Wednesday, July 1

Mi Casita

Mi Casita is a very unfancy restaurant that lives on a run down stretch of Airport Blvd. just south of 7th street. Jarod has noticed large crowds around the place on his way to work, so today we tried it out for lunch.

I had heard literally nothing about this joint, so I was excited to explore some virgin territory. It's location and modest appearance were both things that could bode well, so I was initially very disappointed to run into stale chips and some so-so salsa. I ordered a trio of tacos and hoped for the best.

I was very pleasantly surprised. My al pastor taco came on a light and flavorful homemade corn tortilla. The pastor had a great texture and was very well spiced. The hotter of the two table salsas was much better on the food than on the stale chips and along with the excellent meat and homemade corn tortilla made for a winning taco experience.

The fajita taco was even better. The store bought flour tortilla was carefully grilled, which is always a good way (short of making your own) to get the party started. The fajitas were fantastically tender and flavorful. Lots of grilled onions added a lovely extra hit of taste to an already excellent taco. This is one of the best fajita tacos I've had in town. It's right up there with the fajita tacos at Habanero.

My carne guisada was a disappointment. There was very little gravy involved, and more fatty chunks of meat than I like (and I'm far from picky in this regard).

Jarod and Mando were similarly stoked on their al pastor and fajita, but underwhelmed with the carne molida and barbacoa tacos they tried. We all shared a side order of rice and beans which were solid, but unremarkable.

Mi Casita does not get high marks across the board, but I think the fajita and al pastor tacos (at $1.75 each) are really something special. I recommend that you stop in and get one of each the next time you're nearby.

Mi Casita - 3 stars - Cornbiter Deluxe
817 Airport Blvd
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 389-2227

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