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herlife | cravingsCactusMexicanDiningby adriana broggerphotos by bre baszler, bw black & whites photographyAsk the people around you and if they’re anything like thosearound me, you’ll find that Mexican cuisine is pretty popularin the Central Valley. And with Cinco de Mayo this month,there’s no better time to enjoy a great Mexican restaurant. That said, letme introduce you to Cactus Mexican Dining in Woodbridge!Mia Lane-Gomez is Cactus’ owner. She and her husband, EfrainGomez, have been serving up mouth-watering food and drinks at Cactussince 1992, and will be celebrating 20 years in August. So, what’s thesecret to their success? Locals say it’s consistently delicious food andsmall-town charm mixed in with friendly staffers. One man said that Miamakes it a point to treat strangers like locals.On to the food! Cactus features an impressive menu which isseveral pages long and includes something for every palate. Efrain andMia are committed to using traditional recipes, and the finest and freshestingredients they can get. This combination lends itself to an amazingdining experience!We started with the Tapatia, a gorgeous presentation of a tostadadinner. You get two soft tortillas fried until they are golden and crispy,then layered with beans and cheese topped with lettuce tossed in amayo, garlic and cilantro dressing. It’s then garnished with guacamole,sour cream and tomatoes, and served with rice. You have your choice ofchicken, steak, shredded beef, carnitas or shrimp. We had the chickenwhen we sampled the menu. It was so very good! The dressing wasrefreshing and paired beautifully with the crispiness of the tortilla. And,the serving size was extremely generous (but we found that to be truewith all the dishes).Next, we had the Veggie Enchiladas. I was a little skeptical aboutthem at first. Not because they are vegetarian but because of the veggiesused. I was expecting more of an onion/pepper enchilada. These veggieenchiladas are two flour tortillas stuffed with grilled zucchini, broccoli,carrots, onions, red peppers and bell peppers topped with a garlic butterycream and chipotle sauce. Yum, yum! One bite and you will be pleasantlysurprised at how great the creamy sauce mixes with the crunch ofthe veggies. This is a great one to try when you want something completelydifferent. I can imagine it’ll be an instant favorite.The Veggie Enchiladas were followed by the Calamari CostaBrava. This dish is positively divine! It’s a fillet of squid prepared abalonestyle.The calamari is covered in a white wine, lemon and garlic saucethat gives it a heavenly flavor. It’s then topped with shrimp, mushrooms,spices, roasted tomatoes, avocado slices and melted jack cheese! It’sserved with delightfully light jalapeno pasta and an amazing side dish offlavorful refried beans.We finished the night off with the Chicken Caliente. It’s a freshpasilla pepper, fire-grilled and roasted, then stuffed with garlic chickenbreast and topped with a creamy, buttery sauce. The dish is served withblack beans and a side of rice. This was so good! I personally didn’t findit too spicy but if you’re worried about the level of spiciness, Mia tells methat the kitchen is happy to adjust to whatever your taste buds prefer.If you would prefer drinks with your dinner, Cactus also boastsa super bartender, Casey Evans. Casey is a big hit with anyone who’stried one of his treats. He served up a variety of his concoctions for theHERLIFE staff that sampled the menu on our visit, and all I will say isthere were no complaints and plenty of happy faces!The décor at Cactus is uniquely charming and lends itself to thehistory of the building. Mia told me that the historic building has a richhistory dating back to the 1800s. The brick and wood two-story buildingare home to the amazing cuisine and more recently plays host tokaraoke, salsa and Cumbia dancing on different days of the week. So, foranyone interested in Latin dance, you can make your own history in aplace that already holds so much! Call the friendly staff at Cactus to getthe latest schedule of events.Efrain, Mia and their staff would be happy to have you andyours over for a traditional Mexican feast to celebrate Cinco de Mayo(or any other occasion!). Come on over for a great meal and awesomeambience. ■Cactus is located at 18961 N. Lower Sacramento Road inWoodbridge. You can call them at 209-367-1632 or visit them online atcactusmex.net for restaurant hours, specials and events.32 HERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM