“Tango”

39 Morris Ave

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania 19104

Care to dance? If the name doesn’t do it for you, perhaps the “salsa” with chips or added spice (“cha cha”) will tease your tongue.

A local hot-spot and continental eatery with a heavy Mexican influence, Tango is a favorite for Villanova parties and couples to stop by for a great time.

Adjacent to the Bryn Mawr train station and within walking distance of freshmen’s favorite party-spot, the Courts, Tango’s parking lot requires an uphill struggle before proving you are worthy. Isolated from those “below it,” Tango sits atop its own “mountain,” glaring down at commoners passing by via vehicle.

The awkward entrance is one of few detractions from this fine establishment that offers an “up-close and personal” view of the regional rail. Sweet. Who does not love to eat and see the faces of others fly by, transporting themselves elsewhere, staring in admiration of your decadent meal?

Away from the gawkers, we have a restaurant to review. Aside from the mind-baffling entrance with weaving ramps and rail, we locate the glass doors that allow us to gain access. Entering sends us into a world of confusion and movement: waiters mincing every which way and hosts barking orders to countless individuals. To our right, we notice what appears to be a bar for a much older crowd, but in a hurried manner we are notified our seats are ready and awaiting our arrival.

As we arrived, innumerable eyes of busboys and dishwashers darted at us in a fashion most comparable to “Lord of the Flies,” when the children become savages. The booth offered us great privacy, though the drunken woman behind us who famously supported Maggiano’s could not be muffled by our secure location.

Very pleased with the seating arrangement, I gazed over to notice our extremely audible neighbor stumble out of her seat (in search of the bar, I would assume). Each booth is equipped with a nice window, and in a prime location, this feature would normally be astonishing; however, gazing out at the stoplight on Montgomery Avenue is not my idea of romantic. The music was extremely fitting and provided a sufficient mood-setter.

Ahhh, how intriguing; a menu that offers five pages of alcoholic beverages. Apparently, this is where they make their money; just ask our intoxicated friend behind us. Somewhere in the mix you will take note of their two page menu of foods. This includes specialties and your normal roster of soups, salads, appetizers and entrees.

Atop the menu we noticed two Mexican dishes, but the eye-catcher was the guacamole and chips ($8, a personal favorite wherever I go) and spinach and artichoke dip ($14). The soups ($6) and salads ($7-$12) were a nice assortment, but again, nothing extraordinary. The main attractions here are definitely the entrees ($17-$27), especially the fish dishes. The meals are creatively prepared with appropriate sauces and sides, not overdoing the process like many other establishments.

After perusing the menu, our final decisions were the swordfish and roasted duck breast. And let me tell you, Dickie V style, they were super scintillating sensational (baby).

The sauce coating my duck was tasty and the accompanying potatoes complimented the meal quite well. The swordfish was equally as pleasing.

My stomach was full, so I could not bear the thought of dessert.

Away from the whole “Big Brother” effect (having a myriad of people watching over you throughout the evening), this is one of the superior dining experiences to be had on the Main Line, coupled with Yang Ming.

So if dancing isn’t your specialty and food is a more accommodating form of entertainment, stop by Tango where the food will have your tongue waltzing by the end of the night.