La Sirena Gorda Cabaña

We had a delightful dinner at La Sirena Gorda Cabaña the other night. The food was excellent, the atmosphere and ambience suberb, and the service spot-on. If I could have, I'd have eaten even more, but we left stuffed and happy, for sure, not even room for dessert--maybe next time.

La Sirena Gorda Cabaña is a new Mexican restaurant in downtown Sanford, just off of historic First Street. The dining room itself is beautifully decorated with warm and inviting colors and decor. But what sets it apart form the rest is the outdoor area with both a patio and lawn seating in a nice open space, well lit and decorate. When we were there, they had live music and we've enjoyed the live music previously as well. It really is a nice space for dinner, for appetizers, or just for a few drinks with friends. 

We are friends with owners Sherri and Lauren, and they were happy to see us again. We've been by a few times now for drinks and appetizers, but finally decided to give the food a try by having a meal. We were not at all disappointed, it was very, very good.

We started out with some drinks and chips and salsa. But then we got down to business. For my dinner I ordered the Tamales Chilangos with chicken. OMG! The tamale itself (there were two of them), the corn, was very moist and tender, not at all dry, and had a nice corn flavor. They had been steamed to perfection and were served over what I assume was a banana leaf, a nice presentation. The Spanish Rice was not the normal saffron rice you see everywhere, but was instead white rice with hints of corn and peas and onion and other flavors that made it very tasty. I had the black beans to go with and found them perfect when mixed with the rice. I've never been to Mexico, but I think this is what food in Mexico must taste like, and it was wonderful.

Tommy had the Burrito Mojado, a flour tortilla stuffed with shredded beef, chiles, Mexican cheeses, lettuce, and tomato, then baked  with an enchilada sauce and smothered with cheeses and sour cream. It was everything a real burrito should be, extremely moist and tender inside with a nice gentle heat from the chiles. The refried beans were a nice complement to the Spanish Rice and were not the typical, pasty fare you find most places--these were really homemade refried beans and were wonderful.

I may be a bit biased because we are friends with Sherri and Lauren (and much of the staff) and have known them for some time, but I really was impressed with the quality of the food, service, and atmosphere at La Sirena Gorda Cabaña. I think Sanford and the central Florida area has a real keeper here, a gem of a restaurant and a welcome addition to the food scene in the Sanford area. I know we'll be back for sure, sooner rather than later, and not just for drinks with friends--I'm left wanting more of that real authentic Mexican fare. Yumm! But, I encourage you to go there, give it a try, and let me know what you think. I think you'll enjoy your experience, start to finish.