This was a delightful surprise! Â This may have been El Rio Cafe at some point and I don't know if they've changed ownership or what. Â Anyway, we came here for dinner during a weekend getaway to our cabin near Stevenson. This place is not fancy but not a dive either. Â I can best describe it as a "Southwest in the Northwest" type joint. Â It's got a bar, booths, and overall a pretty lively atmosphere and crowd, at least on the Friday evening we were there. Â The place was full (not packed) of mostly locals and a few non-locals (not sure if they're tourists necessarily). Â
Anyway, we were impressed with the quality of food and level of service. Â The ingredients in the dishes seemed really fresh, didn't detect any hint of anything having come out of a can. Â The Mexican Steak was especially noteworthy; it was tender, juicy, and cooked just right with well-balanced amount of seasoning (drooling on my keyboard here). Â Also, if your evening needs some spicing up, they have a shelf full of different brands of hot sauces to try on your dishes, choose carefully or just try 'em all! Â If you do, wash it all down with their wonderful cocktails; we enjoyed their fresh peach margarita! Â The wait staff are down-to-earth friendly and genuinely attentive; food arrived promptly. Â So, if you happen to be visiting Stevenson and need a good bite, you gotta chow down here!