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It seems like nearly every denizen of the metro Atlanta area has made at least a handful of trips to the unusually situated Nuevo Laredo Cantina.  Located in Atlanta’s version of no man’s land [though I’ve lumped it in with the Westside], it’s a wildly popular Tex-Mex spot with a dedicated following.  Often times, it’s publicly lauded; and so far as my experience has gone, privately snickered at.  Still, I’m not 100% sure why I’m penning this piece, as I don’t have any startling revelations to offer up.  I’ve been there as many times as most, and I’ll play it out as I see it.

As mentioned, NLC doesn’t attempt to be authentic Mexican.  Instead, it focuses on the Mexo-American cuisine of towns like Laredo, TX.  As logic would follow, I’m as baffled by those who walk out slamming Nuevo for its lack of authenticity as I am by those who praise it for its traditionalism.

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Ever opened your fridge late at night? If you’re like me, it usually makes you squint and promptly throw your forearm up in a measly attempt to ease your eyes.  Well, that’s the kind of reaction I had to a recent meal at the Prickly Pear, a loud and proud taqueria located in the base of the Plaza in Midtown.

Given the price point, the predictably kitsch décor, and the mediocre experience, I can’t say I was really disappointed.  Ultimately, we got what we asked for.  Put simply, this is the usual Texicana meets Mexicana, and if you judge it against any other standard, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

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Originally Posted 11.16.2008

I returned to Mi Barrio last night for what was probably my fifth meal there.  While I will say that it was the best meal I’ve ever had there, that was not a consequence of the cuisine.  Ultimately, Mi Barrio is a decent restaurant, but drastically overrated in the food community.  At the end of the day, I would only recommend Mi Barrio if you have a hankering for some Mexican food and live in nearby Grant Park.  The food last night was par for the course for Barrio.  However, my good buddy Chris (from Café Agora fame) and Leslie, his wonderful wife, were kind enough to join me.  That’s what made this fun.

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So last Tuesday (yes – el Cinco De Mayo), a friend whose culinary prowess dwarfs my own, decided to join me for lunch.  She was in the mood for some margaritas; and, Verde Taqueria, the newly opened Brookhaven taqueria, got the call.

While the delay in getting this up could be attributed to a busy week, that’s not really the case.  From what I have been told, this is the first foray into the restaurant biz for the owners.  Given the fact that these guys are getting their feet wet in every respect, I wanted to make sure I put things in the appropriate perspective.

While all new restaurants deserve some leeway, one such as this (rookie owners, low price point, casual atmosphere) gets a bit more of a pass.  Meanwhile, franchises, chef driven restaurants, and pocket pinching establishments(think BLT Steak or Dogwood) need to be relatively well run right off the bat.

Though I fear this may sound particularly harsh, the meal was pretty unimpressive and left me apprehensive.

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According to their website, Verde Taqueria and Cantina is scheduled to open by the end of April.  No word on a firm date; however, I drove by today and noticed that the restaurant looks like it’s ready to rock.  The installation is over at the Village Place shopping center in Brookhaven.  Their website is fully functional and their menu is up.  Looks like your pretty standard fare; however, there are a couple of twists [see: buffalo tofu taco].  I’ve taken the time to add it to the April Dirty List

Verde Taqueria y Cantina Restaurant Address & Information:
1426 Dresden Dr, Atlanta, GA 30319 // P: 404.254.5319 // Verde Taqueria Website // Verde Taqueria Menu

A friend of mine was asking me for advice on where to go for her birthday.  I realized by the time we were done … that was good fodder for a post. This is by no means an attempt to offer up a “definitive” list of party grub in the Dirty.  Rather, here are just a few spots that seem to work well for when you want to hang with your crew.  The focus here isn’t as much on the food as it is on the experience.  That said, *most* of these offer up serviceable grub.  The list after the jump!

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Address:
1186 N Highland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
Phone:
404.873.4656

Restaurant Website
Restaurant Menu

So a friend of mine is on her way to the Original El Taco, so I am throwing up this old review from about a month ago. In fact, this was from 11.17.08, so that’s exactly one month! Spooky huh!  Enjoy the read everyone! As a quick aside, in my return, I tried the Mexican pizza (similar to a Tlayuda). It was solid and you should check it out if you go.
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I was flying solo last Thursday, so I decided to drop in at the new “The Original El Taco” (yeah – that makes sense).  The name freakin’ bothers me.  Granted, it’s just your basic Spanglish bastardization – but can’t we do better than “The Original The Taco“???  Oh well – it doesn’t factor in the score.
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