tacotopia

4615 Everhart Rd. Corpus Christi, TX • (361) 850-8646

Taco Blanca and I took a morning trip to the Farmer’s Market in search of fresh fare and found it.  It was an especially good day for greens – kale, escarole, spinach and more.  Paul’s Seafood had a presence so we were able to pick up a couple of fresh mahi fillets for dinner.  After perusing, purchasing and perambulating, we decided that breakfast was in order.  It’d been a while since I did anything but eat for Tacotopia, so I thought I might find some delectable edible to share with those in search of a good breakfast taco.  We decided on Senor Jaime’s Mexican Restaurant.  I was a worried that they would not have a breakfast menu and it turned out I was right.  Curses, foiled again.  (Insert evil moustache-twisting here.)  However, we’d heard the place was good and decided to check out the lunch menu.

The place was handsome inside – white, glass-covered tablecloths, Fiesta plates and serving platters.  An Easter theme was in place so there were porcelain cascarones everywhere.  We could see a full bar from our table.  The menu announced what looked to be several worthy opponents, but my eyes were drawn to one in particular – the menudo.  I thought to myself that I could still sneak in a review in the guise of a Tacotopia Menudo Minute.  Without much thought, I ordered the soup and a side of grilled vegetables, and a small bowl of Elote, a roasted corn dish with parmesan cheese and spices. Taco Blanca ordered a shrimp dish (as is her custom when shrimp is on the menu).  While we waited, I had a tall beer and my beloved ordered a Margarita.

When the food arrived, I knew I had not done myself right.  Taco Blanca’s food looked marvelous next to my apparently anemic soup.  The menudo was not really good.  It wasn’t disgusting, but it wasn’t what I expect of a good bowl.  The color was mostly right, but the tripe was still too chewy – a bit underdone –  not that cooking it longer would have saved it.  The spicing was weak and as a dish it didn’t come together.  My grilled vegetables, actually everything else on the table from chips and salsa to the Elote to the shrimp dish across the table were excellent.  The sound and aroma of sizzling fajitas, and the tableside-constructed guacamole were in-my-face-reminders that I had not ordered well.  But I plan to remedy that, perhaps this weekend.  If you haven’t been to Senor Jaime’s, drop in and have a good meal.  But leave the menudo alone.

Salud