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."