There’s something to be said for atmosphere — or lack of it.
I walked into Mi Taquito this afternoon a little after 5:00 pm, with no preconceptions or hype, knowing only that they served food. Despite its location in a heavily trafficked area, I was taken aback by its lack of customers, and not too aesthetically pleased with the sparse decorations. The staff were standing in the middle of the small dining area, overjoyed to have a customer. It’s possible I may have been the first of the day.
If life has taught me anything, it’s never to judge a book by its cover. I was there, damn it, and I was going to eat.
I took a seat near the kitchen and was swarmed immediately by the eager staff. Chips, salsa and drinks followed while I perused the menu.
The menu itself was pretty average Tex-Mex, and to be honest, it took me a while to spy the tacos. I figured in a place named Mi Taquito, there ought to be bump outs on the menu to highlight signature taco-related dishes. The first tacos I noticed were in the “a la carte” section. They seemed pretty standard fair; American crunchy tacos, soft tacos, etc.
I flipped the page a couple of times before settling on the Tacos al Carbon, which was buried deep in the “Specialties” section. For you novice taco enthusiasts, “al carbon” means barbecued.
I expected it to take a while before the food arrived, because of how they were being cooked. But seeing as how I was probably the first customer of the day, it took an exceptionally long time to prepare. The staff was pretty cordial about the whole thing, constantly reassuring me that it wouldn’t be much longer. Keeping me well stocked with chips, salsa and drink didn’t hurt either.
The food finally arrived. Three flour tortillas, wrapped tightly with generous chunks of steak fajita, along with rice and refried beans. After burning my mouth two or three times trying to eat the rice (sometimes, I find it difficult to learn a lesson… like a damn puppy), I dug into the tacos.
My first impression was that everything was really fresh. The tortillas were warm and soft, and the steak was juicy right off the grill. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get any side dressings (onions, peppers, etc), but I’ve never been one to complain too much when there are tacos in front of me, waiting to be devoured.
It didn’t take too long for me to finish the three tacos, probably because they were easy to eat, being wrapped so tight, with no extras to drip out and make a mess. The rice was also a plus.
Overall, the freshness of the meal places an otherwise plain meal slightly above average. At almost $11 for the plate, the freshness is counter-acted by my miserly ways. With my revolutionary Taco-Matic rating system of 0-5 tacos, this place would hold steadily at a 2.
Atmosphere : 0
Service : 4
Tacos : 2
Price : 1