‘Watts for Dinner’: Garibaldi’s serves up hearty Mexican fare

Our next dining destination is Garibaldi Mexican Grill & Bakery in South Naples.

Things got off to an appetizing start with some house made chips and salsa (gratis) and a spinach, cheese and mushroom quesadilla ($10.99).

The corn chips are thick and crunchy and you have a choice between a smoky red sauce and salsa verde. I prefer the green; but on a scale of mild to wild, this salsa is not for wimps and will induce you to drink a lot of wherever you’re having.

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I’ve never had a quesadilla with this particular combination of ingredients. But let me tell you, this works. Maybe the best dish of the night.

We also shared some sopas (you get two for $4.99), featuring carne asada. Sopas are a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a fried masa base with savory toppings. The base is fried with pinched sides and topped with refried beans, crumbled cheese, lettuce, onions, salsa and sour cream.

In this case, the savory topping was carne asada (aka grilled beef). Simply amazing! A must try.

For my main entrée, I selected the chicken milanesa ($12.99). Milanesa is thinly sliced or a pounded filet that’s breaded and fried. And it’s incredible. This dish comes with rice, beans and a small salad.

My dining companion had the chicken enchiladas verde ($12.99). This is one of his favorite dishes from Garibaldi, and it’s huge!

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The sauce is a bit tamer than the green salsa, due to a little extra time on the stove top and a slightly different blend. This place is known for its enchiladas, my favorite being the mole enchiladas. Mole, featuring poblano peppers, chocolate and chili peppers, is to be celebrated in all forms; and is generally served with chicken and corn tortillas. But the enchilada take is a nice twist; especially with the crema, greens and cotija cheese on top.

The last time I reviewed Garibaldi’s was June 2018. My entrée then was the steak and onions. It features a generous portion of thinly-sliced marinated flank steak, topped with cooked onions, with a small side of greens, a heaping pile of Mexican rice and refried beans.   

The steak may be a little dry for some tastes, but that’s the way it comes. I think the onions and beans counters with that. I swear there’s lard in them thar beans; but I don’t know that for a fact. Lard gets a bad rep, but it’s tasty.

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If you go

Garibaldi Mexican Grill & Bakery

• 11510 Tamiami Trail E, Naples
• 239-775-1511
• garibaldigrill.com