The place: Caliente Kitchen, 8 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Call 561-450-6940.
The hours: 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 4 to 10 p.m. on Monday.
The deal: Two-for-one drinks and $2 tacos. Reggae on Mondays.
The digs: The setting is standard these days for a Tex-Mex-themed cantina: faux Texas icehouse meets Mexican shanty-style beach bar. But here, it's blown up to modern American supersized proportions. You can get your
margarita in a regular pint-sized glass or get a double in a 32-ounce
glass the size of your head. This is convenient, as you might need to
use it to put your brains in if you attempt to sample the 200 different
tequilas that line wall behind the bar -- the prices of which range from
your average $5 shot to your not-so-average $50 (and above) shot.
Drinks
are provided by macho dudes in gas-station-attendant uniforms
embroidered with the name "Papi" and females in tight black tank tops or
tight black corsets. Sports play on the flat screens, and radio-friendly rock and reggae plays over the loudspeakers.
The verdict: Caliente is probably the best place to sample the wide
world of tequila outside of certain areas of Mexico or Disney's Epcot Center.
It's also a good place to get a good taco (in a red tortilla) at all
hours of the day or night -- the taco window
is open until 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday!
