Chelitas Taqueria

I hope the taquerias keep reproducing.  It's a welcome addition to the white-on-white food scene around here.

Now, for Chelita's -- I was greeted warmly at the counter and ordered an adobada burrito and Coke.  Yeah, it's the same damn thing I order nearly every time I try a new burrito place, but I've found that proper spicing and quality of meat say a lot about an establishment's overall  attention to detail.

Before my burrito arrived I was accosted by a plate full of (complimentary) flan and cake.  Hey, I love free food as much as the next guy, but I probably should've saved it for after the meal.   Sweet stuff.  

The adobada was good, but not spectacular.  A few too many gristly pieces in the meat took away from what was otherwise a very nicely spiced burrito, served with some garnishes and definitely enough to leave me feeling full (not El Taco Express or La Rockita bursting-at-the-seams).   For $5.75 I felt like it was a reasonably priced meal.

They did have some other items of note - the elusive chilaquiles, for one, and a barbacoa that a fellow customer chose that smelled heavenly.  

For now, I'll give them three stars, but at the price, I can afford to go back to try other dishes, and plan to do so soon.

They accept all major credit cards and claim they have free wifi.  The setup is such that you could actually have a pretty peaceful lunch in the side room while browsing the web.   Not sure how I feel about doing that at a taco shop, but it's an option, I guess.

With taquerias popping up in this area at the same rate as tea party activists (no coincidence) it has become hard to notice or care when a review for a new Mexican place shows up on Yelp.

Well this is the review you should pay attention to. And this taqueria? This taqueria is the one you should visit next time your lily white ass is hankering for some legit Mexican food.

Chelitas recently opened in a spot that used to be occupied by Las Morenas. The prior business didn't do much with space, and while sometimes you like it when a restaurant reminds you of Mexico, this place wasn't a good reminder. It was dirty, the food was cheap but far from great, and one out of every two times I went I had Pancho Villa's revenge.

Exit Las Morenas, enter Chelitas Taqueria. The owners have spruced up the digs and are very friendly. When I stopped by to welcome them to the neighborhood they insisted I have one of their fruit salads and a fresh squeezed lemonade for free.  The menu on the black dry erase board looked promising and the owners stated that the food takes longer to prepare because everything is made fresh, including the tortillas. Fresh made tortillas!? Definitely had to make my way back.

In the two weeks since my first stop I've cruised through 3 more times. Each time the food has been delicious and the service has been gracious and helpful. I've been offered free melon water on each visit along with some of the best damn puerco chile verde of my entire life.

You can get a plate of the puerco with rice and beans for 8 dollars or have it thrown in a burrito with cheese, sauce, and sour cream on top for $5.50.