A La Salsa

Midtown Global Market
Chicago & Lake Street

price: $9-13

Midtown Global Market is dead on a holiday weekend. I am sitting here admiring the wall of tequila before me. This is the first time I have blogged (and photographed) from my phone. I am a glass of La Capilla tequila on the rocks (now on sale at Chicago Lake Liquor for $9.99 a bottle) and it is a smooth 100% agave.


There is definite airport vibe here - which I don't mind.

We ware greeted by a smile and a bowl of chips. The service is great so far. I am almost beginning to forget the last experience.


I order the Plato De Carnitas and my friend orders the Tamale Platter. Both entrees are out immediately. We dig in. The pork is tender and is served with pickled peppers and carrots. Fortunately for me, I ordered a side of sauce.

The sauce is creamy and almost resembles Thai peanut sauce. I pour it over the pork. This stuff is addictive. My friend puts it on his tamales. It is tasty on everything!

Our server comes to clear our plates and looks down at my empty bowl of sauce. Her eyes get big and says, "You ate all of that!". For a minute, I wonder if this sauce is crack. No, she is just surprised that a gringo finished it. "What is this", I ask. "It is the Diablo Sauce", she replies. I find out that the creamy texture is roasted garlic. My mind begins to think of ways to recreate this at home.

overall rating: 4
chips & salsa: 1
sauce: 5

Las Mojarras

1501 E Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55407

price: $9-$35 for food and $16 for Hornitos (!?)
specialty: overcooked seafood?

Cinco de Mayo is my husband's birthday and so what better way to celebrate than to visit our next Lake Street stop (the former Me Gusta) - Las Mojarras - right? I read Jeremy Iggers' article on TC Daily Planet and thought - "Yes, this is the perfect choice and it even has a full bar. My husband will love this!" --WRONG! The experience we had was absolutely horrible from beginning to end.

I just want to start by saying that I am a very patient person and generally give people the benefit of the doubt. I also don't give bad reviews unless absolutely necessary.

There were eight of us at a large table in the front of the dining room. The place was empty. I guess gringos are the only ones to go out on "Drinko de Mayo". Remnants of Me Gusta are still apparent. We commented on how the ambiance feels like you are outside on a patio - but you are inside - strange.

As one of the only tables in the place, you would think that the service would have been better. Our server took our drink orders. My husband and his friend ordered a double Hornitos on the rocks. The server brought my husband a low-ball filled with water and Hornitos. Communication seemed impossible. Each of us tried to explain the drink that he wanted to order. Next, she brought out a shot glass filled with Hornitos. He decided to give up and drank it anyways.

I ordered the Ceviche Tostada. Others ordered various styles of enchiladas and seafood. Communication continued to be very difficult. One of my friends spoke Spanish. Still - the server struggled to understand Spanish and hand signals. This was my tenth stop on Lake Street and the first time that I encountered a complete communication barrier. It was as if she wasn't making an attempt at all.

Our food came to the table. A few of the orders were wrong - no surprise. The shrimp on my tostada was chewy. The tostada was small for $9. A few of us ordered more drinks and water. The beverages never came. After I ate my meal in about four bites, I tasted my friend's enchilada. It was flavorless. The tomato-based sauce tasted like my grandma's stewed tomatoes (ick!).

We continued to eat, with out our beverages. One of us flagged down another server. Our server began bringing out one order at a time. Frustration was building in each one of us.

The bill came. The total was almost $400! We were charged $16 each for every Hornitos drink that my husband and his friend ordered (6 total). We complained to the bartender, but soon realized it was a lost cause. Then, things got even stranger... Our server stood over us until each one of us filled out our credit card slips. One of us said, "You can come back you know." It was extremely uncomfortable and neither one of us have ever experienced anything quite like it.

As we left the restaurant, we each agreed that that we would never step foot in the place again. The food was bad and the service - inexcusable.

Sorry to say, but it didn't end there. A few days passed and I noticed that my checking account balance was low. The idiot server had charged us twice! There was one charge for $75 (the cost of the bill) and then one for $135 (a completely random amount).

I called the manager and had him reverse the charge. It was hard to believe that this bad experience could get even worse!

food: 0
service: 0
ambiance: 3

TACO TAXI

1511 E Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55407
(612) 722-3293

specialty: tacos
price: cheap!

You may have noticed Taco Taxi before as it is the BRIGHT yellow building next to the Mercado on Bloomington. I know I have noticed it many times and the classic VW taxi parked out front. Every time I pass Taco Taxi I instinctively want to jump out of the car - I don't know why.

The time had come to try the Taxi, and I was more than ready. It is not a Friday night type of place, but that didn't stop us. We were the only customers except for one man who looked like Quentin Tarantino and sounded like Crispin Glover and was wearing jogging shorts and tennis shoes. There were five staff behind the counter all watching Mexican soaps.

What struck me immediately, was the ambiance - and this is the strongest point for Taco Taxi in my mind. The bright yellow paint and checkers is festive and there are amazing murals that I will not describe - to leave as a surprise for you (lets just say there are taxis involved).

We ordered quickly because we were starving and I regret this because later I noticed many more items on the menu later (ceviche tostada - for one). Two tacos carnitas and pollo sopes were ordered. If it wasn't cheap enough already, there was a two-for-one sope deal that we hit up as well. All together, our bill came to nine dollars for two people with Jarritos. Ridiculously cheap. Unheard of for a Friday night.

Our food came out fast and we sat at an open table by the window. As we were taking our seats, one of the workers drove away in the VW taxi to make a delivery. A phone number and catering information is printed on the taxi. Delivery seems to be the main focus for Taco Taxi.

As we sat alone in the empty dining room, I began sampling the tacos and sopes before me. I was pleased to see that the ingredients were fresh and the lettuce was green (as opposed to white iceberg). Lots of cilantro and radishes garnished the plate. For fast food tacos - it did the trick. The carnitas was slightly dry, but overall the taste was fresh and light with strong undertones of cilantro and onion. I enjoyed taking a bite of radish with each bite of taco. This was the first time I tried this combination and it was addictive. I know that radishes are usually served with pasole, but I can now see pairing them with other dishes. The experience got me thinking about the history of radishes in Mexican culture and the potential that they have in Mexican cooking.

Did you know that there is a Radish Night Festival in Oaxaca, Mexico on December 23? http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/mexico/oaxaca/rabanos.html These radish sculptures are super neat http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/2132129136/in/set-1401300/ It makes me long for culture like this. Why not make my own radish sculptures on December 23 this year?

Next up, Las Mojarras...

ambiance: 4.5
the fact that they use a classic taxi for delivery: 5
overall food rating: 3