Restaurant Review: La Casa Del Taco in McAllen, Texas

* Name: La Casa Del Taco
* Location: McAllen, Texas (just this side of Renosa, Mexico)
* Open For: Lunch, Dinner
* Under Review: Dinner
* Price Range: Low
* Fare: Mexican
* Full Bar: Yes
* Food Score (out of 10): 8
* Service Score (out of 10): 9
* Reservations: No
* BT Blog Recommends?: Yes
* Booking Information:

1100 W Houston Ave.
Mcallen, Texas
(956) 631-8193

* Website: None
* Review: Strange things were afoot at the Casa Del Taco, but the food was still pretty awesome. I had the Sombrero plate, which is code for fajitas with cheese melted on top. They were really tasty, especially with the salsa that was full of fresh cilantro and peppers. I got the beef variety, but other types of carne were available as well. The tortillas were homemade, which is the best indicator of whether or not a Mexican restaurant is the real deal or a total fraud. The service was, as it is as most Mexican restaurants, stellar.

The $2 margaritas were a different story, I’m afraid. They tasted okay and were served differently each time. The first time featured a lime AND a tiny plastic sword with 3 olives. The second time only the olives were present. The third time there was no garnish. It kept getting shorter, kind of like M.C. Hammer’s name. I have to admit, that was the first time I’ve eaten olives in a margarita. It didn’t change the taste at all. My only complaint – I don’t think there was actually any tequila in the drinks. Usually you KNOW when you’ve had 3 margaritas and I was looking to get a little buzz. I might as well have drank a slurpee for all the good those did me. It turns out they have $2 beer as well, including Modelo. I would stick with the bottled stuff.

The strange things? There was one waiter who had on some strange adornments. He could have passed for a diplomat or the president of Mexico. I’m not sure what his program was. Then there was another waiter who looked EXACTLY like my friend Ronnie from high school. But Ronnie is Filipino and this guy was (apparently) Mexican. Weird. I was directed away from the “smoking area” that was MUCH larger than the non-smoking area and not really separated. But in the hour and a half I was there I didn’t see a single person light up in that section. And I had a birds eye view. Finally, there was some balding guy with a mullet and his wife that looked like any average Joe (except with a mullet) and they were getting the STAR treatment from the chef. I don’t know. I was just a little jealous. Not really relevant, but it does make for interesting dining.