Earlier this week Laura reviewed a cheap Mexican place to appease our friend Doug. Oddly enough, I too sought out a greasy and slightly sketchy Mexican joint this weekend to satisfy one of our most loyal readers. I admit that finding a new Mexican spot was not my original goal, but after I trekked all the way to Carroll Gardens for the much blogged about free hot dogs and beer at the Gowanus Yacht Club (yes, I will travel to the boroughs for free food and booze), I was sorely disappointed to find out that they sold out…in two hours. Seriously? You advertise free food and beer and you didn’t anticipate that there’d be a good showing? I mean, they didn’t even have any left that I could pay for.
Still, all was not lost. Luckily for me and my friend, I’m a loser and fully planned out a plan B option for our visit to this beautiful part of Brooklyn. There’s nothing worse than being in a new neighborhood and searching blindly for a good (and cheap) restaurant. Is it wrong that I get slightly anxious to think that I could miss the best spot in a new place if I don’t do my due diligence ahead of time? Probably. But then again it’s that quirk that drives me to contribute to this blog. Don’t worry, I won’t let you go blind.
I whipped out my hand-drawn map with stars marking the restaurants I read about before my little adventure (see, I am really lame), and we set out walking north on Smith Street, or the Restaurant Row of Brooklyn. Again, I must comment on this neighborhood, it’s beautiful and quaint and I want to move there…if only it was in Manhattan. There were so many cute options to choose from, and as we perused the menus on our stroll up the famed street (FYI- many of the restaurants are extending the Brooklyn Restaurant Week, so it’s worth checking out) we determined that we wanted an appetizer in one cuisine and our dinner in another.
It was then that I thought of Doug. I knew what I had to do: find a hole-in-the-wall Mexican “restaurant” and order nachos. Simple task, but it was hard to choose with so many Tex-Mex places in the area. Then I saw something and I knew I hit the jackpot: a sign on the door of a corner Mexican café that said in marker “NO BATHROOM.” You know it’s gonna be good when the place can’t even afford a bathroom, and I was right.
We entered “The Original California Taqueria” and immediately walked up to the counter to order the Super Nachos, which included cheese and your choice or beans or meat. I thought it was risky enough to eat here, so we opted for the refried beans (black beans were the other option). I paired that with a Corona Lite and my friend had a pineapple Mexican soda. Our total bill was about $12, and it filled us for hours.
The portion was huge, and while delicious, it did lack a few toppings like jalapenos or salsa. And I know we chose beans, but I really do like chili on my nachos. We did add tomatoes to ours and some scarily thinned-out sour cream on top and similarly thinned-out guacamole on the side. I really enjoyed the beans because they weren’t all mushy, refried beans; there were still lots of whole beans in there, giving it some substance. The chips were fresh tasting and still pretty crisp, and the cheese was more than generously sprinkled throughout. While not every chip was adequately covered (it displayed more of a stacked than spread-out design), there were plenty of toppings to distribute on each and every chip. It was no Wharf (which I believe has the best nachos in town), but it didn’t deserve the bad rap it received on Yelp. I’d like to try other things on the menu, and Doug, if you’re near Carroll Gardens you should give it a try.
The Basics
Name: The Original California Taqueria
Location: 187 Court Street, Brooklyn, one block from the Bergen Street Stop (F, G
Who to take: Alone, Someone who won’t judge you, Doug, Friends
Price: Does not make a dent in the wallet. $.
Overall: No atmosphere, no bathroom, but cheap and good. 4 Stars.
All I needed to see was that mess in one of those thin tin trays, and I knew you had found a small piece of cheap Mexican heaven. And all for $12, that is amazing!
When it comes to ordering Nachos in these places, I usually have two fears: stale chips and poor chip to topping ratio. However, as Caryn nicely pointed it, it looks like neither of these occurred. While the ultimate Nachos plate should always have topping on every chip, the second best option is that there is enough for a chip to be dipped when needed. And “fresh tasting chips” is spectacular. I mean, I would accept a description of “not stale”. Caryn, great find and awesome post. Thanks so much for thinking of me.
Also, sadly, the lack of bathroom in a cheap Mexican restaurant is not a concern to me. That’s why Starbucks was founded.