Mi Cocinita

What happens when you go into the backyard of somebody's house on the north, west or east side of Fort Worth? You get shot. But what happens when you do this on the south side? You're welcomed in for a delicious plate of Mama's best homemade Mexican fare. Seriously. Just walk down the driveway at Mi Cocinita, into what would be the garage and ask the nice lady for lunch and you'll get it. Note that not all houses are lunch friendly on the south side.

I'm tempted to not actually tell any of you where this place is, but then that would be against the spirit of this blog. Plus, you can easily find it on the interweb if you're familiar with what a google is. Mi Cocinita is at 3509 Bryan Avenue and you'll notice it by the big sign in the front yard and the dozen or so cars packed on the street.

If you've never been, you're missing out on one of the Fort's institutional hole in the walls. When you turn onto Bryan Avenue, look for the house in the middle of the block between other houses with a sign. Don't be scared, but you'll actually walk down the driveway to the "restaurant". In the back of the building there's a counter with a nice lady behind it, some colored paper with entrees and a limited menu. The friendly lady yells behind her to Mama to get started on your dish while you sit down and wait for a drink, chips and salsa.

The chips are thin and crispy and the salsa is lightly spicy and a bit sweet. Very tasty. If you don't agree, go tell Mama. I'm sure she'll appreciate your critique. While you're sitting and waiting for your food, notice that there is a patio taking up the backyard and the fence on the outside of the building also works as an advertising area. It becomes quickly apparent that this is an organic restaurant that has expanded as necessary and also doubles as the backyard of the house which people actually live in. Sweet. Why can't we eat in more people's backyards?

As mentioned above, there are a number of entrees, or plates, you can order. These generally include a mixture of tacos, enchiladas, tamales and rice and beans. A couple different plates were ordered at my table and it appeared as though the Outsider was the overall favorite. It had a brisket enchilada, chicken enchilada, a tamale, beans and rice. The enchiladas have a traditional tex-mex sauce/gravy with lots of flavor. The beans and rice aren't just throw-aways and the overall simplicity of everything makes you wish this place was open seven days a week. I'm not sure you could go wrong with whatever you order.

Mi Cocinita has been around for a long time and Bud Kennedy recently pointed out that a change was coming to Mi Cocinita. Fear not gentle reader. Mi Cocinita will still be around but Mama is soon retiring. Some cousins are taking over and the restaurant will begin serving hamburgers, brisket....and of course great mexican food.

So are you hungry yet? Well guess what...only get hungry for this place three days a week. That's right. Mama only serves her delicious wares Wednesday through Friday from 10:30-3.

If you've been, let me know what else you like. If you haven't been, head on over there, but let me know so I don't have to wait in line.

Mi Cocinita is located at 3509 Bryan Avenue and I'll let you figure out how to get there.