Tag Archives: Mexican

La Super Torta

Posted on May 15, 2010 by | 8 comments

721 Georgesville Road (West side of Georgesville)
614 327 4192 / 614 274 4192

Click here to map it!

La Super Torta occupies a bright corner location at the intersection of Georgesville and Sullivant, in a site formerly occupied by La Bamba. It was opened in 2009 by the owners of the taco truck Super Torta II and offers many of the same menu items. The space is clean and refined, perhaps to the point of looking less like a Mexican restaurant than a “Mexican” restaurant.

Nonetheless, eating at Super Torta feels like indoor taco trucking. The choice of food is the same as a taco truck but with the added benefit of ample seating and restrooms. The familiar taco truck options are there: tacos, tortas, burritos, gorditas, huaraches and quesadillas but in addition there are flautas and nachos, and of course the Super Torta specialities of chicharrones preparados and tlayudas.

A tlayuda is a (large) pizza size dish which a thin crispy base which is covered with refried beans, chorizo, lettuce and string cheese and then topped with avocado, a slab of al pastor, a slab of cecina (dried beef), radishes and a jalapeno. It is a monster of a dish, a bit dry by nature but definitely tasty.

Another novel dish was the tinga tostada. Tinga is a chicken stew, that we have eaten and recommended at Otro Rollo. In this case it was packed with chipotle peppers and very flavorful. The tostada was also topped with lettuce, tomatoes, a little cheese and sour cream. A great snack for $2.50.

We also tried the menudo (usually at taco trucks this is a weekend-only special). Menudo is a soup of tripe and hominy, in this case in a red chili base. The owner told us that it was homemade and explained that it takes eight hours to prepare. We could tell that it had been cooked for a long time because the tripe was extremely tender – a great choice for offal fans.

The menudo ($8) is served with a roll of corn tortillas, a bowl of finely chopped onion, cilantro and jalapeno and a couple of lime wedges.

Super Torta also offers sliced mango plates, flan, a couple of agua frescas, Jarritos, Mexican Coca Cola and some fountain drinks.

8 Comments

Posted in Mexican, Restaurant

Tagged , , , ,

Restaurant Karla

Posted on April 12, 2010 by | 2 comments

Cuisine – Mexican
Approx 4099 W. Broad (in the strip mall at the corner of W. Broad & Georgesville Rd.)

Click here to map it!

We’d been to Restaurant Karla (then called Cenduria Karla) when it was located on Sullivant Ave., and liked it a lot.  More recently, Lydia from Los Potosinos suggested that she thought it was the best sit-down Mexican restaurant in town. Basically, we had high expectations for this place… and that can often lead to a bit of a letdown, even when good.

But not in this case.

As you might guess from the photo above, these guys are in transition.  They’ve only recently moved into their new space and haven’t yet sprung for appropriate exterior signage.  Look for the banged up El Huarache sign, and you’ll find them below it.

Belying any expectations gleaned from the exterior, the interior of this place is clearly no afterthought.  It’s quite the elaborate set-up, actually, including a performance stage and what we took to be a small dance floor.  We assume it was largely inherited from the former tenants, but nonetheless, it’s a surprisingly complete and highly detailed space with a caballero theme and loads of Mexican character.

Service is similarly well thought-through.  Our server was efficient, pleasant, and attentive without being the least bit overbearing. When we asked for queso fundido for our app and the molcajete for two, her nod and quick wink suggested we must’ve ordered well (or perhaps just less predictably than the average gringo?)

Chips and a fresh, mild salsa kept us occupied until the app arrived.  Queso fundido (above) is basically a dressed-up melted cheese dip, and as far as such things go, it definitely satisfied.  The cheese was tangy and perhaps tinged with garlic (think Mexican fondue), and the generous quantities of chorizo spiced it up nicely.  When it arrived, the large portion size prompted us to agree that we weren’t going to eat it all for fear of not being able to stomach the main course. That turned out to be a tough promise to keep…

…and then ¡holy molcajete!

The name of this dish refers to the stone pot it comes in… you can barely see it in the photo, but it’s under there.  It’s been heated up to keep the food warm, and filled with a staggering assortment of vegetables and proteins, including nopales (cactus), onions, jalapenos, beef, ham, chicken, chorizo, and several large shrimp. A plate with beans, rice, guacamole, and lettuce accompanied, as did some fantastic warm, homemade tortillas.  Seasonings on all were nicely (but not aggressively) spicy and the properly cooked shrimp and moist chicken were the standouts among a nice range of options.  As the photos adequately suggests, portions were generous and doggie bags were a must.

While there are certainly meat-free dishes, strict vegetarians should be wary (as with most Mexican restaurants) – even meat-free options often include lard, chicken broth, or the like.  Pescetarians should be able to find contentment in Karla’s reasonably large seafood offering.  Regardless of diet, its unlikely that a dining duo would leave with a tab much larger than our $26 bill.

Karla also offers a popular $6.99 daily special that comes with soup, various weekend specials, and is open for breakfast.

2 Comments

Posted in Mexican, Restaurant

Tagged , ,

Azteca De Oro

Posted on March 18, 2010 by | 9 comments

CLOSED
Cuisine: Mexican
Industrial Mile Rd., just off Georgesville (address not posted)

Click here to map it!

I don’t know that I’ve ever said this about a restaurant before, but Azteca De Oro is, well… cute.  Not unlike most of the restaurants we’re reviewing here, it’s an assemblage of the second-hand: start with the bones of an old restaurant, add tables, chairs, and whatever else you can scrounge up, maybe hit a few walls with paint.  Sometimes this approach adds up to something more than the sum of its parts, other times… not so much.  In ADO’s case, it comes together with an unaffected, well worn, cheerful charm (that the photos, unfortunately, do a bad job of conveying).

ADO’s menu is extensive and clearly oriented towards a Mexican customer base.  With offerings like huaraches, gorditas, menudo and pambazos, these guys operate as though their competition is the taco trucks (which, as far as their Mexican clientele are concerned, they probably are).  This felt like familiar territory, so I figured I’d put them to the test by ordering the tacos campechanos – a plate of 5 tacos, each with a different meat inside – and washing it down with some horchata.

Chips and a nice selection of salsas came out.  The tortilla chips were fine, but the salsas were the star – conspicuously fresh and flavorful.  The lighter red-orangeish salsa was a standout – smoky, garlicky, and with a nice hot kick.  The deep red stuff packed a searing spicy heat punch.  The horchata, a sweet rice milk beverage flavored with cinnamon and vanilla, was there to help take the edge off.

My taco selection arrived quickly, and as expected, was prepared Mexican style (two small corn tortillas each, cilantro and onions on top).  Going through the list by meat selection:

  • Al pastor (seasoned pork) – About as good as al pastor gets without being spit-roasted.  A satisfying, big-flavored option.
  • Asada (seasoned roast beef) – A little on the tame side, flavor-wise, but a willing companion to the smoky salsa
  • Cecina (cured beef) – Nice flavor, expectedly chewy.  Great with the smoky salsa.
  • Pollo (chicken) – excellent seasoning, but a bit on the tough side.
  • Cochinita (marinated shredded pork) – Very tender, subtle flavor, best with the green sauce.

Overall, the tacos were solid, authentic, and certainly taco truck worthy.  Vegetarian options were scant to non-existant.

ADO also serves breakfast, and with huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, tamales as well as other egg options. It’s feels slightly odd having chips and salsa at breakfast time, but once they’re there it’s hard to resist.   We sampled both the rojo and verde chilaquiles and preferred the red. The verde option was too acidic (lime and tomatillo heavy) for our taste.

Chilaquiles are cut up corn tortillas fried and served with chili sauce. They are served to use up leftover tortillas and as a hangover cure. At Azteca de Oro they are topped with lettuce, sour cream and cheese and served with rice and beans.

9 Comments

Posted in Mexican, Restaurant

Tagged , , , ,