Thursday, August 06, 2009
A few dishes separate Mi Puerto from the norm
TOM ANGLEBERGER Special to The Roanoke Times
While much of Mi Puerto is decorated with colorful south-of-the-border decor, one booth had a framed picture of lunch.
Tom Angleberger knows what he likes. So we've asked him to eat at NRV restaurants and write about them. If you have a restaurant to recommend,
e-mail him. Tom Angleberger
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Shawnee’s Grill
- Mi Puerto Mexican Grill Where: 1121 E. Main Street, Radford
- Contact: 731-1500
- Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; noon to 9 p.m. Sunday
- Prices: Lunches, regular price $4.50, special price $3.45. Dinner combinations, $6.25 to $6.75. Entrees, $6.50 to $10.50.
Mi Puerto in downtown Radford offers one of the cheapest lunches around.
On the day I went, many lunch specials were $3.45. I'm sure that goes over big with hungry college students, especially since it comes with chips, salsa and the opportunity to drink Mexican beer and/or drinks with silly names.
It didn't appeal quite so much to my wife, who ordered one of these lunch specials -- one enchilada and one burrito -- and found it a little lackluster.
However, I ordered a lunch chimichanga -- which was no more than $5 -- and thought it was pretty tasty, especially with the guacamole sauce.
But other than the price, I didn't find much to separate this Mexican restaurant from the norm.
Perhaps, to appreciate the Mi Puerto one has to go farther out on a limb. While the restaurant's 30 or so combination dinners are fairly basic, there are some unusual items elsewhere on the menu. I did not personally try the Mexican tripe soup, but if that sort of thing is up your alley, it's on the menu -- along with a seafood soup, the El Virginia T-bone and The Three Stooges (a beef, chicken and shrimp dish).
I enjoyed some of Mi Puerto's kitschy decor. The booths are housed in little haciendas, as has become fairly common in Mexican restaurants.
However, the parrot sitting in a piney palm tree at the front of the restaurant was a little more of a rara avis. While some booths were graced with paintings, ours featured a framed photograph of a meal very much like the one we were eating.
For dessert, there's fried ice cream, churros, cheesecake and more. And, of course, a multitude of alcoholic beverages.
Bottom line: Mi Puerto offers a cheap lunch to hungry students and a few more intriguing dishes for adventurous diners.
