Veteran Tex-Mex restaurateur Mico Rodriguez is back doing what he does best: turning out high-quality food and providing stellar service. The founder of Mi Cocina, Taco Diner, and The Mercury bottomed out in 2008 when he lost control of his company, M Crowd. He is no longer involved in the popular Tex-Mex chain, but he is happy to start over slowly. “I started out with 12 tables and hit it big,” Rodriguez says. “I’m in here waiting tables and watching everything going on.” If Rodriguez keeps doing what he has been doing at Mr. Mesero over the last five months, he will have another shot at stardom. His American/Mexican menu offers two classic soups from Mexico. Fideo y pollo, a soul food soup, is golden chicken stock filled with chunks of tender chicken and thin strips of vermicelli. Want to clear your sinuses? Order the pollo y tomatillo, a murky, greenish liquid with chicken, pozole, cilantro, tomatillo, radishes, and tortilla strips. Mico has taken a regular bowl of queso and turned it into a white-tablecloth dining experience: one server passes out white plates, another adds one round tostada, while another ladles a silver spoon of hot white cheese mixed with spinach, artichoke, and roasted poblano on each chip. The tomatillo chicken enchiladas stuffed with fluffy chicken are just as special. The not-too-spicy tomatillo sauce is ladled over almost an inch of chicken rolled into a fresh corn tortilla and served with a pile of green rice and a small, street-style brisket taco. The American side of the menu includes a juicy double-meat, double-cheese burger, which, if you haven’t eaten a burger lately, will satiate your craving. But I’m not going to Mr. Mesero for a burger or any one of the five steaks on the menu. I’m going to eat what Mico makes best: top-notch Tex-Mex food at reasonable prices. Welcome back, Mico. Now, pass the queso.
For more information about Mr. Mesero, visit our restaurant guide.
