Lunch At Casa Raul In Chattanooga.

After having a half-assed Continental breakfast at the Comfort Inn this morning, and visiting Ruby Falls, Rock City, and the Incline Railway, Mr. Hawthorne and I were ravenous. We descended Lookout Mountain (where all three attractions were) and headed back to Chattanooga to continue westward to Nashville. At the base of Lookout Mountain, Mr. Hawthorne saw this restaurant:

Casa Raul.

We pulled right in.

Upon seating ourselves, we were immediately served fresh warm tortilla chips and a delicious salsa. I went through two bowls of the salsa. Here's the menu:

I ordered the C15. Chalupa, chili relleno, and enchilada with ground steak. Mr. Hawthorne ordered the chicken burrito with rice and tomato.

There was only one other couple in the restaurant, seated behind us.

Loved their salsa and chips. This was excellent. Tortilla chips like I've never had before.

Here's Mr. Hawthorne's chicken burrito withe rice, refried beans, tomato, and shredded lettuce.

Heh. Here's mine! For once, Mr. Hawthorne, not I, had Entree Envy.

Shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, and piped-on sour cream. Enchilada in the back with finely chopped ground steak. Stuffed poblano pepper with ground steak, lightly battered and fried, in the front. And the sauce. Oh my. The sauce. This was a superb meal. This was OUTSTANDING!

I wish I knew how they made the sauce. There were lots of flavors in it which I haven't experienced before so I'll have to chalk it up to authentic Mexican. Every now and then, I'd hit another flavor I couldn't identify. I just knew it was good. It was sort of a sweet flavor, but had an underlying warmth to it, and maybe a hint of basil flavoring except it wasn't basil. If anyone wants to jump in here at any time, feel free to do so. $18 with drinks.

I ate every bit. It was beyond delicious. When I get back home, I'm going to pull out my Rick Bayliss and Diana Kennedy cookbooks and try to recreate this.

Peppers and impatience growing outside.

If you're ever in Chattanooga, this is the place to go. Trust Rosie on this.

Rosie continues on her roll. Next stop: Nashville, Tennessee.