I meant to do a full-scale restaurant review of one of the plethora of mom & pop taquerias in my neighborhood. There's like a zillion of them, it seems, and I've not eaten at enough of them. As luck would have it, the one I went to cannot be identified online and I'll be damned if I remembered the name of it. But if you're in the vicinity of 6700 Hillcroft, its right next to a Walgreens.

I note this place for a few simple reasons. One centers on the fact that places like this are typically hit or miss for one's taste. The other is that the better ones tend to have some semblence of authenticity to them. This one ranked up there on the scale of local taquerias.

First thing I notice upon arrival is that they don't have soft drinks ... strictly Mexican sodas. I, being the white boy that I am, opt for iced tea. The place didn't have just the garden variety offerings, either. The menu was a little more upscale ... full plates of steaks, a decent seafood sampling, even Mexican-style ribs (I'm not a fan of ribs and yet that intrigues me).

Being the cautious, yet experimental type, I opt for the known quantity ... chicken quesadillos. I'm informed that they're rather small (single tortilla), so I opt for two. I should have gotten a side of rice, but live & learn. The quesadillos were stuffed to the gills and downright yummy. The chips and a good book kept me occupied for a short wait. Oh, and the waitress, after taking my order, apparently had no clue what I ordered as someone else had to come out from back to clarify (what with my Spanish being nonexistant).

Still, the food was good, but the offering wasn't what I had expected. I know I've been spoiled by the fast food chains into thinking everything comes with a side of rice & beans ... unless you're at Taco Bell, which cannot be considered Mexican food in any way shape or form.

My point in offering this here is that since I don't live close enough to a Ruchi's (and I'm talking about potential walking distance ... my apartment is within just such a distance from about 10-15 taquerias), so I'm exploring the mom & pop places for a quality dining option. Just a little burned out on Wendy's, Jack, Whataburger, & Sonic. Oh, and being too lazy to cook counts as my excuse for not going the do-it-yourself route.

One option worth noting is that the inhouse taqueria at Fiesta is not half-bad. Not great, but not half-bad either. The taco truck that parks outside of either the nearest Diamond Shamrock or "unnamed" convenience store is, on the other hand, a shade disappointing. Not that I have lofty expectations for food served out of a truck.

Up next is Taquerias Mexico which is caddycorner to the Walgreens-place on the corner of Hillcroft & Bellaire. I know I tried that place a year or two ago and was disappointed with their quesadillo ... larger, but also greasy as all getout. I'm in need of another menu item to get out of my dietary rut, so hopefully, I'll be a little more venturesome when I attack that place.

Any known experiences with any local mom & pop taquerias, by all means pass them on in the comments. I know there's always a hidden gem out there among this group of restaurants. Finding one, unfortunately, can be a chore.