plate and Burrito and the Chicken Mole. It’s also worth mentioning the drink specials, which, if you’re a beer lover, should not be missed. For a whole $2.50, there’s Corona and Sol (Mondays), Bohemia (Tuesdays), Pacifico (Wednesdays), Dos XX (Thursdays) and Negro Modelo Especial (Fridays). With the obvious exception of Corona, these truly unique brews are too often overlooked. I tried the hoppy Bohemia with my meal on Tuesday and was pleasantly surprised.
My delicious Tuesday taco complimented by a refreshing Bohemia.
At La Cabanita, there’s an emphasis on value. Good food made with fresh ingredients at prices that welcome everyone. It’s a modest joint with one of the friendliest staffs in town. The small kitchen is plain to see and patrons regularly chat up the cooks. It’s the kind of warm environment that people go back to, including myself and other SVM staffers.
Eating at La Cabanita makes me happy — happy to munch on affordable food in an expensive town, happy to hear some Spanish in the mountains of Idaho and happy that such an establishment, which celebrates its third birthday this month, continues to do well.
