I know you've missed me, but I promise I'll make up for it. The fam and I spent a long weekend at Norris Lake over the last few days - sunning, boating, cocktailing and of course, eating. Lucky for you, I'll be detailing this gastro-riffic journey!

The first night we got into town, we had just enough time to get out on the boat before sunset. Afterwards, we ventured out for a grocery run and to grab a late dinner. Most of the joints in this little lake town close early, and the only place we could find open past 8:50pm was El Mariachi.
It looked like the typical hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint, so I wasn't expecting much - but we were all pleasantly surprised. We all ordered beers to accompany our salsa & chips brought to the table, and our food came out no more than 10 minutes after we'd ordered. The servings were plentiful and some of the best Mexican food any of us have had in a while. The most memorable dishes were dad's Picadillo (steak grilled with onions, peppers and tomatoes) and Mr. FvF's Pollo Loco (marinated grilled chicken in a spicy tomato sauce and oodles of cheese). Naturally, I sampled them both to make sure they weren't exaggerating the goodness because they were starving.

I'd love to tell you that I have pictures for you, but we hadn't eaten in 9+ hours, so there just wasn't time for such foolishness. The service was tops, and as far as Mexican food goes, it was pretty authentic and total taste bud annihilation.