Proof that if you built it–and call it Mexican food–they will come, Mesa Grande Taqueria in Auburn was an unexpected disappointment. Having stopped in Auburn to pick up a Christmas gift I figured I’d try the sparse, modern-looking taco joint with the giant green neon lights which give 100 Genesee Street a radioactive glow (must be good, right?). The place is definitely unique in Auburn and I was extremely excited to find it as I’m always up for a burrito. I should know by now, but I had pretty high hopes of finding “fresh-mex” in Syracuse and it’s surrounding areas–maybe because it’s so rare (thank God for Alto Cinco).
Entering Mesa Grande seemed just like my many visits to Chiptole, only with much less space. It really feels like a chain–so much so that I had to ask an employee who confirmed that it is an independent restaurant. There are grills, ovens and various other devices where chicken breasts sizzle and nachos are melted and the standard Chiptole-style setup applies. You go down the line, picking ingredients–many of which looked very promising, fresh and delicious. We ordered a burrito and tacos, both with the pollo asado, each one running $6. The burrito was huge and the taco platter comes with three soft flour or hard corn tortillas. Just like Chipotle, you choose an item; the price is based on which meat you pick and whether or not you add guacamole. At first it seemed like it was cheaper but really, when you add it all up, the price was the same as Chipotle–around $10 a meal. I’d feel better paying that much for something really authentic but there you have it.
Mesa Grande’s eat-in area is quite small and the tables could have used a brushing off. Call me a neat freak but with only six tables a place aught to be spotless. It wasn’t a very welcoming environment either–what with the angular metal tables and all. Anyway, after flicking the last customer’s rice off of the table we started eating. The tacos looked like something more Ciudad de México than Central New York. Needless to say, I was very eager to try them despite having a giant burrito of my own to deal with. There’s no use describing the burrito’s looks–whadaya want?–”It looked like a flour tortilla cylinder.” First bite of said burrito and I thought I was onto something, but after a few more it seemed flavorless and somewhat nondescript in texture. Not quite as fresh as I expected. I will vouch for the guacamole, which might have actually been made on premises (keyword ‘might’ but good either way).
Then there were the tacos. I don’t want to go in on them too hard–but they were honestly pretty bad. Flavorless ingredients and overall a very bland experience–but hey, at least they weren’t salty. We ordered the hard corn tacos but something was pretty strange about these shells. It seemed that we were given fried, hard flour tortillas. I kept trying to figure it out: why would they fry flour tortillas, isn’t that a corn tortilla thing? Anyway, with this mystery in my head I took a bite. They were well done to say the least, tasting burned and leaving an odd chalky feeling in my mouth. Not a high point in my book. It’s really sad, because those tacos looks gorgeous (I mean it, check the picture below).
Overall I wasn’t convinced by Mesa Grande Taqueria. A genius concept no doubt–borrowing a tried-and-true order and preparation system used by Moe’s, Subway and Chiptole–and doing it independently…and doing it well. The staff were friendly, attentive and could actually roll the burrito correctly–they even melted the cheese for nachos. But given the high probability of over-fried chips, would you really want nachos?
Given the blandness of ingredients–which at least appeared very fresh, the overcooked (be honest–burned) mystery taco shells, the crumbs on tables and high prices for what you get, sadly I can’t provide a Guru Approved seal. Better luck next time Mesa Grande, but oh you’ve got so much potential!
For pollo asado tacos, a burrito with guacamole and two drinks we paid about $20.
Mesa Grande Taqueria
100 Genesee Street, Auburn (Directions)
For a review of another Auburn restaurant click here!
Syracuse Restaurant Reviews
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