El Meson

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. It sure felt like August on Saturday and Sunday. Monday brought a big picnic with friends on the south side... we ate so much there that there was no chance to try some place new from the south side...

Last Friday, though, I ran over to El Meson on the NW side, on Michigan Road. Due to the office location, it is a fairly common lunch spot. It is a really colorful spot, and looks to have a big bar area (cantina) for events and it looks like they have some salsa dancing there. Like many of the Mexican restaurants in the area, El Meson has a solid, dependable menu and incredibly fast service. You can be in and out within 30 minutes no problem, and have a very filling meal at reasonable prices.

I usually trend towards burritos, but since I wanted to write something about El Meson, I did try something different this time. I had the Arroz con Pollo ($6.49), and it was really good. The grilled chicken had a ladle of the white cheese sauce poured over it. I asked for some tortillas ($0.49) and for a just under $7 (water to drink) I was stuffed. The cheese sauce is really rich and very tasty, and the chicken was quite moist, which sometimes can be hard to find if they've cooked it too long. The chips and salsa are good, though nothing remarkable. The only problem I had with this meal is that I thought the cheese sauce was just a bit too salty, and so I felt thirsty for most of the afternoon.

Anyhow, Indy has a lot of these locally owned, mostly independent Mexican restaurants, and they all seem to be a solid value, tasty food, and very fast service.

The verdict: 4 belly rubs (out of 5). Solid, filling, great value.