Treated a couple of Mexican friends to Coyote Blues on this grand opening day, and we were pleased with the results.

We started the meal off by sharing the Blues Sampler ($13.69). The plate consisted of three tasty Chicken Coyodillas (quesadillas), a pork tamal with red sauce, and nachos. As opposed to a plate of nachos layered with toppings, these came as several scoops individually filled with well-seasoned ground beef, cheese and jalapenos. The tamal was large enough that my friends initially mistook it for an enchilada, but it was great as far as the rich taste of fresh corn that it packed. Sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo were served on the side.

We also snacked on free corn tortilla chips, served up with dishes of red sauce and an interesting green sauce. Within seconds of asking what the green sauce was, the kitchen manager in full uniform (JJ Uzee, Lafayette transplant) appeared to explain that it was green tomatillos with garlic, thyme and a bit of avocado. It was reminiscent of fresh tzatziki sauce, and everyone seemed to like it with the chips.

The entrees arrived, two of them were enchiladas with shrimp and crawfish swimming in a monterey cheese sauce, rolled up in three corn tortillas topped with crawfish cream sauce. Enchiladas ($16.79) come with a choice of two sides, in this case they included Poblano rice, refried beans and Southwestern mashed potatoes.

I ordered up the Coyote Blues Stuffed Filet ($26.99), twin beef tenderloin medallions stuffed with Louisiana crawfish, bacon, pepper and monterey jack cheeses on a bed of ancho mushroom demi-glace laced with green chile mornay sauce. The dish also came with a blue corn crepe stuffed with smokey, grilled veggies such as asparagus and thin slices of squash and cucumber. The beef was completely tender, succulent and full of flavor, and the filling was an excellent compliment. The crawfish tails were piled high and went perfectly with the sauce, this was an absolutely terrific dish. Also served with the plate were their signature Poblano cheese corn grits; these exceeded the already positive expectations I had set for them based on previous comments.

We concluded the meal at dinner, too stuffed to partake of the desserts such as the Tres Leches. While none of drank alcohol, it was brought to our attention that the restaurant was serving $1 margaritas today.

The restaurants decor is simple yet attractive, nice tables and booths with tall blue glass partitions. Our waiter hadn't worked at the Lafayette location, but was more than familiar with the menu already, and did an excellent job checking on us and keeping our drinks filled. The manager went from table to table, making sure that everyone was happy with their meal.

The only drawback, if you can call it that, were the prices of some of the dishes. While the fajitas were priced the same as other Tex-Mex restaurants, dishes such as the Los Cabos Tilapia ($19.99), Ground Beef Burrito ($12.99) and particularly the desserts seemed to have fairly high prices for what you got.

All of us were more than satisfied with the food and service (left a 30% tip), and have plans to return. The menu is filled with a variety of Cajun-Mexican fusion dishes, it was almost impossible to choose only one dish from such an interesting selection. By all means, give Coyote Blues on Acadian a try.