Taco Mesa brings the original flavor of Mexico to Costa Mesa

Kathy Mader

We’ve moved back into the old neighborhood, into an old house that

requires a lot of work, and when you do that, it is important to more

than once remind yourself why.

Aside from Costa Mesa being a place of great character and charm,

not to mention seriously kid friendly, Costa Mesa has an eclectic

variety of little, non-chain, family-owned restaurants, each like one

of the jewels that make up the whole crown that is this town.

I had to revisit one of my all-time favorites, Taco Mesa on 19th

Street, because despite the promises you make to yourself when you

leave your neighborhood, it can get tough to go all the way around

the bay for dinner. It would have been worth it, though. Lament no

more, it is just around the corner. And because our kitchen isn’t

ready yet, Taco Mesa will be getting to know me all over again. We

have a lot of catching up to do.

Taco Mesa is an up-scale, glorified road-side taco stand, of the

sort you hope you run into when visiting Mexico. The open patio leads

to the colorful indoor counter, done in uneven and textured tiles,

all in the celebration of colors that characterize Mexican

architecture and decor. There are only a few stools around the inside

at which to eat, but who wants to eat inside in Southern California?

The patio is small and cozy, with enough tables that you don’t have

to wait too long to find one to call your own.

Taco Mesa’s mission statement is “[to] offer healthy, authentic

and innovative Mexican cuisine from only the freshest ingredients. No

lard, MSG, preservatives, coloring or other additives are used by

Taco Mesa. We take pride in our commitment to the highest sanitation

standards, values and genuine hospitality.”

You have to like that, especially when it comes to Mexican food.

The staff certainly succeeds in good food, but outdoor patios along

19th Street are tough, no matter how vigilant you are, so if the

noise and the traffic and some of the inevitable grime bother you,

take the food home, in plates, or in platters if you eat like we do.

Let’s talk about that food. Most gringos don’t think about Mexican

food restaurants as a place for sandwiches. One of the best things at

Taco Mesa are the tortas ($4.69), sandwiches in these toasty

authentic Mexican rolls filled with grilled onions, avocado,

tomatoes, lettuce and a creamy chile mayonnaise. You can get a

vegetarian torta, with beans and cheese only, or a torta with carne

asada (grilled marinated steak), carnitas (fried pork) or blackened

chicken breast, to name a few.

I stopped in at 9 a.m. to pick up a menu, and a gentleman was

already ordering what is the hottest seller, the blackened calamari

anything. He actually got the burrito ($5.69), but the calamari tacos

($2.99), with their spicy calamari in a red and blue corn tortilla

with chile mayo, salsa, sour cream and cheese, is what keeps the

locals crazy going back.

One of my favorite items is simply the cheese enchilada ($2.69).

How boring, you say? Well, anywhere else it would be, but here,

doused in a smoky red sauce, is a tortilla stuffed with a combination

of cheeses, some of them peppery.

Checking the daily specials is a must at Taco Mesa. It used to

offer shrimp taquitos every now and again, and boy, were they worth

the wait. The first time we had them was at the Taste of Orange

County way back when, and we stood in line again and again till they

ran out. Since we’ll be stopping by Taco Mesa all week, I hope to see

them on the menu soon.

If you love those fried jalapeno “poppers,” jalapenos stuffed with

cheese, breaded and then fried, come for the originals, and you’ll

never have the others again.

Taco Mesa offers original Mexican favorites. The tacos, served on

white corn tortillas, are your choice of grilled meat topped simply

with cilantro and onions. That is a real taco. Taco Mesa also offers

what it calls “New Wave” items, which include all the blackened meats

and grilled fish and calamari. The blackened shrimp burrito ($5.69)

is one of our usuals.

Party platters from Taco Mesa are also a big hit, from the

jalapenos stuffed with shrimp and cheese to the empanadas --

tortillas stuffed with beef, pork, chicken or crab and lots and lots

of cheese.

Imagine this; it’s summer, you’re on the patio, margarita in one

hand, chicken flauta with guacamole in the other hand, platters of

shrimp fajitas on the table, chile rellenos seeping in a spicy red

sauce ... well, you get it. Happy summer!

* KATHY MADER’s dining reviews appear every other Thursday.