Mexican without the Margaritas

A new Mexican place opened close to our house this week in a shopping center that has been built for more than a year but has few tenants. That's a common site in our area. On the drive home, we saw two more centers that are built with four to six units each all for lease. I don't understand why these places are constructed only to sit there for months on end before a company leases part of it.

Sorry, I digress. Don Gallo Mexican Grille is a great dining experience. There is another location off Northshore Drive in Knoxville, and I hope the new one off Hardin Valley Road brings in customers because we'll definitely return. The salsa was extremely fresh, and the chips were warm. David ordered the Burrito Don Gallo, and I got the Chimichanga Acapulco, a huge portion that allowed me to bring some home. The service was great with a courteous staff, and very efficient.

The only thing missing from our meal was a nice refreshing margarita. There are some strange alcohol laws in Tennessee, and this is one of them. We don't live in the city of Knoxville, only Knox County, and some of these areas can only serve beer, not wine or liquor. I think it's a ridiculous rule since some of the unincorporated areas that can't serve liquor or wine are literally less than a mile away from restaurants that can serve them. The other Don Gallo's location does serve margaritas, and there is a petition right now to allow the sale of liquor and wine in all locations. I think it's also strange that we can't buy wine on Sundays in Tennessee, but beer sales are allowed. Oh well, we still enjoyed a great Mexican meal without the margarita.