Mexicali Blues

Cinco de Mayo is a day set aside for celebrations, great food, and of course, tequila! Our Lake of the Ozarks Mexican restaurant excitedly looks forward to the 5th of May each year, as do all of our wonderful patrons. Do you actually know how Cinco de Mayo came to be a holiday? Your friends at Mexicali Blues in Osage Beach have the story for you in today's blog.  NOT Mexican Independence Day Many mistakenly believe that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day, but that holiday is actually on September 16. The events that established their Independence Day happened about 50 years before Mexico's victory at the Battle of Puebla, which is the cause for celebration on Cinco de Mayo. They may not have won the war, but winning this battle in 1862 gave Mexican citizens a sense of unity and the hope and inspiration that they needed to keep fighting.  Battle of Puebla Due to the previous wars that Mexico had been involved in, the country's treasury was nearly bankr...

The delicious food that we serve at our Lake of the Ozarks Mexican restaurant comes from age-old recipes with rich and interesting backgrounds. Today's blog has a few fun facts about Mexican food in general, and many of the dishes discussed below can be found right here at Mexicali Blues .  #1 - Many traditional Mexican recipes came from the  Aztecs and the Mayans . #2 - The majority of Mexican foods that we favor today were influenced by  Spain . When the Spaniards began moving into Mexico, their influence changed some of the Mexican food recipes slightly by introducing their own seasonings and ingredients. #3 - Tomatoes , the main ingredient in salsa, actually originated in Mexico. They were first cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas as early as 700 A.D. #4 - The first version of  salsa  was made from tomatoes, chilies, and ground squash seeds, and Aztec lords ate it with turkey, venison, lobster, and fish. Mexicali Blues salsa is made from all-n...

Mexicali Blues in Osage Beach is open every Tuesday-Saturday at 11:30 am. While we serve the best Mexican food at the Lake of the Ozarks all day long, there are a few specialty items that are only available for lunchtime between 11:30 am-4 pm.  What is Lunch?  Obviously, it's the meal you eat midday between breakfast and dinner, but we looked a little deeper to find out more about this particular feast. The word "lunch" is actually an abbreviation of the word "luncheon." It originally indicated a small snack that was eaten at any time of day. At some point in the 20th century, the meaning of lunch changed slightly to a small or mid-sized meal eaten at midday.  The main meal of the day during the Middle Ages happened late in the morning following several hours of work. During the 17th-18th centuries, this meal was gradually pushed back until later in the day, leaving a space in the middle of the day where people needed something to eat to tide them...

Sometimes the work week can seem to go on forever and to make your way through it to the weekend, you need a good break. The perfect way to do that is to join us for the best Happy Hour at the Lake of the Ozarks . Sure, there are lots of Happy Hours going on in the lake area, but we've got some excellent reasons why Happy Hour at Mexicali Blues  every Tuesday-Friday from 4-6 pm is the one for you! Those Marvelous Margaritas It's hard to resist the best margaritas at the Lake of the Ozarks , and during our weekday Happy Hour, that amazing taste can be enjoyed at a discounted price! We don't limit the awesome deals to just margaritas, though. Beer drinkers will be thrilled to hear that we've got some great deals on our beers too.  Built-In Snacks Every time you eat lunch, dinner, or come in for drinks, you also get a big basket of our crisp tortilla chips and a bowl of our homemade salsa. Who else in town pairs their Happy Hour with a free snack? The chips are mad...