In the midst of all the rush and hustle of Kennedy Boulevard is Miguel's Mexican Restaurant, where hungry customers are treated to a little bit of Mexico in Tampa. Brightly colored flags hang down from the ceiling in this festive eatery, giving the impression that everyday here is the once-a-year celebration of Cinco de Mayo.
That said, Miguel's is better than most, while not always perfect.
Shortly after being seated for dinner on a weeknight, a basket of warm, crunchy tortilla chips and house-made salsa arrived. (Chips and salsa are an American specialty, not Mexican.) The chips were salty, and the salsa had just the right amount of tomatoes and cilantro, despite the fact that it's almost puréed. To complement our chips, we ordered guacamole ($3.50). It's made with ripe avocados, lime juice and just a bit too much salt for my taste.
An impressive 19 foreign and domestic beers were available, with four on tap. The wine list was nothing special, only five plain house wines. Margaritas had just the right amount of tangy limes and tequila. The sangria ($3.75 a glass) is particularly refreshing. Miguel's mixes red wine with lemon, lime and orange juices, a few slices of fruit, ice, then pours the concoction into a large stemmed glass and sprinkles it with cinnamon.
Chiles rellenos ($7.99) is the Mexican equivalent of stuffed peppers. A big poblano pepper is crammed with meat or cheese, dipped into batter, and deep-fried until golden brown. The filling is hot. On this night, the pork tasted plain and the meat too fatty. Cheese, beef or chicken and sour cream fillings might be more to your liking.
Chicken Flameado ($9.25) was a better choice. This tasty entrée combined a grilled chicken breast topped with Monterey Jack cheese and covered with a zesty tomatillo sauce. Tomatillos resemble small green tomatoes with a papery covering that tastes like herbs, lemon and apples.
Flautas ($7.50) are usually a nice change of pace. Two corn tortillas (or flour, if you prefer) are filled with shredded beef, pork, or chicken and sour cream, then deep-fried, similar to a large Mexican egg roll. Our order spent a little too long in the fryer. No mere table knife could pierce these; a hatchet might have been more effective, but a steak knife worked OK. Talk about crunchy!
The beef burrito ($6.99) was our other selection. A large flour tortilla filled with ground beef, grated cheese, sour cream and lettuce was rolled up with the ends folded under. The meat tasted of chili peppers, cumin and cilantro.
Most entrees are served with refried beans, flavorful Mexican rice pilaf and pico de gallo. Charros beans, whole red beans in broth, can be substituted for the mushy beans if you ask.
Fajitas, tamales, quesadillas, tacos, plus several steak and chicken entrees make up the rest of the menu, with a few salads offered for good measure.
While not a fast-food restaurant with the traditional takeout window, made-to-order meals come at a steady pace and tables turn over constantly. On a few previous occasions, Miguel's had enough waitstaff to handle its big lunchtime crowds. During our visit, though, only two servers covered the entire restaurant. Service was friendly, but we had to flag our waiter when we needed more beverages, dessert and the bill.
One dessert was a winner, the other a bust. The banana cream chimichanga ($3.99) featured flaky pastry wrapped around a banana, fried until golden, cut in two sections, dressed up with ice cream, drizzled with chocolate sauce, then decorated with whipped cream. Oh my goodness — the warm, creamy banana inside tasted like pudding in a crispy wrapper. Combined with the cool ice and whipped creams, this treat made for a lot of moans at our table.
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This article appears in May 15-21, 2002.