Blanco Cocina + Cantina — Restaurant in Four Corners States

The Honey and I are trying new places as part of the Sonoran Restaurant week, and started with Blanco. Their prix fixe is $35 for two, including one appetizer and dessert, with two entrees, which I believe is a fair price for the experience.

First, we went for dinner, and the vista and atmosphere outdoors were both inviting and festive. As salseros, we appreciated the music (may be a bit loud for others but not us), the tables were an appropriate distance from one another, and the views of twinkling city lights made our date night special.

We started with the guacamole which had enough of a kick but not too much, yummy, and I appreciated the caramelized onions (as raw onions don't sit well with my digestive tract). The chips were insanely salted, but thankfully, Weylin, our server, replaced them so we could enjoy the guac.

As I'm leaning towards a more plant-based lifestyle, I ordered the caramelized sweet potato enchiladas. The sweet potato and the Portobello mushrooms were conspicuously light (perhaps the kitchen ran out?), but instead the zucchini was center stage. I subbed a green sauce for the traditional red and the meal was pleasant. The enchiladas were good, but not great because of the absence of the sweet potato/mushroom, the portion was satisfactory, and I really enjoyed the black beans.

The Honey ordered the traditional carnitas tacos: his meal was such a salt bomb that he really couldn't enjoy the dish nor the different flavors. His taste buds were so altered that he shared that his watermelon agua fresca tasted like water. I took a sip and no, it had solid flavors with a nice balance between the watermelon and lime which my taste buds could discern but his couldn't thanks to the salt shaker tacos.

The standout was the Mexican tiramisu, an innovative take on the Italian standard. The dessert was a creamy mélange of dulce de leche and chocolate mousse, with the surprising crunch of the candied walnuts and Maria's cookies. The portion was small, but because it was so rich, our sweet yen was satisfied.

Also, the skinny margarita was great! I enjoyed it straight up, and I could taste the elderflower with enough of the tequila -- yummy!

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the wait staff and Weylin in particular. They were attentive without hovering and Weylin was patient and expert in offering alternatives, which is the mark of an expert server.

All in all, we'd probably return if we're in the area, but certainly would discuss and adjust the salt content when ordering. The salt bombs really did detract from this being a great meal to a merely...

I have been to the location in Scottsdale before and love it. When I found out this is where we were eating for UofA family weekend I was excited. We made a reservation and I'm glad we did because the place was packed. We were seated right away.

We were told about happy hour by our server and placed our orders. We ordered some trio of dips. We wish we had just done the guacamole because basically for the guacamole in the trio of dips they just give you the tiniest bit of it. We asked for more chips and we saw our server Jason take our chips to another table by accident and leave them there. It took over 5 minutes to get more chips after we had waited awhile and over 10 to get a refill if water. He then brought us a cereal sized bowl of salsa as extra salsa. However we still had a full cup of salsa from when it was originally brought out. We have no idea what the bowl of salsa was for.

I ordered the chicken al pastor tacos. I thought chicken pastor tacos were odd because typically al pastor tacos are made with pork. When they arrived they did not have pineapple on them like stated on the menu, they did not even taste like al pastor tacos and they were so spicy for me I could only take 2 bites. I LOVE spicy food so when I told my family they were too spicy they looked baffled. I NEVER send back food because I feel bad and uncomfortable doing so, but I had to otherwise my stomach would get revenge on me later.

Jason came to our table to check on us and I said that I was so sorry but the tacos were just too spicy for me. I handed him the plate and he said "well maybe some jalapeño touched the taco, do you want to try eating the second one?" What???? I was so confused and just asked him for regular carnitas but he asked again about me finishing the al pastor tacos. Look I know it's a pain for him to have to go back to the chef and say that I thought it was too spicy. I was already feeling bad about sending it back and very uncomfortable. I just wanted regular carnitas to replace. He brought out the carnitas after. They were just ok. I just remember Blanco in Scottsdale being so much better so I was a little let down.

The actual restaurant itself is super cool. The restaurant is opened up to the outside with plenty of patio seating and great views. I would totally go back and give it another chance in May...

My husband and I had dinner here last night with several of our friends and it was awful! If it wasn’t for such amazing company joining us we would have walked out! First it took our 2 margaritas almost 20 min to get to the table! Second we waited 20 min for more chips and salsa and had to ask 2 different people for it, it’s a Mexican restaurant, why are chips and salsa such a difficult task? Then our food came... my girlfriend and I ordered tortilla soup, which should be the last time plated, but was clearly the first thing they put in the window because it was cold by the time it got to us. My other girlfriend ordered salad with mahi, her fish was so undercooked it was pink and squishy, so basically they gave her mahi sushi on her salad! Then my second margarita I ordered the “dodges Cadillac”($14) but they brought me “the margarita” ($9). I told my server and she returned to tell me that the bartender said it was indeed the dodges Cadillac, so i did the taste test. It was INDEED not a Cadillac, concluded through sight and taste from serval attendees of our party! So our server returned with her “manager”. The woman was very defensive, and unapologetic for the undercooked fish, and margarita mistake! She asked me what I wanted her to do about the margarita, either have a new one made or just add the grand marnier on top. I went with just added grand marnier on top instead of having a new one made properly because her tone and body language clearly showed we were an inconvenience for her! She then took the undercooked fish to “show the chef” and then never returned to our table to follow up or bring a new piece of fish! Not to mention the little bit of the fish that my girlfriend did eat made her not feel well and ended her evening early! They did not accommodate our table or even apologize once! For the amount of money they charge and the area of town they’re located in the service and attitudes weren’t even “okay”. We will never be returning to blanco taco again and we will definitely be sharing our experience with friends and family to save them from the same delightful...