Cactus Review

Jason here. The other week we went out to dinner with a good friend of ours. Kayleigh and I have both been wanting to try out some more Bellevue restaurants, so this was the perfect chance. We opted go for a Southwest restaurant named Cactus.

The first thing I liked about Cactus was how convenient it was to get to. It’s connected to the Bellevue Square Mall, which always has plenty of parking. The wait was only around 40 minutes, and we found a nice place to sit and talk around the corner while we waited to be buzzed.

The second thing I liked about Cactus was how gluten free friendly they were. Not only did they have a specific gluten free menu (available online), but the waitress was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. She even let me know the table nachos were not entirely gluten free as they had been cooked in the same deep fryer as other items.

The menu was expansive for all gluten free items, including more than a couple appetizers. I’m always happy when I have a variety to choose from. I ultimately ended up getting the bacon wrapped jalapenos for an appetizer, and the Seafood Enchilada for my main dish.

The jalapenos were tasty, but nowhere near as spicy as I was expecting. In fact, I would say they had no heat at all, which was surprising. I felt sort of goofy eating them as the bacon did want to stay wrapped, and it was a bit difficult to cut properly and not have it all fall apart. The taste is a bit hard to describe. The goat cheese and bacon tasted very standard, but the jalapeno itself did not have any spice. This is probably a good thing considering there were around half a dozen, each as large or larger than my thumb. 

The main course was even better. The meal over all is an easy sell for me. I love cheese, shellfish, and salsa, so I knew I would enjoy it. I even enjoyed the bits of snapper in my enchilada. Maybe my pallet is finally warming up to fish now.

I’m sure the black beans tasted great, but I’m not really qualified to speak on this as I am not really a fan of them. Beans always taste sort of bland to me, unless they are heavily spiced. Don’t get me wrong, I think beans definitely have a place in a meal like this or chili, they just are not something that I can get excited about.

It came with a side of Spanish rice, which was just loaded with flavor. Sometimes rice, even Spanish rice can be a bit bland, but that was definitely not the case here. I would not say they had any heat to them, but definitely in that family of spice.

At the end of the meal I felt stuffed, and completely safe knowing it was a gluten free. I definitely recommend giving this place a shot if you are on the Eastside.

Kayleigh here. Cactus is a great spot for when friends or family have a bit of shopping to do in the mall, or something to pass the time waiting for a table- you can leave your cell phone number with the hostess to make sure you do not miss when your time comes. Out of all the food, I was the most impressed with the sides that came with most of their entrees. I’m really not a fan of the rice that is so commonly served at Mexican restaurants, but I found theirs to be well seasoned and topped with what must have been pumpkin seeds? It was a nice touch. And I always love black beans, particularly served as they were with a light addition of cumin and crumbled cheese. We did not take advantage of it this time, but it seemed that there were a few enticing dessert options, as well as a unique Margarita menu. If you have gotten the chance to try anything else on the menu, leave a comment below and let us know how it was!

The Matador Review

Jason here. Recently, Kayleigh’s parents came up for a visit. We wanted to find a nice gluten free restaurant that would be local to the Eastside. After a little searching, we found the The Matador’s Redmond location.

To start, the Matador is gluten free friendly. I was nearly certain of this before even stepping inside. How do you ask? Because any restaurant that has a gluten free menu available, or labels allergy information on the main menu starts off with high marks. Bonus points for having this menu readily available online. Additionally, we even had a gluten intolerant waitress who was friendly and answered any questions we had about the menu.

One important note to get out of the way is, be careful when ordering off of their gluten free menu. Many items call out that you need to make a substitution, while others are marked that they are cooked in the same deep fryer which cooks items which contain gluten.

I was not up for taking any risks on the deep fried wings, so I opted to go for the Enchiladas Picante on corn tortillas, with shredded chicken. These came with a side of annatto rice and black beans. True to their description, the enchiladas were very spicy. I tend to like really spicy foods, and these were just perfect. There is a fine line between extra spicy food, and just creating a dish as hot as possible, which sacrifices flavor along the way. The enchiladas were bursting with flavor. The Monterey jack cheese, lettuce, habanero chiles, and red bell peppers all blend together nicely to create a blend of flavors. The rice itself was also good, and made and helped take away some of the heat from the enchiladas. The black beans were okay, but I have never been a fan of just plain beans, although these did have what I would describe as a slightly refried texture to them. As a last comment for my meal, if you know you like foods more on the mild side of spicey, then I would recommend ordering another entrée.

Luckily, there are many gluten free options to choose from, including multiple types of enchiladas, steaks, sandwiches (no bun), salads, and even a handful of appetizers. This makes the Matador a good place to go with a larger group, since there will almost certainly be an item for everyone.

Kayleigh here. I decided it was a ‘go big or go home’ sort of day, and ordered the cucumber-jalapeno margarita to go with my Enchiladas Picante. Their margaritas were refreshing, the shrimp in my enchiladas were perfectly cooked, and despite what Jason says, the black beans were the better side. I just love black beans.

As a quick note, I really enjoyed the Matador’s ambiance. There are a couple large stained glass windows which you should check out, along with a massive wall of tequila. Which by the way, if you like margaritas or other tequila drinks that Matador is for you as it is their specialty. If you are ever feeling adventurous, order a flight!