Look, I’m not going to knock Chipotle. The ubiquitous Mexican chain has streamlined the ordering process for offering fresh food, fast.
But I can never help wondering: What if it was better? What if they had stewed chicken tinga or pollo verde? What if their carnitas had more flavor? What if they offered more items, like a tostada or a torta?
It’s as if Catrina’s (84 S. Wabasha St., St. Paul; 651-493-4626; catrinasgrill.com), the new Mexican restaurant in the West Side Flats on Wabasha Street in St. Paul, has read my mind.
It’s the third location for the counter-service, Chipotle-style restaurant, and I can see why it’s growing so fast.
You can have a rice bowl (prices for most items range from $6.59 to $7.69, depending on type of meat), but Mexican rice is an option if you’re not a lime-and-cilantro kind of person. Top that with any of 10 toppings, nine salsas, ranging from mild to extremely hot, and all the usual options, but also including queso fresco and fresh cilantro, two things I’ve often wished for at the other place.
The tacos are legit, too, and served on warmed corn tortillas. Eat them the way they do in Mexico — onions, cilantro and maybe a bit of queso fresco — or gringo them up (shredded cheese, lettuce, rice, beans, etc.) to your heart’s content. No one’s judging you, and you can supervise the action.
Of course you can have a burrito, too, but I’d rather opt for the torta ($8.69), which consists of crisp-outside, airy-inside bread stuffed with refried beans, onions, tomatoes, guacamole, jalapenos, your choice of meat and more. It’s a messy, happy-sigh-inducing thing and easily shareable, especially if you order some chips and queso ($3.75), which you really probably should.
Catrina’s also offers nachos ($8.69), smothered in that gooey, perfect queso and topped with everything under the sun, and we’re filing that under lunch information we wish we didn’t have.
They are open daily for lunch and until 8 or 9 p.m. for dinner, and they have a selection of bottle beers, but no hard liquor.
It’s been open only a few months, but workers in the immediate vicinity have already discovered Catrina’s and are packing the place at lunch. The reason is clear — it’s fresh food, fast, and much more authentic and tasty than that chain place.
Small Bites are first glances — not intended as definitive reviews — of new or changed restaurants. Jess Fleming can be reached at 651-228-5435 and jfleming@pioneerpress.com.
