Food Review

Flavor County
Taco Mesa

By Tyler Moore

I rarely ever read the New University. I’m never on campus Monday and by the time Tuesday comes around it’s just old news. But when I got to class early and found a copy of the New U discarded under my seat, what do I find inside? A Wheel of Life review. Can you say, “Old news?” I mean what more can be said after both the OC Weekly and Forest Fire have reviewed the same restaurant? Let all your friends know the New University is biting the Forest Fire style.

Anyway, I have come to the realization that the top three priorities in my life are food, good people, and music. Taco Mesa gets 2.5 of those priorities down solid. The music, however, gets only a .5 rating because of the occasional bouts of reggaeton. But before any of that, I have a confession to make. I’ve only ventured outside of the Tuesday dollar menu to purchase horchata. I’ve brought friends from as far as Santa Cruz to sample the college budget ambrosia known as TACO TUESDAY, but I refuse to step out of the economic efficiency of the dollar menu. Here, you do the math. Tacos: $1. Tortas: > $1. My editor says they are worth it. I’ll have to take his word on this one.

So what kind of tacos would be offered for this more-than-reasonable price? Rat flesh and expired cheese? My friend, your standards have sunken to deplorable lows. The featured tacos change every week, ranging from beer battered chicken to a ground beef concoction with mountains of chopped onions and cilantro. The standard taco selection features al pastor (marinated pork), carnitas (fried tender pork), and chicken (chicken, duh). The more than standard taco fare comes with the standard assortment of chips and salsa.

I found the dark red salsa to be too “hot” and not enough “flava.” You see, salsa walks the thin line between spicy and savory and, as expected, has the occasional stumble or fall. I consider the dark red to be a stumble. My favorite salsa is the green, which has a refrigerator life of roughly two weeks. Or it starts turning florescent pink. That is not a joke, by the way.

As somewhat of a non-sequitur, I recently added an ornamental piece of metal to dangle from my largest face orifice. This unfortunately meant no crunchy or chewy category foods for a few weeks. Which also meant that my Taco Tuesday streak would be disrupted. Right? WRONG! The beauty of the dollar menu is that it also features non-taco items. These items include refried beans with a dollop of queso fresco, chips and guacamole, and the ever-rotating soup collection. Past favorites include cream corn, lentils and beef, and the chipotle flavored caldo tlalpeño. Cream corn came to my rescue during my stint in textureless purgatory. But loyal readers do not fret. I’m all healed up and ready to take on all sorts of culinary sensations for next quarter. Unless it’s a lava burger, which would probably force me to mourn the permanent loss of my taste buds.

Dishes: $1-$9
www.tacomesa.net
647 W. 19th St.  Costa Mesa, CA. 92627
(949)-642-0629