Geronimo in New Haven, Connecticut

Over the weekend, I drove down to Connecticut to see some of my closest girlfriends from college. The five us stayed at our other friend, Tara's, new house Saturday night. It was so lovely catching up with them (I hadn't seen one of them in 3-4 years), drinking tequila, and just relaxing.

Upon our arrival at Tara's house, she greeted us with a variety of goodies, including a killer cheese plate and several tarts.

Later on in the afternoon, we went to visit Quinnipiac University, where we all went to school. Since we graduated, our school has built two more campuses, and has made a slew of other changes on its main campus (yes, I realize where my student loan money's going). Then, we stopped at Side Street - our old stomping grounds - for some drinks and appetizers before going back to Tara's to pretty ourselves for dinner.

In college, we always went out into New Haven to go dancing on bars, get wasted, and hope to not vomit on the shuttle ride back to campus (T.M.I.?). But, last weekend, we realized times have changed. Tara made us reservations at a restaurant called Geronimo in New Haven, and we actually went into the city to eat dinner.

Geronimo - which is named after the infamous Apache rebel whose current resting place is rumored to be somewhere on the Yale University campus - is a tequila bar and Southwest grill with a fun, lively atmosphere (they also have outdoor seating at the front of the restaurant, which would be even better during the spring/summer). It was a little chilly when we visited, so we opted to sit inside.

We kicked off our meal with two pitchers of margaritas to share amongst the table (pitchers cost $36; a single margarita costs $9. We basically got two margaritas for free by ordering the pitcher!). We ordered the Geronimo Margarita and the Passion Fruit Margarita (this might have a different name on their restaurant menu, F.Y.I.). (Also, please excuse the photos - I took all pictures with my iPhone).

Both margaritas were excellent, but I especially loved the Geronimo Margarita. It was basically a "regular" margarita, but it was made with obviously good quality tequila and fresh lime juice (no overly sugary sour mix here!).

While we sipped our margaritas, we enjoyed some complimentary bread and Tableside Guacamole ($15).

Our bread basket came with another kind of bread, too, but I didn't sample any until there was only cornbread left. I only tried a few bites of it, but it was wonderfully sweet with a hint of spice from the jalapenos studded throughout. The guacamole was also fantastic - incredibly fresh and packed with flavor, and the accompanying chips were sturdy and salty. Not sure if this was worth $15, but...it was a special occasion, after all.

For my entree, I went with the Portobello and Poblano Tacos ($10).

I seriously could have just eaten the portobello and poblanos by themselves with a fork (and I did, after all three of my soft tortillas were gone). I loved the combination of the meaty portobellos with the poblanos, and everything was very well-seasoned. My plate also came with radishes and pico de gallo for garnishes, which were welcome flavors and textures.

Overall, we had a fantastic meal at Geronimo. The lively atmosphere was perfect for us now-older folk on a Saturday night, while still not being too loud for us to enjoy each other's conversation. The food was also very well done (as were the margaritas). I would definitely go back to Geronimo the next time I'm in the area...especially once it's warmer, so I can enjoy their outdoor seating.

When was the last time you visited your "old stomping grounds"?

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