When El Cortez opened last summer, they garnered a lot of buzz about their cool design, but not much was said about their food. The menu certainly wasn’t causing me to stampede to Old Strathcona and I thought this might be another case of flash over substance.

That might be about to change though, with the appointment of new head chef Lindsay Porter, who was head chef at Mercer Catering and has served up some damn fine food at a number of competitions over the past few years.  Lindsay’s first mission at El Cortez was a complete overhaul of the menu, so I was anxious to pop in and see what she created.

The most welcome change is the addition of house-made tortillas for Porter’s tacos. The tortillas appeared thicker than the standard, but they were, somehow, both malleable and crispy which made for a superior taco. After tasting the substantial improvement over the alternative it’s hard to imagine why other Mexican restaurants aren’t making these a priority. Sure it’s time consuming and a pain in the butt to make them fresh, but the payoff is there.

The Fried Queso tacos, while a little on the pricy side at $14.00 for 3, were very well done, which makes the price tag much easier to swallow. The house-made tortilla was a standout, and the fried cheese with the freshness of the toppings made for some top-notch tacos. I’m definitely heading back to try some of the others, notably the Cinnamon Braised Pork Tacos and the Chili Lime Pollo Tacos.

Fried Queso Tacos- El Cortez

Though I usually default towards the land-dwelling options, I decided to accept a suggestion and try the Swordfish Ceviche next, served with tortilla chips (though not house-made like the tacos). I’m not the biggest fan of fishy-tasting seafood, but swordfish has a mild flavour and a texture slightly more dense than tuna, so I found this one nice and refreshing. I loved the burst of fresh acidity, which woke up my mouth without making my face pucker like an old man judging a teenagers haircut. This is going to be my go-to dish when I’m craving some patio time this summer, with a cold drink, of course.

Swordfish Ceviche at El Cortez

I couldn’t resist the Fried Patatas next, with smoked paprika, guacamole, cheese, aioli, and walnuts. They looked amazing when they hit the table, as I thought to myself “These babies have Instagram written all over them.” The potatoes had a strong punch of smoky flavour from the paprika which was balanced perfectly by the guacamole, and the walnuts added a great dimension to the texture of the dish. I do, however, think I’d enjoy these potatoes even more if they were cut smaller – maybe cut into quarters rather than halved – giving each bite more crispy edges. Nevertheless, a solid dish of spuds to compliment the lighter Swordfish.

The last dish, Chorizo Chili Rellenos, also looked fantastic when it hit the table with an ultra crispy coating on the outside. There was an audible crunch when I bit into it, which I loved, and it stayed crunchy. This was probably my least favourite dish of the night, though I don’t think I can place the blame on the kitchen.  Do you have something that you know you don’t really like, but just can’t resist ordering when you see it on a menu? Something you keep telling yourself you like, but you really don’t? That’s chorizo for me. I order it all the time, and every single time the result is the same. I just don’t like it. It’s too bad though, because the Chili Rellenos was nicely done, you know, if you like chorizo.

El Cortez’ Chili Rellenos

Its great to see a restaurant that could easily get by on its cool look and excellent location actually care about creating good food and, with the addition of Lindsay Porter, El Cortez is doing just that. Based on the few things I’ve tried to date, I’m thinking I might be making my way down south (of the river) a little more often for some tacos and swordfish ceviche on the patio.

Baconhound is an Edmonton food blog, focusing on the best restaurants and dishes in Edmonton and beyond. Phil Wilson is also host of the Edmonton, Alberta based food podcast, Off Menu.