Flyer

Issue date: 11/26/08 Section: Tempo

Media Credit: Carlo Calma Located in Downtown Plainfield, The Front Street Cantina serves up tastey Mexican dishes sure to fill up any appetite.

A drive down Lockport Sreet into Downtown Plainfield will take any Hungry Flyer down "South of the Border," to the Mexican cuisine themed restaurant, The Front Street Cantina.

With two other locations in Wheaton, and another one located in the heart of Downtown Naperville, The Front Street Cantina began as "Two Amigos," who frequently traveled the Southwest and Mexico, "enjoy[ing] Mexican cuisine and dreaming of a restaurant serving the finest, most authentic and flavorful food," according to the restaurant's menu.

The Front Street Cantina boasts a mean menu, filled with many Mexican cuisine favorites like tamales, enchiladas, fajitas, tostadas and hearty taco lunches/dinners.

The restaurant provides a very casual dining atmosphere, featuring a full bar with four flat screen TV's, perfect for a game night out. And staying true to the restaurant's theme, the dining area has a rustic, small Mexican village motif featuring Aztec murals on the walls and even "Cerveza SOL" condiment holders, ultimately giving patrons a hands-down, casual dining experience.

My cousin and I were served complimentary chips and salsa, as an appetizer, and I ended up ordering a "Traditional" chimichanga dinner - a burrito with a really flaky shell with cheese and chicken inside, that came with a side order of rice and black beans, providing this Hungry Flyer a hearty and filling meal.

My order was $8.95, and considering I paid for my cousin, our overall total came to $20.40, which is pretty steep, but overall, worth it.

But fret not fellow Hungry Flyers because The Front Street Cantina does have its share of college budget friendly meals, as well as a Monday through Friday lunch specials, and combo dinners, that will definitely stretch a Hamilton.

A simple cheese quesadilla during lunch runs for $5.95, while a taco salad, a flour tortilla basket filled with lettuce, refried beans, olives, onions and chicken/ground or shredded beef, is priced at $6.95.

Their Monday through Friday lunch specials that includes a side order of Mexican Rice and "Front Street Beans," runs until 4 p.m. and has specials that include "Combination Monday," priced at $6.95, that includes a burrito and an enchilada, and "Taco Tuesday" coming in at $6.25, that'll give patrons two soft-shelled (or three crispy shelled) tacos, to name a few.

Specials on the dinner menu include a "Mexican Pizza," topped with one's choice of chorizo sausage, ham, onions, peppers or mushrooms. that comes in at $6.75.

"Combination Dinners" include the "Acapulco" (a taco and tamale combo) and the "Tijuana" (a taco and burrito combo), to name a few, that are priced at $8.95 and $9.75 respectively.

Final verdict, The Front Street Cantina, is pretty pricey, but for a special, yet casual, night out, or for game night out with the boys, Front Street is the way to go for great Mexican cuisine. Its cool staff, festive Southwestern motif and great menu can take any Hungry Flyer "South of the Border."

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