La Piedad

Remember the bell curve from school? To me this was always the idea that there was a majority of population in a class falling in the range of a low B to maybe a high D in grades.... Then, remember, the notion of grading on a curve? While your raw score was a 64, you hoped for, like, a C when that raw score was graded on a curve....

What is all this talk of curves? Well, the bell curve is generally how I feel most of the local Mexican restaurants fall - a lot of B- to C+ places here in town (tho, I want to try more of the Central and South American places on the near West side). And, when it comes to Broad Ripple restaurants, I feel like because of the location, the energy, the alcohol, the group you are with, etc., that many get rated much higher than the food merits. Or, maybe more accurately, many restaurants there achieve much greater success than the food merits on its own.

Both of these ideas fit how I feel about La Piedad (the website I found does not have an active site). Can you get decent Mexican food there? Yes. Do you have a good time? Yes, especially, when it is nice and you sit on the patio. To me, this is a well-established place that serves consistently decent food, and at a good value (the fajitas are a really big portion for one person).

Typically, I wouldn't even feel like doing a review because it so completely falls into the middle of my food rating bell curve. But, I mention a new item that surprised me on a recent lunchtime visit (this heat currently almost makes one pick to be inside rather than on the patio!). I decided to try the huevos rancheros with chorizo. The eggs came with small bits of chorizo crumbled into the scramble, and it was pretty tasty. It gave me a salsa and tortilla fix, and didn't seem too heavy for a return to work.

The verdict (not on a curve): 2.5 belly rubs (out of 5). Decent, consistent food with good value.

The verdict ("Saturday afternoon, arriving with friends after pleasurable bike ride on Monon trail" curve): 4 belly rubs (out of 5)

If you include alcohol.... I suppose this place could peak up near the epic 5 belly rub level.....