If you ever find yourself craving a coffee outside Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Wash., you’ll be in luck, as you’ll be a one-minute walk from three Starbucks: one inside the building, where the symphony performs; one across the street; and one behind the building. When I toured the Space Needle during my last visit to the city, the guide joked about being unable to find coffee.
One could make a similar crack about Mexican restaurants in Chattanooga. If you ever find yourself craving a taco while near Miller Plaza in Downtown Chattanooga, you’ll be in luck, as you’ll be a one-minute walk from three Tex-Mex restaurants: El Macho Taco, Mexiville, and ta*que*ri*a. The first two are not just in close proximity to one other; they’re right next to each other! Only ta*que*ri*a has a little breathing room from the competition, as it’s located in a little nook on the Cherry Street side of Miller Plaza. All three opened in the same general time frame as well – without knowing about the others.
You can imagine the awkward glances on Market Street as the owners of El Macho Taco and Mexiville went outside to put up their signs. I picture the produce delivery truck pulling up and the driver getting out and saying, “Great! Let’s kill two birds with one stone!”
How did this happen? That’s beyond the scope of this column. Whatever the circumstances, I love Tex-Mex, so while the owners of these establishments might have seen this development as unfortunate, I saw it as an opportunity: Over the course of three days, I would eat at each restaurant one time, and then I would write about the experience. The general manager of this newspaper called it a “Mexican crawl.”
While I have my favorite Tex-Mex dishes, I decided to let the restaurants choose my meal: At each location, I would ask the person taking my order for a recommendation, and then order that. Not only would that be fair, it would open up the possibility of me enjoying something new.
As I set out for Mexiville on day one, I was excited to begin my journey of three days, three restaurants, and three especiales!
Let the crawl begin
Mexiville offers traditional Tex-Mex. This means it has an epic menu consisting of every permutation of meats, beans, chips, cheese dip, and red and green sauces imaginable, all printed using a tiny font. When I glanced at the menu, I was grateful I’d planned my strategy for ordering food ahead of time.
I was surprised when the waiter suggested my favorite Tex-Mex dish: grilled chicken, rice, and melted cheese with three tortillas on the side. I eat this entrée at nearly every Mexican restaurant I patronize. But the people who run Mexiville have put their own spin on what they call Poyo Bueno: they load it with fresh, grilled vegetables.
As I waited for my food to arrive, I dug into a tasty house-made salsa and some chips, and took stock of my surroundings. While the décor is serviceable, the long bar at which many varieties of beer can be ordered is sure to impress those who desire such beverages. I also took the sizable crowd as a good omen.
The food was delicious, and I liked the grilled onions, carrots, broccoli, and zucchini. I also ordered a hard shell beef taco, and found the meat to be quite savory.
The prices were agreeable as well. When I have a hankering for straight-up Tex-Mex for lunch, Mexiville will get the nod.
Manly tacos
If you’ve been to Mojo Burrito, then you have a good idea of what to expect at El Macho Taco: quesadillas, burritos, and soft shell tacos are all on the menu, which is scribbled on a chalkboard near the counter where you’ll order your food. El Macho Taco even offers an item called “Macho Nachos” - just like Mojo.
Although El Macho Taco lacks the Subway-style ordering line seen at area Mojos, you can still build your own burrito, filling it with steak, chicken, fish, or grilled shrimp. I started to order the fish tacos, but remembered my strategy, and wound up paying for a shrimp burrito – minus the cilantro and pico de gallo, because that’s how I roll.
While El Macho Taco might give Mojo fans déjà vu, the restaurant does set itself apart in three ways. The biggest difference is the salsa bar, which offers several varieties of salsa ranging from the kind you’d feed a child to much hotter versions. The restaurant also earns points for its warm and salty chips, which are lighter and crispier than you’ll find at most Tex-Mex places. The chips are also cheap: I got a basket for less than 50 cents. Finally, El Macho Taco sells a breakfast burrito.
As with Mexiville, the décor was minimal, with just a few touches suggesting the theme of the restaurant. However, once I bit into my amply sized burrito, with its scrumptious grilled shrimp and “secret sauce,” I forgot all about my surroundings and took pleasure in my food.
About 20 minutes later, I left with a full belly and a wallet that wasn’t much lighter than when I’d entered. All in all, I was satisfied with my visit to El Macho Taco.
And then there was one
Something nice happened when I stepped into ta*que*ri*a the following day – I relaxed. The space in which the restaurant resides is small and seating is limited, with one long table in the center of the dining area and a few tables-for-two placed along one wall – like Aretha Frankenstein’s, only with steamy fajitas instead of buttery biscuits. But it was quiet, and the décor was appealing. Various thematically relevant decorations, including an acoustic guitar and a fancy sombrero, had been hung with symmetrical care on the wall that runs alongside the smaller tables, and a large ta*que*ri*a logo took up another wall. My favorite adornment, however, was the huge smile on the face of the Mexican lady who stood behind the order counter.
I felt as though I’d entered a tiny Mexican oasis. To quench my thirst, I ordered a grapefruit Jarritos – a refreshing Mexican soda. The chalkboards outside the eatery had announced the specials of the day, one of which was chimichangas filled with chipotle chicken and topped with cheese dip and guacamole. I remembered hoping I’d experience something new, and said a short prayer of thanks.
My food arrived surprisingly fast. Even better, the chimichangas tasted wonderful. There was nothing generic about them; rather, I found myself plowing through handcrafted food that easily rivaled my favorite Tex-Mex spot, Taconooga in the North Shore.
The menu at ta*que*ri*a is very accessible: everything from tostadas and tamales, and quesadillas to burritos, can be filled with steak, chicken, fish, shrimp, and veggies. There’s more adventurous fare as well, such as the Hawaiian Torta, a large Mexican sandwich filled with grilled pineapple, carnitas, onions, avocado, cheese, tomatoes, and jalapeños. ta*que*ri*a also has a breakfast menu with nearly a dozen items, including five burritos filled with eggs, Mexican sausage, and more.
As I left, I asked the lady with the big smile if ta*que*ri*a offers a different special every day; she assured me they did. In the words of El Terminador: “Vuelvo enseguida!” (“I’ll be back!”)
Outro
As I thought back on my Mexican crawl, I realized each of the three restaurants offered something unique, and something I liked, and would be an establishment at which I’d gladly eat again. If you ever find yourself craving a taco while downtown, and decide to eat at either El Macho Taco, Mexiville, or ta*que*ri*a, you might see me there, keeping the crawl alive by enjoying another especiales!
For more photos, pick up a copy of the Hamilton County Herald.