Last night we went out for a planned dinner. We had decided to try Cuckoo’s Nest in Old Saybrook, a spot that fairly consistently wins “Best Mexican Restaurant” honors in various polls. While I was getting ready to go out we had a late-day thunderstorm, but the weather cleared by the time we were ready to leave the house and we went out in the M3 for a top-down drive down the Boston Post Road, along the shoreline, a really pleasant excursion after a hot, muggy day.

The restaurant wasn’t particularly crowded (but the hostess took our name, as if there might be a wait for a table –but we were seated instantly) and the decor is very casual. Our waiter was pleasant and greeted us promptly and took our drink orders. I had the house sangria (which is apparently “famous” for reasons that escape me) and Jim ordered a Negra Modelo. There was a basket of decent tortilla chips on the table and a small dish of good (and spicy) salsa.

For a supposedly Mexican restaurant, the menu at Cuckoo’s Nest is a tad confusing. They offer up a selection of Cajun and Creole dishes as well as some very standard Tex-Mex fare. This is certainly a case of doing too many things to do any of them particularly well. For an appetizer, we ordered the Cajun popcorn shrimp. We got a very decent-sized basket of small shrimp served with a spicy dipping sauce, heavy on the hot sauce. They were good — the breading was light, the frying tasted clean, and they were crisp and not greasy. They probably didn’t need to be served on a bed of lettuce.

Salad came next and wasn’t very exciting — a mixture of boring lettuces (most of which was iceberg, the cardinal sin of salad) topped with a few chick peas and a small slice of tomato. The dressings tasted bottled.

My entree was off the specials menu; I ordered a crab, shrimp and spinach quesadilla. The quesadilla itself was okay, but nothing to write home about. The unremarkable tortilla was largely at fault here — it did nothing to enhance the filling. I’m also accustomed to seeing some cooking or grill marks on a quesadilla — this one just looked as if it had been pressed flat. The accompanying rice was dry. The small serving of pineapple salsa that accompanied the dish was good, and just the right combination of sweet and spicy. The colors — all orangey-beige — made for a fairly bland presentation. Jim ordered the chicken enchiladas mole, which looked like a better choice. I’m going to reserve judgment until I’ve had a chance to taste the leftovers.

We drove home the same way we came and got a glimpse of the Madison fireworks on the way back, and I leaned my head back and watched the moon and the stars go by. It was a great excuse for a ride, and I think we’ll head out to Old Saybrook for dinner again. I just think we’ll pick a better restaurant. For Mexican, we’ll stick to Jalapeno Heaven or Baja’s, both closer to home, both serving way better food.