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| - First, let me start by saying that since I've never been to Mexico or anywhere south of the border for that matter I have no clue what "authentic" Mexican cuisine tastes like. I've seen it on TV as Anthony Bourdain waxes poetic about how great it is to eat seared beef tongue tacos off of a dirty-handed street vendors cart (intestinal distress anyone?) and I've read about it on various foodie blogs over the years. My point is, I have no first-hand experience with the native cuisine. For me, authentic Mexican food means that all of the following criteria have been met by the establishment:
1. Food must be prepared by Mexicans. Not having it done this way would be like having your sushi made by an Italian. It's just not right.
2. The location in which it is prepared must contain at least three stereotypical items of decor.
3. I must be able to hear the staff communicating with each other in Latin American Spanish (that's an "s" not a "th" thank you).
4. I must witness Mexicans eating there at least once during a visit
5. At least one television must be broadcasting soccer
Mi Pueblo passes the test with flying colors. Having been here several times now I think it's safe to say that this is just about as authentic as they come. Everyone that works there appears to have an ethnic tie to the Mexican homeland. The dining area itself is pretty clean. There's a television mounted on the wall, bright red, green and white banners hanging from the ceiling, a sombrero-wearing chili pepper, diner-style laminate topped tables, and plenty of windows. It's nothing to write home about but it gets the job done.
The food is the main reason you come here. The menu is huge and the portions are large. For starters, you get a complimentary basket of really brightly colored tortilla chips and two styles of salsa, an orange and a green. I'm not too sure what makes them different (I'm assuming different peppers) but they're both pretty damn spicy. I wouldn't call either of them mild, that's for sure. As you would expect, just about everything comes served with rice and beans. The beans are smooth, perfectly spiced and topped with queso fresco and the rice is, well, as exciting as rice can get. For me, if the rice is cooked it's good rice.
I've had the tamales, the burritos (chicken and beef), the tacos, carnitas and the chicken mole and they are all wonderful. Sure, some of the meat is a bit dry and the presentation wouldn't exactly merit a nod from Eric Ripert, but c'mon, this is Mexican home-cookin' at its finest and it's not dumbed down for the American palette. And yes, I have witnessed Latin Americans eating here. That's always a good sign, right? I'm also glad they stopped serving the pickled vegetables with the chips and salsa. I bet those things were just about as popular as the cole slaw at Melt Bar and Grilled.
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