Update on Save the Mango Room and Other Independent Restaurants! - Mexican Fast Food Edition

The Mango Room and other fine dining experiences are only part of the issue. Kansas Citians ought to also be aware - perhaps even more aware - of their local options when they're just looking for something quick, tasty and cheap. Every drive through customer at McDonald's or Taco Bell is casting an economic vote for homogeneity and corporate control of our food supply. They're supporting a minimum-wage based, anti-entrepreneurial economy. They're also getting crappy, chemically-altered products designed by food chemists instead of chefs.

This past week, I tried out two cheap, quick Mexican places for fast food. First I tried Midtown Burritos and More, in a hut connected to the old Lamar's building on Linwood. A commenter on the original posting in this series had inquired about the place, and I had never noticed it. I'm glad I stopped by. The place had bounteous specials. It had a charming hostess. It had a special vegetarian menu. It had coziness. What it didn't have was electricity - the cell phone shop next door had blown a fuse or something. Undeterred by the lack of refrigeration, I selected one of the combo specials, which came with a ground beef taco, a ground beef enchilada, and a tamale. I'm not really a ground beef fan when it comes to Mexican food, but that's what they were offering that day, and somehow under-refrigerated chicken and pork didn't sound quite as good.

I was pleasantly impressed with the portions, the flavor and the tamale. I LOVE tamales, and this was up there with Pancho's version. I don't feel like I got to taste the full potential of Midtown Burrito's (sic) and More, but I was satisfied enough that I will return and see what they can do when they have power.

My second new Mexican experience was Cancun Fiesta, in Westport. I went in search of the appetizing fish tacos described by DLC in the comments in the original post, but they were not on the menu. Instead, I got one of their specials - 4 "street" tacos for $6. (Street tacos are simply soft tacos, so named because they are sold from carts on the street in many cities.) I had two pork, one beef and one chicken. The beef had great flavor, and was my favorite. Spicy, but not too hot, and finely chopped.

Both Mexican places were vastly superior to Taco Bell. Both provided tasty food at great prices, quickly. Both were run by local families, and were grateful for the business.

If it weren't for the fact that one of the best restaurants in the world is Pancho's on Main, both of these restaurants would get ringing endorsements. As it is, I will recommend them both to those who don't make it to Pancho's.

(PS: I messed up in my original post by failing to include links to other blogs featuring food, either regularly or in response to my challenge to make August "local food month". I'll correct that oversight in a posting very soon. In the meantime, please email me your suggestions, or post them in the comments here.)