Tina’s Mexican Restaurant
The Missus, Robbie, and I made a spontaneous visit to the brand-spankin’ new—it opened just yesterday—Tina’s Restaurant last night. It is located on Highway 2 across from Channel 8, just in front of Robber’s Cave. Here are some scans of the menu. Click to enlarge.
It’s always hard to rate a restaurant on its first day, but my initial hunch is that Tina’s will have a better chance at success than King Taco, the former tenant at the location. Why? I can’t really put my finger on it, to be honest. The menu feels mostly authentic, but not “too” authentic such that it scares away the skittish. The food is tasty and nicely prepared, and prices are very reasonable. And the interior is clean, warm, and pleasantly decorated.
Speaking of the interior, I love the kids’ play area. It’s the sort of play area you’ll only see at a locally-owned restaurant. There are some small tables and chairs, a few toys, and coloring books, all placed on colorful mats. It really makes the place feel homey.
I ordered a combination plate featuring a burrito, enchilada, rice, and beans. The burrito was approximately deLeon’s size in a fresh tortilla, with shredded beef, green peppers, and onions. The enchilada was smaller, also with shredded beef and onions, and smothered in a red sauce. The beans were of the thinner variety, but not soupy.
The Missus ordered a country burrito off the breakfast menu. It featured eggs, potatoes, and I think cheese and onions. (I’ll have to double check with her on that.) She said she would definitely order it again.
We received a small basket of chips with our meal, with which we sampled the salsa bar. There are three salsas: a thin, green, tomatillo salsa; a thin, red salsa; and a chunkier salsa with plenty of cilantro. The latter was my favorite. It went very well with both of our burritos.
Long story short, even on Day 1 Tina’s made a good impression on us. I’m a little concerned about their ability to keep up if they get really busy, but that’s always a general fear I have with small, local joints. Also note that their credit card terminal was late, so for now it’s cash and check only. The terminal was supposed to arrive yesterday. If you go in the next couple days, you may want to have cash available. Also note that Tina’s drive-thru is open 24-hours. If you’re on a late-night prowl and the neighboring McDonald’s doesn’t trip your trigger, Tina’s is there for you.
Added: Heh, I forgot to add this amusing anecdote. When we were leaving, a Suburban pulled up and a family piled out. The father, a relatively imposing fellow, hollered over to us, “So how is it?” We said it deserved a thumbs-up. He took a step toward the door, then stopped and looked at us with a scowl. “It ain’t none of that Taco John’s crap, is it?” I laughed. “No, no, it definitely is not Taco John’s crap.”
The Comments
Mr. T says And to think I almost March 13, 2008 at 8:04am
And to think I almost walked in there last night when you were there.
How were the rice and beans?
Mr. Wilson says RE: And to think I almost March 13, 2008 at 8:06am
I thought they were good. I can’t really vouch for their authenticity or anything. Like I said, the beans were thin—not the gummy mortar-style beans you get at some places—but not runny. The little bit of rice I had was tasty, but Robbie ate most of my rice. He likes his “wice”.
Mr. T says RE: And to think I almost March 13, 2008 at 3:53pm
I’ll definitely check it out later this weekend. I much prefer beans with a thin consistency rather than the thick playdough that they serve at some places.
The location will be a challenge for sure.
swoof says I was going to be March 13, 2008 at 8:31am
I was going to be good and eat the lunch I brought today but I suddenly feel the need for a machaca or chorizo torta.
CP says The bigger question... March 13, 2008 at 11:27am
So what’s the scoop? Is it, or is it NOT a spin off of Tina’s Cafe up the street?
Either way it looks like a good eat to me!
Mr. Wilson says RE: The bigger question... March 13, 2008 at 11:29am
You know, I completely forgot to ask. I’ve never been to the other Tina’s, so I can’t even make a guess.
CP says RE: The bigger question... March 13, 2008 at 11:50am
Another sleepless night…
beerorkid says there were a good amount March 13, 2008 at 12:00pm
there were a good amount of cars in their lot around 11:45
CP says Ate there for dinner tonight March 13, 2008 at 6:33pm
The wife, daughter and I stopped in for dinner tonight. My impressions:
• First things first - I asked if they were related to Tina’s Cafe in any way. The answer was no.
• I had the 2 Burrito Plate. I got the two things I would consider myself an expert at eating and judging - a carnitas burrito and a fish burrito.
The carnitas had good flavor, but was very dry - crispy & chewy even. Good carnitas would be a bit moister than that. Verdict: Not bad. I’ve certainly had worse.
The fish burrito was not a legitimate fish burrito. It was just the normal burrito with battered cod and sour cream in it instead of beef or whatever. A decent fish taco is a whole other beast - pickled cabbage, black beans, etc. Verdict: Poor, very poor.
• The wife had the Chimichanga plate. She gets that everywhere. She said it was way crispier than anywhere else, which she liked. On the other hand, it was very bland. Meat, refried beans and cheese. She didn’t notice any salsa or anything. She thought it was pretty good.
• The daughter had the Jr. Combo with cheese quesadillas. Wow - it was A LOT of food for $3.99.
• The TV was playing a Bourne Identity movie, which I considered pretty inappropriate 5:30PM entertainment for the daughter (age 4). After seeing her staring slack jawed at the screen for a bit I asked if they would change the channel before it got to one of more violent scenes. They were happy to, though I felt bad after they came out and ejected the DVD. I hadn’t considered that they wouldn’t have cable - just a DVD player.
• We inhaled the tiny basket of chips in seconds and offered to buy another basket, they were happy to bring us another basket for free.
• They don’t take plastic - bring your cash or local checks.
• The decor was indeed clean and nice.
• Overall… Living halfway between DeLeon’s on West O and Tina’s at Van Dorn & Hwy 2, I prefer DeLeon’s.
CP says Oh yeah... March 13, 2008 at 6:34pm
Our beans were THICK. Cement like. Tasted pretty canned to me.
Mr. T says RE: Tina’s Mexican Restaurant March 16, 2008 at 9:36am
Just stopped by there for an early lunch. The owner and his wife mentioned that they are originally from Phoenix, AZ, where they had many years of restaurant management experience. All I can say is: GOD BLESS his soul.
I am a carne asada fiend, but for some reason I opted to try the chicken enchilada and beef taco combo plate. For the prices, this food is good and there is a lot of it. I agree with CP though - I prefer soupier beans and these were a bit on the thick side. I also agree that this is VERY similar to De Leon’s. They also had pickled veggies with the salsa bar too, which was quite nice (albeit only peppers and carrots). But that won’t stop me from coming back here often. Nice addition to the area, and much better than its predecessors.