Gecko's

Type: Mexican/Southwestern
Location: Carpenter Sq. Mall, Cape May, NJ, 08204
Price Range: Low - Moderate (~$20 per person)

Try to eat inside, if you can, during off-season. The food gets cold way too quickly, if you're outside for dinner, unless it's beach season. The menu is currently more diverse than I remember from previous visits, and now includes rabbit, duck, and venison.

The rabbit is a bit dry, but comes with a nice, thick sauce, that really makes the dish. Without the sauce, it's nothing to write home about. The venison, on the other hand, is cooked just right . . . medium rare slices of tenderloin, with a bourbon-apple juice sauce that doesn't overwhelm the meat. Next time, I think I'll try the duck.

Gecko's is a good place to go when you want something a little different from pub grub or seafood. It's got chicken, too, which I have grown to (almost) hate, given the 1001 ways my mom used to foist it off on us when I was a kid, but I have yet to see another diner who's ordered it, and not tucked in with gusto.

Pros: within easy walking distance of just about anywhere in town; fairly inexpensive; chef is from NM, and knows his ingredients
Cons: it's metered parking only in that part of town, if you can even find a space, so walk there; it's BYO, if you want something stronger than iced tea