It was date night and I wanted Tacos. Being proactive, Mexico Lindo was chosen and I was just told what time to be there.
Upon arriving, Mexico Lindo sits directly on the main strip making it super easy to find. There is parking in the front and back which was perfect as when I pulled in the front was full which had me scared. LoL. The parking in back is ample and the lot is well lit.
Walking in, the ambiance is vibrant and fast moving. The bar was in full go mode and the downstairs had an ambiance of local bar meets trendy restaurant. As I walked to the hostess stand, I was greeted with all smiles. Upon exchanging salutations, I was offered the options of seating on the patio, downstairs, or rooftop. Yes! I said rooftop.
You know what I chose. Rooftop me, please.
As the rooftop is first come first serve, we headed up and took a seat. The rooftop is on the second level and surrounded by all glass. The all glass approach allows you to enjoy a three sided view of your surroundings. Granted the main view is the parkway, however, it has a nice feel at night as there isn't any traffic and the colored lights from the surrounding buildings present a fun visual.
After taking a seat, we were greeted by Sarah. Sarah was very welcoming, super upbeat, and created a great environment as she served as bartender and server for the rooftop... Sarah provided us with menus and gave us a moment as she went to grab us some water. (tap water, for those who care)
After exploring the menu for a few and getting a sweet tea to drink. I decided on:
Empanadas -
"Crunchy cornmeal dough filled with ground beef, rice, and potato mix. Served with pico de gallo." for an Appetizer.
Brisket Tacos -
"Smoked brisket, chipotle aioli, black bean corn salsa, and onion straws" for my meal.
The empanadas were a set of 4. They were mini and put you in the mindset of a puffed meat pie with a taquito feel. The beef filling was minimal and the flavor was bland. The empanada itself was hot, fresh, and perfectly fried. However, the absence of flavor, meat, and a few specs of rice caused this dish to be a huge disappointment for me. I only ate one. My date enjoyed the rest as he used the Chipotle Ranch dip to provide added flavor... As a lover of empanadas, this dish is not a good representation of the traditional meat filled pie.
The smoked brisket tacos were beautiful. The visual presentation enhanced my excitement to sink my teeth into them. The brisket was thinly sliced and smoked to tender perfection. The brisket maintained its smoky flavor and the taco allowed the natural juices to be the center of flavor attention. The black bean corn salsa and onion straws provide a great texture variance to the taco. The onion straws give the crunch as I went with a flour shell per Sarah's recommendation, and she was spot on with the suggestion. The flavor profile of the taco was blank. Though the natural flavor of the smoked brisket was good, there was no added surprise or authenticity provided to make it a true taco experience. Furthermore, as the brisket was the center of flavor attention, I would have loved a side of bbq sauce as I felt like the taco experience was missed providing for a bbq brisket wrap to take over my thoughts.
The taco comes as a set of three. I ate one and took the other two home. What I will say is that after being in the car for my trip to the store and riding home, the tacos actually tasted better. It was as if the 3 elements just sat together within the flour shell and just blended together. I promise you. The two tacos I ate after getting home outshined the one I ate at the restaurant.
With all this said, if I was in the area and wanted tacos, I would go back. I'm open to trying another taco option to see what it offers. Albeit bland flavor profile aside, the ingredients used in the tacos were fresh. The meat was good quality and the tacos weren't heavy.
The ambiance alone makes this location ideal for a date or friends night out. It was super energetic which helped add to the table talk.
The service provided by Sarah stands out as reason enough to come back for another experience.
Oh yeah, the date went well.
#TacoTuesday for the win. read more