Santa Fe Tequila
392 Woodbury Rd.
Hicksville
516-931-1694

With a name like Santa Fe Tequila, one could make two reasonable assumptions: One, the neighborhood has just gained a Southwestern restaurant; two, it’s got a nice selection of tequila. But three months after opening at the edge of Hicksville, neither is true.

As chef/owner Rudy Acosta waits hopefully for his liquor license, thirsty diners who know the score come armed with bottles of wine and six-packs. We settled for soft drinks our first time. I ordered iced tea off the menu, but they were all out, except for sweetened iced raspberry tea. How, I wondered, can a place be out of iced tea? This was a bad sign.

I wondered whether alcohol would have made the glare of the bright lighting easier to take or worse. I’ve been in McDonald’s restaurants that had better lighting. Some alcoholic drinks would have at least warmed us up, what with that front door letting in frigid air.

I ordered Chile Relleno, one of my basic dishes for judging the authenticity of a Mexican (or in this case, Mexican-American) restaurant, but they didn’t have it. Maybe the burden of a massive menu with no less than 40 entrees (!) is too much. Pescado Veracrusazana (their spelling, $14.99) wasn’t bad, the pescado in this case being a tasty slab of salmon, marinated and cooked until all color was gone-but still, I had to admit, very flavorful, prepared with a thick mélange of tomatoes, sweet peppers, capers, olives and wine. Plenty of rice and bland steamed carrots and peppers are the sides.

The Southwest Chicken Quesadilla ($8.95), ordered from the appetizer menu as a dinner, is a good choice and a steal, loaded with grilled chicken, cheddar, black beans, corn and avocado.

The Mexican Club Sandwich ($8.99) is offered grilled or fried. I ordered it grilled, but it came fried. It’s supposed to be covered with a layer of jack cheese, strips of bacon and avocado. But I got no avocado. I guessed they were out of it. It comes on a big Mexican roll. Despite the shortcomings of the waitress and kitchen, it made for a hardy lunch.

Next time in, we came toting a few bottles of beer, but a different waitress didn’t offer us glasses. Water, as well as refills, have to be requested. Water should be a given with a cuisine known for its spicy ingredients. But there was no kick to any dishes we sampled and no hot sauce on the table. Chicken Tortilla Soup ($3.95), loaded with shredded meat, could have passed as matzoh ball soup had the taco chips been traded out. Some cumin would help. They’re generous with the trio of soft Fresh Fish Tacos ($9.99), but the fried tilapia fingers were devoid of any flavor. Enchilada Suizas ($8.90) had some seasoning, but still needed some kick.

The desserts had plenty of life, especially Sizzling Apple Pie Skillet ($4.99), covered with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. Just as impressive are Fiesta Banana Spring Rolls ($5.99), deep fried with butter and rum. Devil’s Chocolate Cheesecake sounded good, but they were out of it.