Listed in Restaurants
Mi Taco makes fresh flour tortillas in the window of their Queen West shop. It's the latest eatery to open in the space formerly occupied by 1 Love Kitchen.First time restaurateurs Vanessa and Lydia Caschera, a mother and daughter team who formerly lived in Texas, want to introduce Toronto to homestyle Tex-Mex recipes.
The restaurant retains the same footprint as previous iterations keeping the open kitchen and takeout counter upfront and offering 25 seats further back.
The gist behind Mi Taco is that every order can be personalized starting with a choice of format including tacos ($3.75 each), burritos ($8.95), or bowls ($8.95), followed by a selection of fillings and then finally simple fresh toppings.
The taco plato ($9.95) features two tacos with sides of fluffy rice and rich (lard-free) mashed beans. The fresh pressed, taco shells are a highlight and I have one topped with torn bits of a juicy, but subtly seasoned brisket and another done vegetarian with medley of colourful sautéed peppers and onions. I approve of queso fresco being the only type of cheese on offer, but I've got to warn that there's extra charge for not just gauc (50 cents), but corn too (25 cents).
From the list of side orders, there's Elote ($3.75), Mexican street corn in a cup tossed with chili lime seasoning, crumbled queso fresco and a lime wedge. This I'd eat as a snack, and especially like that the format can be easily taken back to the office and eaten without too much of a mess.
The guacamole is appreciatively all avocado (no filler), and can be ordered as a dip with tortilla chips for $3.75. I could handle more aggressive seasoning (this is a common theme throughout everything I tried) but applying a couple dashes of hot sauce helps.
The eatery licensed, which means margaritas (frozen or on the rocks) and Mexican beers are on offer. Plus there are Jarritos sodas and Mexican Coke sweetened with sugar cane.
Photos by Jesse Milns