El Tamarito

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES

Sometimes, there’s nothing better than spending an unseasonably hot afternoon enjoying an icy margarita. With that thought firmly in mind, my (just married!) wife and I set off on a recent Monday afternoon in search of a Mexican restaurant where we could relax with some tasty treats. After a quick stop on Yelp.com to query the whereabouts of decent chile verde in this city, we found our spot: Los Compadres. Despite being told for years about the restaurant, I had always passed happily right by it. Walking in, we were shocked at its warm atmosphere (lit just enough to prevent eye strain) and impeccable cleanliness. Sitting at a copper-tabled booth, we took a polite glance at the drink menu, feeling certain we’d order plain-old margaritas. Within seconds, we realized we were wrong: Los Compadres offers a litany of specialty cocktails, each one sounding more delicious than the last. I settled on the Compadres Margarita, which adds pear syrup and orange juice to give it an extra sweetness that ordinary margaritas don’t have. My wife, however, hit the jackpot with her choice of El Tamarito. A margarita featuring tamarind, orange juice and chile powder, it’s sweet—but even better, spicy (the chile powder and salt on the rim lend it an extra bite). Sip after sip, El Tamarito unveils new flavors. At one moment, you taste the tart OJ, at another the sweet tamarind (as you get to the bottom, there’s even bits of tamarind to chew on). Best of all, the chile never overpowers the other flavors—rather, it entices you to have some more. And that’s what I ended up doing, leaving my wife with no option other than to order another one.

LOS COMPADRES 3229 E ANAHEIM ST • LONG BEACH 90804 • 562.961.0061 • 1144 PINE AVE • LONG BEACH 90813 • 562.432.0061 • LOSCOMPADRESLBC.COM

Tags: Drink of the Week, el tamarito, Long Beach, los compadres, margarita, mexican, tamarind