by MARK SLUTSKY

It’s always satisfying to see a restaurant come into its own. When Mex-I opened on St-Laurent last summer, it seemed to have a little trouble finding its legs. The menu wasn’t exactly extensive, and service could be a little spotty, although they handed out free packs of their homemade tortillas (for they double as a tortilleria) in their first couple weeks of business. The tacos were good, just a little plain, and there wasn’t much variety to be had.

Some eight or nine months later, though, Mex-I has really found its stride, with a full, inexpensive menu of authentic-tasting eats, snappier service and a nice little dining room. It’s situated in a big open space, complete with picture windows looking out on the Main, and the decor is minimal and clean, with white walls, blond wood tables and a few Mexican flags and piñatas around for colour.

That’s the good news; the bad news is that Mex-I is, as of this week, removing its many breakfast options from the menu, as apparently that part of the business wasn’t quite working out (of course, I found out the very day I had arrived to sample their breakfast offerings—as it turns out, I would be the last to do that).

The most basic Mex-I meal would be the straight-up tacos, served on three small, homemade tortillas. This is a taqueria, of course—I wouldn’t go looking for burritos. You’ve got your choice of beef, chicken or chorizo tacos ($3.50 each), the latter of which, all ground up and zesty, is definitely my favourite. It would be nice if they offered tacos al pastor, with marinated pork, but they don’t. There’s also a vegetarian option, made with onions and green and red peppers ($2). If you want some cheese with your taco, it’s a buck or so extra. Otherwise, they come with a quarter of lime with which to enhance their flavour, as well as a selection of three homemade salsas. These are pretty terrific—two red salsas of varying hotness (the really dark red one is very satisfyingly picante) and a spicy salsa verde. Incidentally, there’s also a pretty good special consisting of a taco, rice and beans for $5.50. The rice and beans, which definitely need a little salting, are also available as sides for $1.50 each.

If you like to get a little freaky with your taco treats, try one of the especialidades (specials). These are larger—served on six small shells—with fancier combinations of ingredients. The Alambre ($6.50) is quite tasty, made with beef, bacon and red and green peppers. (Again, it’s about a dollar to add cheese.) The fajitas ($6) are made with chicken and red green peppers, and the Campechano ($6), which is also delicious, gets you beef, chorizo, green peppers, tomatoes and avocado.

Another taco variation I enjoy is the flauta de pollo ($6.50), which consists of three rolled chicken tacos that have been lightly fried. They’re covered with lots of cheese, some cream and buckets of salsa verde. Definitely a decadent dish, but well worth it.

Mex-I’s homemade guacamole is worth trying, although I feel the price is a bit steep at $5 for a small bowl and a basket of chips. It’s very fresh with a strong taste of cilantro, although there’s a little more diced tomato than I prefer; I’d rather if the ratio was tilted more strongly in favour of the avocado, but what can you do?

And that’s not all; other offerings include huaraches, large handmade tortillas served with beans, cream and cheese, as well as eggs or meat to your taste ($3.50–$5.50 depending on your preferred filling); tortas, sandwiches with ham, eggs, beef, or chicken ($3.75–$6.50), and of course, nachos ($3.50–$5.50, depending on whether you want meat), and cheese quesadillas ($2.95). Though I may mourn the loss of breakfast, there’s plenty to keep you nice and full at Mex-I, yet another welcome addition to the city’s Mexican resto scene.

TIPS? QUESTIONS? COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF? E-mail eattothebeat@gmail.com

Taqueria Mex-I
ADDRESS: 3820 St-Laurent (just above des Pins)
PHONE: 845-4498
HOURS: Mon–Wed, Sat 11 a.m.–7 p.m.,
Thu–Fri 11 a.m.–9 p.m., closed Sun
BEST FEATURES: The tacos, of course, but
especially the decadent especialidades
ALCOHOL: No
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes
CREDIT CARDS: Interac only
NO-SMOKING SECTION: Yes
PRICE: $4–$12 per person, before tax and tip
RATING: *** out of ****