"Ah, the grating, whining sound of privileged white people who accidentally wandered outside their stucco-and-Xanax gated communities and saw what the real world looks like. Here's a news flash: Carolina's is a Mexican food restaurant in a neighborhood where--shh!--actual Latinos live!! In their native environment! How breathtakingly edgy! We could be killed at any time! Oh my stars and whiskers! Someone protect the Escalade!\n\nEnough already. It's not the Ritz, sure. But by LA or San Francisco or New York or Jersey or Philly or even Denver standards, this rapidly-gentrifying South Phoenix neighborhood is a walk in the park. Grow a pair and go get some of the best Mexican food you'll ever have. Carolina's tortillas are sublime, widely hailed as the best in town if not the entire Southwest. The machaca tacos will knock your socks off. Their beans are deliciously flavorful but not too heavy, and their rice is perfectly seasoned. The chips and salsa are likewise fantastic, and the service is fast and friendly--especially if you're a \"regular\". They do a brisk business all day but expect an especially good crowd at lunchtime. Carolina's has a second location on Cactus and Cave Creek, and it's much less terrifying to poor whitey--cleaner, more upscale, in a nice safe suburban strip mall, and their food and staff are likewise great--but confidentially? It's even better here, at the original Carolina's on Mohave. Besides, with the number of EMTs and police officers who eat here all day, you're in good hands. There are a lot of good people and good things outside of Arizona's endless, funereal, racially and economically segregated gated housing developments. Get out of those self-made prisons and live a little."^^ . "6"^^ . "5"^^ . . . "4"^^ . "2008-10-29T00:00:00"^^ . . "6"^^ .