THE ORDERThe place: Carniceria Loa No. 7, 1500 Broad St.The dish: Two ground beef tacos, 1 beef tostadaThe cost: $5.44
I felt a little odd driving around the corner from La Tienda, a perfectly good Mexican restaurant I've frequented often, to order tacos and a tostada from the counter at Carniceria Loa No. 7, but I wanted to try something new.
I also suspected the food served in the small dine-in space at the back of the large grocery store and meat market at the corner of West Main and Broad streets would be worth trying.
It's a fairly basic setup with a food display counter and a short menu on the wall. The space seats 15-20 people.
On the day I visited, I ordered fairly traditional (for me) ground beef tacos and a tostada. The friendly woman behind the counter brought out four soft shells and stuffed them (two shells per taco) with beef and then allowed me to add condiments. I added pico de gallo, salsa verde, sliced cucumbers and a couple of lime wedges to the carton.
She then asked if I wanted a roasted jalapeno, and I accepted. Spicy hot is a relative thing but, suffice to say, if you think Tabasco is hot, stay away from the jalapeno. It was tasty, though.
The tacos were very good, and I was especially glad to be able to doctor them up. The tostada was OK but not anything special. It was served with cubed beef, lettuce, tomato slices, onions and a sour cream sauce.
I liked being able to tailor my order, and the food was plentiful and inexpensive.