What started out as a welcome home trip to a restaurant, ended up taking this foodie to a heavenly place.

Jan returned from her week long trip after visiting our granddaughter and I wanted to get out so we could talk about all the cute things Emma did. Ok, maybe a 5 day old baby can’t really do much but eat, sleep and take care of business (I’m sure you know what I mean). Anyway, it was a good excuse to get out and sample what the tourists do in Eureka Springs, Arkansas and oh what a meal we had.

We headed to Casa Colina because I knew they were having a Spare Rib dinner with a Mexican Barbecue sauce and it just sounded like something I’d like to try. We started with a Guacamole appetizer with pineapple salsa that was finished with a drizzle of raspberry sauce. While Jan loves guacamole I can take it or leave it, but the combination of the pineapple and raspberry was a very interesting and tasty twist on this appetizer and we went through two baskets of tortilla chips scooping the appetizer off of the plate.

The main entry came and it looked delectable. There was a pile of spare ribs with a Mexican barbecue sauce, fresh roasted corn on the cob and black beans topped with a little cheese. My stomach started to growl not so silently. I started with the corn which was roasted to perfection and seasoned with lime juice and just a touch of red pepper. It was perhaps the best corn I’ve ever tasted. The tartness of the lime against the sweetness of the corn gave the corn a very satisfying flavor.

The spare ribs were tender and the sauce had just enough spiciness to it to make it interesting but not overwhelming. They were too good to save for lunch, so I ate them all right then and there.

I’ve always liked black beans over the re-fried beans you normally get at most Mexican restaurants and these worked well with the spare ribs.

After the meal Joe, who owns the restaurant with his wife Dani, asked if we’d mind trying a Mojito he was thinking of serving at the restaurant. “Sure, why not”, we said. Neither of us had every tried a Mojito and found that the lime, mint and rum drink that Joe served tasted like limeade, well, except with a little more kick. The drink was refreshing although we thought the mint leaves shouldn’t be blended with the drink because they get caught in the straw.

Casa Colina is one of the restaurants we include in our packages offered at 5 Ojo Inn Bed and Breakfast. It’s well worth a try.

…Richard