April 16, 2014

Tuesdays at Latin House Grill Mean Tacos

A couple of years ago, Miami was hit with a sudden influx of food trucks trying to compete for who could serve the best food. At first, this was a cause for celebration, as the public was given more access to gourmet foods at reasonable prices than ever before. It was an interesting movement to follow, but eventually, money-hungry business people began trying to capitalize on the idea and saw it as a way to serve cheap food at prices way over what they should have been. After many arguments and a couple of legal fights, the popularity of food trucks began to dissipate, save some of the more popular ones actually serving food that merited the prices they were charging. Still, the damage had been done and people were just not too keen on food trucks anymore. Luckily, some of the surviving trucks were started opening brick and mortar locations serving what their trucks offered before the popularity started to die down. Latin House Grill was one of these places, and their location on Sunset Drive is in the heart of the area they used to frequent as a restaurant on wheels.

The interior of their brick and mortar follows the trendy Mexican theme coined by their truck, in attempts to keep the spirit of their roots intact. Day of the dead inspired murals are painted across the interior, with black and red taking up all the other space. This may sound somewhat depressing, but the vibe produced by the interior design is one of hipness and a chill atmosphere. A nicely stocked bar sits perpendicular to the door, showcasing an extensive array of beers on tap.

On this particular visit, I stuck to the tacos, which may be some of the best the city has to offer. I live near Homestead, so I am not one to typically go out and order Mexican anywhere besides where I know I am getting the most authentic, but I was drawn to Latin House’s $2 taco deal on a Tuesday. You have to order a minimum of four tacos, but the overall price is still significantly less than what you would pay on any other night. I was pleasantly surprised by what was brought out to me, as the tortillas were warm, the meats were seasoned well, and the vegetables topping the tacos were fresh. On the corner of the plate sat a pile of pickled ginger and jalapenos, a good addition that goes nicely in the taco should you like that sort of thing. You cannot go wrong choosing any protein as your meat of choice, but I would like to steer you towards the Fish Tacos. A succulent yet crispy piece of fish is seasoned well enough to where the fish is not flavorless and that you can still taste the quality of the ingredient. Basically, it was a well-executed fish taco.

I enjoy finding deals such as these throughout the weekdays, as they make for more exciting (and cheap) dinners. Still, even without the special pricing, I would come back and pay the prices on the menu for those Fish Tacos.