El Molcajete

Walked in for a Sunday lunch, lively Spanish music was playing with football on the TV.  Decent crowd of Hispanic men and a few couples, busy waitress and cook/bartender were ready with a smile.  Bright colors and clean place with simple booths and tables.
Fairly expansive menu with a great selection of Mexican and South American dishes, meat and seafood heavy.  The soups were being served in huge bowls with the seafood overtopping the edges, looked great.

Salsa was a thin, hot (temperature) salsa with a good flavor, chips were standard but not overly salted like some.

We ordered the parrillada which is a mixed grill of meats.  Skirt steak, chicken breast, ribs, marinated pork, Mexican sausage, grilled onions, grilled bell peppers, grilled jalapenos and whole onions all served on a sizzling platter of goodness.  Rice, beans, salad and corn tortillas accompanied the spread.

This was one of those meals where you keep sticking your fork back for more tasty morsels even though you are complete stuffed. The meat was juicy and tender, the sausage a bit spicy and flavorful, the onions sweet and caramelized. The tortillas were quite good, the beans and rice fairly standard but honestly, when a platter of meat is served like that, who is wasting time on rice and beans?

A little pricey for the area but not pricey for the quality or quantity of the food.  Lunch for two was $24 plus tax and tip but left us both in something of a happy food coma for the rest of the afternoon.

We figured it was a good sign to see a lot of trucks in the parking lot and tables full of Latino work crews. Sure enough, the tacos are delicious and authentic Mexican-style. In my two visits, I'd say the carnitas has been the highlight -- stewed and tender -- but everything else has been quite good. Passable chips and salsa. Very good micheladas. I was also happy to see "Mexican hot dog" on the menu, not a common sight in these parts. There's probably lard in the beans (they were excellent). Solid barbacoa, asada, pastor.

I wish I could say I've tried more of the menu. There's no shortage of seafood to choose from, and they claim to specialize in fajitas. In time, I might get around to branching out, but I also just might keep eating taco platters.

A side note -- they still have the "La Tapatia" sign up in front, but all their advertising and the sign on the side of the building reflect the new name. As long as they are putting effort into their cooking, an obviously forgivable offense.