‘Watts for Dinner’ the Takeout Edition: Tex Mex in Paradise at Nacho’s Mama’s

Our next dining destination is Nacho Mama’s, the queen of Tex Mex.

Things got off to an appetizing start with quesadillas. Ranging from $10 to $17, you can choose from cheese, beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, scallop, carne asada, fajita chicken, grilled tuna or veggie; or just about any combination of the above.

We picked the veggie ($14) with a grilled crispy tortilla filled with tomato, corn, cilantro and a myriad of other veggies along with onion and cheese. It’s served with sour cream, picante cream, black olives and jalapenos.

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These were some thick quesadillas and I especially loved the picante cream, which is exactly what it sounds like, but takes on a personality all its own (kind of like thousand island dressing does). Love it!

For my first night’s entrée, I got the seared ahi tuna ($17), sesame encrusted lightly seared tuna, topped with Thai sauce. It’s served with rice and wasabi paste.

The Thai sauce is tangy and amazing, and the tuna was seared to my liking; enough but not too much. Lots of sesame seeds and a huge serving, considering.

For my second night, I ordered the Mama’s Burritos (2 per order, $12-$14). I picked shrimp as my protein and the red pepper cream sauce instead of black bean salsa. The meal comes with rice and either black or refried beans.

These burritos were packed tight. And I loved the salty, cheesy, red pepper cream sauce. I added my own cotija cheese for just the right mix. Amazing!

My partner in dine ordered the enchiladas (3 per order, $11-$14); he picked chicken as his protein. Wrapped in tortillas and served in Mama’s red enchilada sauce, with melted cheese and topped with scallions, it’s served with rice and your choice of beans.

This is a huge dish, so come hungry. And while not the best enchiladas we’ve tried, these are solid performers.

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For his next night, he picked the rellenos ($15-$16). This dish features two poblano stuffed peppers, featuring cheese, rice and your choice of protein (in this case chicken) with a red pepper cream sauce. It’s served with rice and beans.

If you’ve had tradition chile rellenos, this is a bit of a departure, but amazing in it’s own right. Instead of a light egg batter, this has more of a traditional batter and appears deep fried. And like most deep fried things, it looked and tasted yummy and naughty at the same time.  

Speaking of naughty … for dessert, my dining companion had the fried ice cream with caramel sauce ($5); while not exactly fried ice cream, it was a delicious brown-sugary sundae; but you can skip the caramel sauce. I had the fried chimichanga banana cheesecake ($7), and yes, you can taste every ingredient. And it works.

If you’re looking for Tex Mex, you can’t go wrong by visiting Mama’s house.

More:Hey Marco Island, looking for a place to eat?

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If you go

Nacho Mama’s

• 599 South Collier Boulevard, Marco Island
• 239-389-2222
• thenachomamas.com