Cinco De Mayo

This place is called Cabo Grill now. I’ve been here quite a few times since moving to Caldwell and Cabo has always been one of my go to restaurants. The food is so good. And the service is amazing. I love the bean dip. Quality food and good service means I will keep coming back.

This Business is closed and another Mexican restaurant is going in the Cabo Grill

I suppose I should have been concerned that there was only one other party at the restaurant when we arrived.
The experience here started with a basket a chips accompanied by a cup of cold beans & half a cup of salsa. We also ordered the new queso dip for $ 1; appropriately priced. The salsa seemed fairly fresh but no exciting flavor, the beans could not have been more bland (mushy cardboard anyone?)
Decided to try their margarita — my first taste was straight up sweet & sour mix… did they add any tequila?
I ordered enchiladas suizas — chicken enchiladas with tomatillo sauce & cheese. This dish was completely inedible! The chicken was so salty that the only way that I could stomach any of it was to add more bland beans. The tomatillo sauce was watery & completely non-​descript, even solo it had almost no flavor. I left more than half the food on the plate & nibbled off my husband’s plate (at least he had some good mushrooms in his meal).
By the time we arrived home, my stomach felt like a huge brick.
Sorry, but this in not quality Mexican food.

I have a lot of friends and I do a lot of business meetings at restaurants — so I eat out a lot. I have my favorites in every culinary genre — Goldy’s and Café de Paris for breakfast, Yen Ching for Chinese, Chef’s Hut for Finger steaks, Merritt’s for scones, Guido’s for Pizza, Aliya’s for bagels, etc. However, I have a deep dark secret that I have kept mostly to myself out of anxiety because of where I live — Boise, Idaho. Tonight I can freely disclose the secret because it has been addressed. The secret: I do not have a favorite Mexican restaurant in Boise, in Idaho or in the whole Northwest. I should say ‘DID not’ because as of tonight — I do: Cinco de Mayo located at 10 386 W Ustick Rd.
Up until now I have been downright self centered when someone asks, «…ok, where should we go to eat?» I jump right in with as many suggestions and propaganda as I can muster because I have dreaded fear that someone (7 out of 10 in Boise) will suggest Mexican. It’s not that I do not like Mexican cuisine (just not here in Idaho); but my favorite Mexican meal was enjoyed in Mexico and I had another memorable one in a tiny dirty roadside cantina in southern California about 20 years ago; other than those two experiences — zip, zilch, nada.
Even in high school and during my BSU days, 7 out of 10 times friends would suggest Taco Bell for fast food stops and I would rigorously campaign against it. If I absolutely cannot change my companion’s minds then I insist on going to a roadside Mexican roach coach — trust me, they are better than any restaurant Mexican food in the Treasure Valley until — Cinco de Mayo.
My folks went 3 nights ago and raved about it. They insisted on treating me and my family as soon as possible and I stalled until tonight. I had low expectations and instead — I was blown away!
The place was fairly empty when we arrived at 5:15 but by 6PM it was packed. I soon found out why. Since I have not been big on Mexican food I do not remember the names of all the dishes we ordered (there was 6 of us) but I know my wife had the shrimp with some exquisite green spicy sauce, my Mom had beefsteak and I had the VOLCANO. My dinner was so freaking tasty and well displayed that I had to try bites off everyone else’s plates to be sure it was not a fluke and it was all… DELICIOUS!
We were greeted and seated by the owner who remembered what my folks ordered from their previous visit. We were entertained by an excellent Mexican singer who sang Spanish songs in such a clear voice; I thought it was a CD.
And did I mention the food was absolutely DELICIOUS?
I can now face the future with a bit more confidence. When someone suggests Mexican I can say, «OK, but I get to pick the place: Cinco de Mayo, baby!