As I ascended the stairs and turned the corner, I came face to face with Clint Eastwood.
This famous cowboy’s mural was not the only fancy artwork to be seen in Bel Air’s new restaurant, The Dark Horse Saloon.
The restaurant contained elaborately detailed murals in almost every room, which made it unique from any other dining place I have been to.
The rooms had a dark hue because of the color of the smooth wood that covered the floors and walls, but islit by the large number of open windows in each room.
The staff was just as charming as the environment. When I first walked in, I was directed to the table where my dad and sister were already seated. We were seated at a table with an umbrella on the outside deck of the second floor and the server immediately brought us our drinks.
Throughout the entire lunch, he checked in on us and was very upbeat and polite.
Their menu had a tex-mex theme. The kids’ menu featured several Mexican dishes like quesadillas, while the adult menu had a variety of barbeque courses.
However, the food was the only thing that did not impress me. As an appetizer, we ordered the crab tots, which were tater tots covered in cheese, crab, and Old Bay. It was an interesting combination, but was a little too heavy for an appetizer.
For the main course, I ordered the Diablo chicken salad, and my dad and sister decided to split the tequila lime chicken.
My salad came, and the first thing I decided to try was the chicken, which was covered in a hot sauce. I tried a bite size amount and started tearing up because of the spice of the chicken. I downed two glasses of water and then offered a piece of chicken to my dad.
Although he was convinced he could handle the spiciness, he had the exact same reaction. I removed the chicken from the salad, and decided to just eat the lettuce. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my taste buds were still functioning, and really enjoyed my salad and the salad dressing.
The visual presentation of the chicken was great, but the taste was relatively unimpressive in comparison. Also, for anyone suffering from a sodium deficiency, the fries would be a nice side dish.
Overall, the restaurant had a great atmosphere, and I would love to go back and give some other courses on the menu a try.
Haley Lynch can be reached for comment at [email protected]