We were driving from Tim’s Ford lake to Memphis on U.S. 64 and decided to have lunch in Savannah, Tennessee.  We were reconciled to a quick fast food stop and were pleasantly surprised to see a Mexican restaurant with a whole bunch of cars in the parking lot.  What the heck, we both like Mexican cooking and have found it generally reliable.  Again we had no expectations past a decent lunch.

The usual chips and salsa arrived with the menus and we gave them a taste.  What a surprise!  If you have read my previous food musings, you know that I tend to judge a Chinese restaurant by the quality of their egg drop soup.  In the case of a Mexican restaurant, it is all about the salsa.  The salsa at La Potosina’s was made with fresh tomatoes and generous heaps of cilantro.  There was a hint of peppers and the tangy mixture sang on your tongue. 

So far, so good.  My next early warning criteria is the cheese dip.  The dip came without the usual additives that many Mexican restaurants feel compelled to add to the cheese.  This was simply smooth and pure cheese which was delightful.  The pico de gallo was made with fresh ingredients including again, a generous amount of cilantro.  We were glad we came and we had not even ordered our entrees.

We each ordered one of the lunch combinations and I am pleased to say the same close attention to detail and the use of fresh ingredients carried through to the main event.  I ordered the chicken enchiladas and they were freshly made and swimming in brown gravy that was just as good as the same dish at Karam’s in San Antonio.  Karam’s was to Tex-Mex as Doe’s is to steaks, so there is no higher praise that I can give.  Our quick stop for fast food turned into an hour dining delight.