Yeah for authentic Mexican in Richmond...lunch at El Vaquero

Today I had a great lunch at El Vaquero, located on Midlothian Turnpike at Turner Road in the same shopping center as Marshalls. Having heard good things about the place and it being a reasonable drive from my office, I had to check it out.

I adore tacos in soft corn tortillas and they can be a challenge to find here in Richmond. I saw pork tacos with cilantro and onions and knew what I was going to have for lunch. I ordered a side of rice and a side of beans as well.

The taco was terrific. Two soft corn tortillas filled with diced pork and topped with cilantro and onions, this was even better than I hoped it would be. The pork was well seasoned and tender and the onions very mild and the cilantro fresh. This did not need any salsa or sour cream or any condiment (and I'm a self proclaimed condiment whore). The beans were some of the best I've had...not the bean puree we so often see in Mexican restaurants here, but somewhat chunky with great flavor. The rice was fluffy and well seasoned also. This is not "hot" food but incredibly flavorful. At $6.17 with tax it is also a great value.

They have items such as beef tongue tacos and specials on the weekends such as tamales and a variety of soups.

The atmosphere is simple, but clean and the service was great and my waitress was helpful and friendly. If you want authentic Mexican, it's worth a trip over to the other side of the river.

El Vaquero is open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Sorry, I have been quiet this summer

I'm still dining out but something about this summer has made it hard for me to get motivated to blog....it's me, not you. Working in the air conditioning business, we've been inundated during the record breaking heat (thanks to our wonderful customers).

We went to Sensi Friday night and had a great meal. The one downside (and you know I love you Paolo) is the veal chop had been changed and Bob was disappointed. I had the sea bass with capers, red and yellow tomatoes and lemon and it was outstanding. Peyton had the salmon, always a favorite and Mckenzie had first course portions of the gnocchi and the fra diablo. It was a great meal as always.

Last night the four of us had a wonderful meal at Edo's. Fried clams, squid, white beans & arugula, chicken caccatore, carbonara, pasta with crabmeat and veal marsala. So happy you are back from vacation.

We've also been frequenting our local favorites....Azzurro, Flemings, Mediterraneo, and Millie's. I also have been getting to Carytown regularly for the Falafel sandwich at Basilis.

So be patient with me dear readers and forgive my laziness.