by MATHILDE RABBAT

You won’t find any piñatas or enormous velvet sombreros hanging from the ceiling at El Sombrero, a relatively new Mexican joint located near little Italy, just a few sheets of artful découpage in Mexico’s colours sporting slogans like, “Viva la Indepencia!.” This place prides itself on serving up the authentic stuff, and indeed it does—though this no mom and pop operation, as everyone, from the cooks to the waiter and the mostly Latino clientele, is on the young side.

Don’t be deceived by the slender menu; besides your standard burritos and enchiladas, they’ve managed to pack a whole slew of other little gems in there. Before we get to those, let’s salsa. I’m a fan of the hot stuff, so I would have appreciated a bit more of a chilli pop in the salsa that accompanied our nachos, which were otherwise just right. The red stuff did however exude a smoky flavour that kept me double dipping and coming back for more.

As to appetizers, I have two suggestions, both equally scrumptious: The picaditas ($3.75) feature three warm, bite-size disks coated in a black bean paste, then toped with grated cheese, a cream drizzle and a touch of diced onion. The toppings were perfectly matched with the mild taste of the soft patties. Another good way to get started is with the queso fundido con chorizo ($5), which is basically a fondue composed of soft cheese with bits of coarse chilli sausage melted right into it. Warm tortillas can be used to collect this delicious and very stringy appetizer. The soft tortillas are about the size of a man’s hand, and they come aptly wrapped up in a colourful woven cloth in a cute basket. Other appetizers include sopas and ensaladas (soups and salads) in the $4.25–$7.50 range.

There are plenty of tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas in various combos featuring either chicken, beef or shrimp to be had—some served with rice and/or beans. The beauty of this type of cuisine is that there’s always something vegetarian to sample and that I did. I thoroughly enjoyed the alambre vegetariano ($8.95), in which two taco trios lie beneath stir-fried mushrooms and diced green pepper, covered in a thin blanket of melted cheese and a dash of fresh cilantro.

The meat eater in you will enjoy the chilaquiles con bistec ($7.99), shreds of beef accompanied by a yummy tomato salsa that rests on a wavy layer of fried golden tortilla strips. The beef could’ve have been a tad leaner, but on the whole, the dish is packed with flavour. Nothing was unnecessarily drowned in sauce, heavily coated in oil or too hot to overpower mild veggie ingredients. Even the puddle of refried beans that accompanied the chilaquiles went down pretty smoothly. If only they could find some way of making them look a bit more presentable, but I suppose there’s not too much more you can do to make a big, brown, mushy blob look appealing.

The fruit mousse was unavailable so I went for the flan ($3.50), crème caramelle. The taste was good, not too eggy, and I rather enjoyed the caramelized pond of syrup surrounding the mound of cream, though I found the latter to be slightly too gelatinous in texture.

Why have Coke when you can have the eau de Jamaica, a cold hibiscus infusion, or the eau d’horchata, sweetened Mexican rice milk with a splash of vanilla and cinnamon? Both drinks ($1.30) are a real treat and could nicely replace a dessert.

Tasty and tasteful best describes food and atmosphere at this joint, arguably one of the best Mexican restos in town. Since the city isn’t exactly overrun with Mexican eateries it’s swell to have found one that properly combines all the right elements.

El Sombrero
ADDRESS: 500A Bélanger (Jean-Talon metro)
PHONE: 272-0888
HOURS: Every day noon–9 p.m.
BEST FEATURES: Varied menu, laid-back atmosphere, friendly service
and the food’s just so good.
ALCOHOL: No
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Not so much
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes
CREDIT CARDS: Cash and debit only
NON-SMOKING SECTION: Yes
PRICE: $20 per head for a full dinner, after tax and tip
RATING: ***1/2 out of ****