One Hispanic restaurant owner, who is also active in community endeavors, tells about a pet peeve. “Time after time I will meet someone at an event and they will ask me what I do. I say that I own my own restaurant. They say they never heard of it and then tell me about their favorite Mexican restaurant, invariably adding “It’s so clean.’ Remember how blacks felt when white people said they liked Barack Obama because he was so articulate? I’d rather have someone insinuate I less than articulate than filthy.”
Many folks tell me that Mi Mexico is their favorite Hispanic restaurant. Some add that it’s “really clean,” and “so colorful.” Most praise its margaritas. The place recently made long time Des Moines Register dining critic Wini Moranville’s list of the top 25 restaurants in Central Iowa, ahead of some personal favorites like Café di Scala, Sbrocco and The King & I, plus most of my favorite Hispanic joints. Previously, I thought it was indistinguishable from several other large Mexican cafés with gargantuan menus, mild salsas and margarita specials.
I revisited recently, once with a friend from the restaurant industry who, being frequently inspected, is expert about what “really clean” means. She pointed out that paint was chipping off floor tiles, that plastic flowers on our table were covered in dust, that the carpet was speckled with numerous crumbs of food, and that the baby changing table in the bathroom was “down and dirty.” Before our two hour visit ended, the carpet was vacuumed and the baby table was closed.
A peach margarita, ordered “on the rocks,” was served blended, without additional ice, and without a salted rim or any garnish. A strawberry margarita also lacked a salted rim or any garnish. One expects those things, even at places that charge considerably less than $6 for a margarita. At Tacqueria Sonora, a choice of tequilas is usually offered too.
The menu offered a few things I don’t remember seeing in other suburban Mexican cafés: a chicken Poblano that is made with fresh apples, chocolate and chilies; and a chicken mole that is made with a peanut butter base. A third innovation took us by surprise. All the carnitas I have previously eaten around town were made by braising well marbled cuts of pork, usually shoulders and hams. Some also finish them by crisping at high heat. Usually they are garnished with chopped onion radishes and lime wedges. At Mi Mexico, an order of carnitas looked identical to an order of fajitas. I asked if there had been a mistake. No, I was told that Mi Mexico’s carnitas is “just like their beef fajitas” only with a different seasoning and served on plate rather than on an iron platter. Cole slaw, guacamole, beans and rice accompanied extremely lean strips of well cooked beef, bell peppers and onions.
Chicken fajitas did not sizzle when served. Like other chicken dishes on the menu, they were made with skinless breast meat. Accompanied by bell pepper strips, caramelized onions, and tomatoes, they weren’t even very hot. Steak “torero” delivered sirloin cooked well done despite being ordered “medium rare,” with more grilled bell peppers and onion strips. No one ever asked if I wanted corn or flour tortillas and once tortillas were withheld until requested. Corn husk tamales were stuffed with shredded pork but lacked needed salsa. Chiles rellenos delivered stem-on pasilas stuffed with real Jack cheese and covered in mild red salsa.
Bargain priced ($2 – $3.25) desserts resembled one another. An apple chimichanga (stuffed fried flour tortillas) was served with whipped cream, caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream.
Sopapillas (fried flour tortillas) were coated with honey, sugar and cinnamon and served with whipped cream and strawberry sauce. Flan also was surprisingly served drenched in strawberry sauce with whipped cream.
Mi Mexico
11407 Forest Ave., Clive, 222-6933
Mon. – Thurs. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Fri. – Sat. 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Side Dishes
Carl Blake, the Iowa pig farmer we first wrote about here two years ago, is on a roll. In February, he was featured on the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods and in a New York Times video. He has a big time agent now and six different networks are bidding to host a TV series about his porcine adventures. He’s scheduled for six minutes on The Colbert Report March 27. That show is flying Carl and one of his pigs to New York
One Hispanic restaurant owner, who is also active in community endeavors, tells about a pet peeve. “Time after time I will meet someone at an event and they will ask me what I do. I say that I own my own restaurant. They say they never heard of it and then tell me about their favorite Mexican restaurant, invariably adding “It’s so clean.’ Remember how blacks felt when white people said they liked Barack Obama because he was so articulate? I’d rather have someone insinuate I less than articulate than filthy.”Many folks tell me that Mi Mexico is their favorite Hispanic restaurant. Some add that it’s “really clean,” and “so colorful.” Most praise its margaritas. The place recently made long time Des Moines Register dining critic Wini Moranville’s list of the top 25 restaurants in Central Iowa, ahead of some personal favorites like Café di Scala, Sbrocco and The King & I, plus most of my favorite Hispanic joints. Previously, I thought it was indistinguishable from several other large Mexican cafés with gargantuan menus, mild salsas and margarita specials.
Sopapillas (fried flour tortillas) were coated with honey, sugar and cinnamon and served with whipped cream and strawberry sauce. Flan also was surprisingly served drenched in strawberry sauce with whipped cream.Mi Mexico11407 Forest Ave., Clive, 222-6933Mon. – Thurs. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Fri. – Sat. 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.Side DishesCarl Blake, the Iowa pig farmer we first wrote about here two years ago, is on a roll. In February, he was featured on the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods and in a New York Times video. He has a big time agent now and six different networks are bidding to host a TV series about his porcine adventures. He’s scheduled for six minutes on The Colbert Report March 27. That show is flying Carl and one of his pigs to New York
