Ask a foodie: Something old, something new, something fresh, and something for you at Don Carlos

Don Carlos Authentic Mexican Restaurant & Taqueria is nestled just inside the front entrance of West Park Mall. I will admit, I have walked by it many times, but I was never curious enough to stop and eat. Recently, when I read Don Carlos was opening a restaurant in Jackson at the old site of a barbecuse joint in front of the Riverside Regional Library, which is just a little closer to home to me than Cape, well, you can color me curious. I made the trek to the mall to figure out what would soon be coming to my neck of the woods.

At first glance, the decor in Don Carlos was a little sleeker and more polished than I expected of the average Mexican restaurant. I had a hard time focusing on the decor, because the smells wafting around me were amazing. The door to the kitchen is right by the entryway, which was fortuitous planning and really smart if they did it on purpose. Meaty, savory, flour-tortilla-y smells made my stomach growl.

I was seated immediately and chips and salsa were placed before me in no time. The salsa was good, with real recognizable chunks of fresh tomato, onions, and cilantro visible. I love a salsa made of vegetables not so pureed that I can scarcely pick out the individual components. The chips were freshly fried and still warm.

I looked over the entire menu, and it was decently large, which seems to be what we expect from our Mexican restaurants these days. I was searching for something different, something I haven't seen a hundred different times in a hundred different places. Something unique. And oh, I found it. Mexican egg rolls. What? Give me a crazy genre mash-up any day of the week, and I will try it.

Let me reassure you, Mexican egg rolls are not as weird as they sound. Fluffy flour tortillas, stuffed with shredded chicken, corn, beans, spinach, and cheese are rolled into shape and deep-fried. They are served with a "special sauce," which consisted of a creamy avocado base with tiny chunks of tomato, peppers and a splash of lime juice. They were similar to taquitos at some places, but the flavor of the stuffing was superb, the vegetables giving it a much different taste profile than a rank and file taquito.

Mexican Egg Rolls sport clean flavors and a clever name at Don Carlos.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

For a main course, I ordered something that I have been looking for. I have found this elusive food before, usually at a mobile and hard-to-pin-down food truck, but never at a stationary place I can go to at any time I wish. A good street taco is fresh, fairly simple, made with quality ingredients, and packed with flavor. Don Carlos has some pretty good street tacos.

I ordered a pastor taco (marinated pork) and an asada taco (beef strips), both topped with the most finely chopped onions and cilantro. Street tacos are traditionally served in a soft corn tortilla, and these were as well. In fact, their tacos were served with a doubled up tortilla, which is smart considering corn tortillas can be delicate and rip easily and the fact these tacos were absolutely mounded up with meat. For a little taco, they were huge.

The asada taco was good, the beef tender and finely chopped but not to the point of being a ground beef texture. But the pastor taco ... oh my goodness. The pork was marinated in spices to the point it was a rich, dangerous orange in color. I thought it was going to be spicy, and it was, but the spice was so mild the tiny burn faded before the next bite began. As far as spicy foods go, this is perfect for me. I don't like it when the burn obscures the flavor, and it did not do that here. The pork was also soft, more tender than the beef. I'm usually not a huge fan of raw onions, but these onions were chopped so small (and uniformly, I appreciate the skill that takes!) they truly did add to the dish instead of distract from the meat. People have a love/hate relationship with cilantro; I happen to like it, and I loved the fresh pop it added to the top of these street tacos.

We should welcome this new addition to Jackson with open arms, and I hope they open quickly.