Take a drive to Route 67 for great Tex-Mex cuisine
The taco combo is available at Route 67 Tex-Mex in American Fork.
The Veggie Machine Burrito is available at Route 67 Tex-Mex in American Fork.
The Shrimp Salad at Route 67 Tex-Mex in American Fork.
The Veggie Machine Burrito is available at Route 67 Tex-Mex in American Fork.
The Pastel Tres Leches Cake at Route 67 Tex-Mex in American Fork.
Food is prepared at Route 67 Tex-Mex in American Fork.
The Shrimp Salad is available at Route 67 Tex-Mex in American Fork.
Texan and Mexican cuisine have come together in a vibrant way in American Fork of all places.
Route 67 may be a 1,560-mile highway with a southern end connecting Texas with the Mexican border at the town of Presidio, but in American Fork, Route 67 Tex-Mex is located in a quiet strip mall on State Street.
We stopped in at the restaurant on July 4th, the most American of holidays, and literally had the place to ourselves. The interior was sleek and clean, just like one would expect from a restaurant that’s only been open for a couple months. The paint tones on the wall were Southwestern in nature — green, dark orange, brown and dark red — and there were an array of tables that would typically seat four patrons each. Seating capacity was listed at 49.
Orders are placed at a front counter and then brought to your table.
Perusing the menu on the wall, we were immediately taken by the melange of ingredients appearing in the descriptions. We were especially intrigued by the assorted collection of tacos — so much so that we inquired if we could purchase a combo platter mixing and matching a trio of tacos — even though that option didn’t appear on the menu.
“Of course,” we were told.
That option made our various decisions a whole lot easier.
We started things off with a side order of chips — a near must at any Mexican-style restaurant. The order comes with three somewhat small cups containing guacamole, pico de gallo and chile verde sauce.
The chips were simply average, but the guacamole and pico were outstanding. The guacamole was thick and zesty with a perfect flavor, and the pico also sported a “just right” consistency and taste. These two cups were quickly depleted of their contents with plenty of chips still remaining in the basket. We asked about the potential for refills and were thrilled to discover that complimentary refills were indeed available. That allowed us to attack the rest of the chips with relish. The chile verde sauce was also good — but we are definite fans of the guacamole and pico.
As for the taco combo platter — we went with three of the eight available options. Our choices were the Vino Tinto Pomegranate Steak Taco, the Chipotle Mango Pork Taco and the Pineapple Cilantro Chicken. All three came stuffed to a level that made it hard to lift them without spilling contents all over — but that’s half the fun, isn’t it?
The Vino Tinto Pomegranate Steak Taco featured a variety of contents including arugula, radicchio, spicy pomegranate adereso, grilled steak, jalapeño-red wine glaze, pomegranate pico, shallots and cilantro. We must admit that there was a strong pomegranate infusion, which we really liked. Very good.
The Chipotle Mango Pork Taco was jam packed with kale, radicchio, arugula, chipotle adereso, pulled pork, mango pico de gallo, jalapeño-honey glaze, queso fresco and cilantro. If possible, this tasted even better than the pomegranate taco. Those not keen on too much spiciness should not be deterred by the jalapeño-flavored glaze. It contains only a slight, but welcome kick.
And if that were not enough, I enjoyed the final taco even better than its two predecessors. The Pineapple Cilantro Chicken Taco sported tremendous flavor with its combination of kale, radicchio, jalapeno-lime adereso, grilled chicken, pineapple pico de gallo, jalapeño-honey glaze, queso fresco and cilantro.
The tacos also came with Mexican rice and a black bean salad.
We also sampled a couple of burritos — the Chicken and Avocado, and also the Steak Fajita. These were solid choices — and also came with a side of chips and pico — but not on the same realm as the tacos I’d tried.
My daughter Brighton ordered the Mexican Caesar Salad. It included Romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, queso fresco, Mexican-style Caesar dressing and cilantro. The dressing had a bit of a kick to it, but all in all, Brighton loved the salad.
There were several bottled drinks available, but we opted for the regular fountain variety sodas. There were different kinds of Tres Leches cake slices available for dessert, but we were way too full to give them a try.
Maybe that will be in the works the next time we make a pit stop at Route 67.
ROUTE 67 TEX-MEX
Where: 456 E. State St., Suite 1200, American Fork
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday
Prices: $4.95-$9.95
Info: (801) 692-1649, route67texmex.com
Dining
