Los Aztecas Restaurant

About as far south as one can get on the Florida mainland before immersion into the vast sawgrass and mangrove expanse, Los Aztecas makes for a convenient repast after a long day of 'Glades canoeing.

It's "authentic" Mexican. No frills. It's cheap, very cheap, as it should be. I was impressed straight off by the chips and salsa - the chips were not greasy in the slightest (greasy chips, huge pet peeve), and the salsa was fresh and tangy with a little peppery kick. Horchata was very perfumey, and not as cloying as some I've tasted - though I'd still prefer it to not be so smooth; I like it with more of a grainy-rice texture.

The relleno I tried was as it should be - a nice slightly spicy pepper with lots of actual pepper flavor, filled with cheese, but not to the point of being a gooey, oily pile of crap. Tacos were light, fresh, flavorful, cheap - what more can one ask for?

On the negative side, our table seemed to be suffering from a mini-infestation of black ants, the ones you find at your home if you leave a scrap of sugar-containing food out for too long. Also, as we were eating, we noticed a shady-looking character outside attempting to wash our car, unsolicited. I had to poke my head out the door and yell at him to stop.

Still, this place fills the bill for a quick, tasty "real Mexican" Homestead/Florida City stop.