also titled: why i like americanized and/or chi-chi mexican food

dear lares: i wanted to like you. i wanted to find a place that taught me a little something about traditional (mexico city?) mexican food since i do, after all, live in a place where excellent mexican food shouldn’t be hard to find. i liked your sweet tortilla chips. i liked your slightly spicy (you yelpers are wimps – that ain’t spicy) salsa. i liked your spicy camarones (which also weren’t *that* spicy). but your flavors were superficial and one-dimensional. your carnitas wasn’t greasy (that was a bonus), but it also wasn’t advertising the chile verde to me. so i continue to look forward to loteria grill opening up in santa monica and i’m okay with that being my favorite mexican food. besides, loteria ain’t taco bell, either. and i’ve never seen huitlacoche on any other mexican restaurant menu.