Scott J. Banwart Testimonials

I am from Milwaukee, WI
I work Bike Week almost every year, and I was saddened this year to find out my favorite Daytona restaurant, Cancun Lagoon, had closed. I was bound and determined to still have Mexican food ,
so I crossed my fingers and used my Garmin GPS to find the next closest Mexican restaurant, and boy am I glad I did because it led me to you!

Last Monday, March 2 around 6pm (my 37th birthday) I brought two colleagues into your establishment with me and our intent was to simply have some chips, salsa, and a margarita while we were killing time waiting for another colleague to arrive at the airport. We sat down at the bar and were immediately welcomed by the lovely, sweet lady behind it (I assume is the owner?). We were treated like regulars and felt like we were “home” (definitely not a common experience at most establishments during Bike Week). This quick stop turned into 1, then 2, then I think 3 margaritas. I think I had found the PERFECT margarita that I have been in search of my whole life! The guacamole was also the best I’ve ever had….hands down.

Luckily we had a designated driver, so we quickly went to the airport and came right back for dinner….yet another wise choice on our part. I was disappointed you did not have my favorite dish, carnitas, on the menu, but the lovely waitress (I did not get her name) suggested another pork dish (I don’t recall the name of the dish though….too many margaritas at that point!). Well, it was incredible. My 3 colleagues could not stop praising the dishes they got either.

Then of course my friends had to announce it was my birthday, so the staff made me wear the sombrero (see attached picture) while I blew out the candle in my tres leches (my favorite dessert, which was also incredible). I am a foodie and amateur home “chef” at heart, and have been infatuated with Mexican food my whole life….especially after my trip to

Mexico a few years ago. Mariachis is the best I’ve ever had in the U.S. , and it reminded me of that trip. I will no doubt return when I’m at Bike Week almost every year, and I will strongly recommend it to my 100+ colleagues that attend every year too. I wanted to return again later in the week to thank you in person and eat there again, but unfortunately my schedule did not allow.

Which admittedly leads me to an ulterior motive for this letter. There are not many good Mexican restaurants in the Milwaukee area, so I’ve tried and tried to create authentic Mexican food in my own kitchen, but every dish I’ve tried just doesn’t have “it”. First of all, I would suggest you come out with a cookbook if you haven’t already. Until then, I was wondering if you might share some recipes and general cooking techniques with me. Particularly for your PERFECT margaritas, salsa, guacamole, and that pork dish I had (if you know which one I’m talking about). I would be interested in any other recipes on your menu you’d be willing to share too. I know how competitive the restaurant business is and your secrets are important to keep quiet, so I fully understand if you can’t provide “real” recipes. But perhaps something very close? I am not in the restaurant business, and if I were, it would be in the Midwest . I also have no intentions of selling your recipes or anything like that. I’m simply a hobby cook, and want to do my best to re-create your flavors in my kitchen at home in Wisconsin until I can return to Daytona next year and experience them first-hand again! Also, as any chef knows, knowing the ingredients is only a piece of it. Freshness of the ingredients, the cooking techniques and that something “special” a true artist brings to a dish is what really makes it unique. You can give a recipe to 5 different people, and get 5 totally different flavors! So even if you do share any secrets, it’s highly unlikely I’ll be able to completely reproduce your flavors, let alone open a restaurant with them or sell them! If you say no to my request, do not fear, it will have no impact on my decision to return next year….that’s a given no matter what. Again, I fully understand why you would choose not to provide any recipes to someone you do not know! If you do not want to share entire recipes, maybe you could suggest a good Mexican cookbook to get headed in the right direction, and also be a pen pal “consultant” as I continue to create good Mexican food in my own kitchen? Anyway, best wishes to your entire staff. I look forward to hearing from you.

Until Bike Week 2010,
Scott J. Banwart
Milwaukee, WI