Authentic Mexican Food

I used to know what authentic Mexican food tasted like.

Then Moe's, Chipotle, Qdoba and Taco Bell came around and the country changed with them. Sure they serve "authentic" Mexican food. But really, it's been Americanized to the extreme so we aren't too overwhelmed by the true "authentic" flavors.

Before all of the fast casual Mexican places I used to eat true Mexican food in a restaurant run by Mexican chefs.

It's been years since I found myself with an opportunity to even eat at a real Mexican restaurant because few have been able to survive the overwhelming growth of fast casual wanna-be's.

Except for one.

In downtown Dunedin, FL there is a restaurant: Casa Tina that still serves up a real Mexican restaurant experience. I have driven by this restaurant probably 15 times, I've even walked up to the outside of the building poking my head around, reading the menu and then walking away. As you know it's hard to earn my trust, and risking my money at a new restaurant can sometimes be overwhelming - what if it's not good? Would I have rather had something else?

It wasn't until someone else was willing to pay that I found myself suddenly eager to try this restaurant I had been thinking about for years.

The inside of Casa Tina is overwhelming to say the least. Here, the walls are plastered with all sorts of Mexican artifacts, colors and the speakers play loud music that drowns out conversation.

The tables are tight and you feel at times that everyone in the restaurant is all in one giant party. The menu is limited and the prices are high.

We ordered chips and salsa and I also attempted to order something "unique" off the menu, all the while in my head day dreaming about a burrito from Chipotle.

The service was mediocre at best and I often found myself ssppluurrrgggppsssllurrg (sucking) on ice in order to signal the need for a refill.

Then our food came out all on different plates. Different shapes, sizes and designs. No, this was not a "creative" attempt at being original, they just really had all different styles of china.

By now I was horrified. In disgust I started thinking and mumbling in my head - "How can a place like this be open?!?" "Why is this place packed?!" "Do these people realize they can probably get better food, better service and a cheaper price somewhere else?!?!"

Then as I started eating it occurred to me - this is real. I'm in Mexico right now. The people in this restaurant aren't paying for quality food or outstanding service. They are paying for a real life Mexican experience.

Casa Tina is banking on providing something authentic. They don't care what plate ware they serve food on or how highly trained their servers are. It doesn't matter to them if you can't understand or read the menu or if the tables are stacked on top of each other. They know you'll be back because only at their restaurant can you get something real, something Chipotle, Moe's or Taco Bell can't offer.

It's amazing how a "real" restaurant can get away with this. Can you imagine walking in Olive Garden, not being able to read the menu, getting served on 10 different style plates and sitting at a table where your elbows touch the table next to you? NO! You would walk out - enraged!

Would I go back to Casa Tina? Probably not. For me, the food and service is more important than anything else. But, if I'm in the mood for a trip to Mexico without having to fly there Casa Tina is the place to go. It's possible it's the only authentic Mexican restaurant left.