‘Watts for Dinner’: Talk of the table – Marco Island's La Mesa Taqueria
This week’s dining destination is the all-new recently opened La Mesa Taqueria on Marco Island.
Loyal readers know that I love Mexican food (don’t we all). So, it’s an event when we get to try a new place.
The restaurant opens at 4 p.m. Our first try was a weekday between Christmas and New Year’s. In my mind, there would not be much demand at 4. We passed the place at 3:45 p.m. and it was a ghost town. We came back at 4:15 and it was packed.
The main parking was full and the wait for a table was at least 20 minutes; you could sit at the bar – if you could find a stool. We opted to come back the following day, this time arriving 15-minutes before 4. We waited and watched as the parking lot filled again. I guess I’m not the only one who’s excited. LOL!
Things got off to an appetizing start with some house-made chips, guacamole ($15) and elotes ($13).
The guac is made table side and it was one of my favorite parts of the meal. Elotes, or Mexican street corn, is grilled corn on the cob covered in a creamy mayonnaise and topped with chili powder and Cotija cheese. This is one of my favorite dishes and it did not disappoint. I highly recommend this dish.
You can’t go to a taqueria and not order tacos. And La Mesa has ‘em all: Al pastor (spit roasted marinated pork with pineapple) topped with cilantro, onion and radish; carnitas (jerked pork topped with cilantro and onions; barbacoa, which in this case is shredded beef, but at some places is lamb; carne asada and Barria (braised beef). You can also select shredded chicken, shrimp, fish, BBQ mushrooms or the “Gringo,” which I’m told is ground beef.
You can have any of those on either corn or flour tortillas. By the way, the tortillas are made in house and you can watch them do it!
My dining companion selected the carnitas ($18), you get three. The presentation was nice and it was a fair amount of protein.
From the “Plates” portion of the menu, I ordered the chile rellenos ($19). You can get it baked or fried; I picked the latter. And you can add chicken ($7) or shrimp. I added chicken.
Chile rellenos (or stuffed peppers in English) is a roasted poblano pepper stuffed with cheese. It’s usually coated in an egg batted and fried golden brown and topped with a red sauce.
I’ve had this dish many times in many restaurants. My biggest surprise was just how spicy the red sauce was here. Typically, it’s mild. But I ate it all. And while the rice was not my favorite, the refried beans that accompanied this dish were amazing!
La Mesa, I will be back to try the pozole — thank you for including it on your menu.
The atmosphere is fresh, with two giant glass doors that open on the front face of the building. There’s extra parking next door. Service is the best it can be, given that amount of people that overwhelm during these initial days. And if you’re a restaurant owner, that’s a good problem to have. Happy eating!
MoreWatts: Eat and be merry – Great prices, seasonal flavors at Tropical Smoothie Café
AndHey Marco Island, looking for a place to eat?
AlsoNow You Know: City seeks beach advisory member; boat tour resumes
Prices indicate time of visit and may vary. This newspaper pays for all meals related to dining reviews. We do not solicit or accept free food.
If you go
La Mesa Taqueria
- 297 N. Collier Blvd., Marco Island
- 239-388-TACO
- lamesamarcoisland.com