Mr. Villa

On the eve of my brother’s wedding we got take out from a small Mexican eatery just up Lake City Way from the townhouse where we were staying.  Mr. Villa got mixed reviews on the Internet.  While there were some good reviews, one reviewer took issue with the place advertising homemade tortillas on its window.  Apparently, they’re not really homemade.  While pondering what to order I had to call to find out that some dishes came with cheese, rice, and beans even though it didn’t say so in the take out menu.  (By the way, the menu had a copy of a photo of Pancho Villa on the cover.)  However, they got my order correct after I specified no cheese, no beans, and no sour cream.

I didn’t get to see much of the place other than the outside of it when we drove by.  I saw the sign for homemade tortillas.  My brother, who went with my dad to pick up our orders, said it was full of “well-dressed Seattlites.”  Our orders were ready fairly quickly and comprised more food than we expected.  Many came with rice and beans that the menu didn’t mention and they also gave us chips and salsa.  My verde burrito came as expected: chunks of pork in spicy green sauce with slices of grilled green pepper and onion all wrapped in a decent, but obviously not homemade, flour tortilla.  The pork was cooked to the right consistency and doneness and the rice and salad were suitable sides.  My wife enjoyed her huarache that’s similar to a sope only the thick cornmeal bases are oval shaped.  It included cooked ground beef, lettuce, tomato, and cheese, and the unexpected rice and beans on the side.

We talked about how my late great aunt once mentioned that the staple foods at many Mexican restaurants (e.g. rice, beans, tortillas) are mass-produced in factories.  I believe this occurs more often in places like Seattle than in L.A. since the larger Latino clientele here probably expect more authenticity.

But despite its alleged origins, the food from Mr. Villa was still pretty good making an appropriate meal that served as our first and last as a family of six.