Tex-Mex Food is a Community Asset by Ruth Paget
Smart Californians know that having a Tex-Mex taquería down the street with from-scratch food at reasonable prices is a community asset.
That is how I feel about Michael’s Grill and Taquería in Marina, California. My family has been their customer for many years, but I think tourists to the Monterey Peninsula might also like their Tex-Mex food in a place with free parking out of the downtown bustle.
Some of the dishes tourists might like at Michael’s follow:
-La Playa Combo (The Beach Combo) with charbroiled shrimp, blackened chicken, a cheese enchilada with red sauce, rice, black beans, and warm flour tortillas
-Quesadilla with carne asada (grilled think steak) – the steak is an add-on item to the folded-over large tortilla with melted cheese. This is like a grilled cheese sandwich.
-House burrito – a wet burrito with green tomatillo sauce (Mexican greet tomato sauce) on top of a wrapped tortilla filled with charbroiled shrimp, blackened chicken, and Spanish rice with black beans on the side
-large tacos with blackened chicken or charbroiled shrimp with chopped lettuce and grated cheese
-street tacos for smaller appetites
The ordering is taquería style. You place your order at the counter, pay, and receive a number on a stand to place on your table in the dining room. A server brings your food when it is ready.
Michael’s is good food, good prices, and good people.
The regulars know it is great, and first-timers might be pleasantly surprised.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
