Let's taco-bout love ...

Cape Girardeau residents must really enjoy their Mexican cuisine because I can think of six to seven different Mexican restaurants off the top of my head, and all of them seem to stay pretty busy.

Did someone say taco Tuesday? I've mentioned some of our family favorites in previous columns, but not too long ago a respected foodie friend recommended the street tacos at Don Carlos Authentic Mexican Restaurant and Taqueria located in the West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau. Now, when I say he recommended them, I mean he gushed on about them like a love-sick school boy describing his crush. His eyes lit up and possibly even glazed over like a Krispy Kreme donut as he reflected on the experience. My curiosity was piqued.

Another friend and I were recently in the area around lunchtime so we stopped in for a bite. The first thing I noticed was their lunch menu. They have a great selection of lunch items available at very reasonable prices. I'll have to keep that in mind for a future visit because this visit was all about the street tacos. I ordered the Street Taco Combo and selected the lengua, barbacoa and carnitas tacos. My tacos also came with a side of "cowboy beans," which added a sweet and tangy southwestern twist to the plate. I ordered Mexican rice a la carte.

In my experience, street tacos are small but big on flavor. The tortillas were the standard smaller variety, but they were generously filled with the meat of choice. First, I tried the lengua taco for the novelty. When I translated "lengua" to my lunch companion she balked a bit. I won't ruin it for you, Google it or try it first and Google it later for fun. I enjoyed the lengua taco well enough and would say the fresh cilantro and light seasoning gave it an authentic Mexican taste.

Next up, I tried the barbacoa taco. The red color surprised me. I'm used to having barbacoa for breakfast back in Texas, which is usually a very tender meat with a high fat content and a rich meaty flavor. I did a little research and discovered barbacoa is also commonly prepared with adobo chilis, garlic and cumin, which results in a bit of a tangy spiciness. I would say that is more in line with my barbacoa experience at Don Carlos. My favorite was the carnitas taco. The meat was well seasoned, juicy and full of mouthwatering flavor.

Don Carlos Cowboy BeansSubmitted by Mary Ann Castillo

If you enjoy Mexican food, love tacos and are a fan of large portions, Don Carlos may be exactly what you've been looking for -- I had enough left over for another meal.