Dining Out: Mexicano autentico downtown

As a child in Austin, Texas, my favorite restaurant was called El Toro (The Bull), which had the best chile con queso in the known universe, and offered a crisp pecan praline at the end of every meal. I’ve been looking for Mexican food that good ever since.
El Torito (The Little Bull) recently opened on W. Mulberry Street, around the corner from the Pratt’s main library. There’s no chile con queso, and certainly no pralines, but El Torito still serves up some of the best Mexican fare I’ve eaten in Baltimore.
Like most authentic (as opposed to corporate) Mexican restaurants, El Torito is nothing fancy décor-wise, but is spotlessly clean and genuinely friendly—and delightfully cheap. A breakfast of huevos rancheros or huevos Mexicana with rice, beans and tortillas, is $4.95. Most entrees, heartily portioned with all the trimmings, are $9.95. (This includes seafood.) Individual tacos, which range from beef tongue to the more gringo-friendly carne asada, are all $2.50.
Unable to resist the lure of seafood, Ann went for the camarones a la Mexicana: large, fresh-tasting shrimp—a lot of them—in a red sauce with peppers, onions, a lot of flavor, and a lot of fire. Those with a minimal tolerance for chiles might want to try the shrimp with garlic sauce (also $9.95), which I have yet to sample, although I plan to rectify this soon.
A standard dish like cheese enchiladas ($7.95) also fares well at El Torito. An order of two comes with the diner’s choice of green, red, or molé sauce, as well as healthy helping of rice and black beans. The mole is sensational, dark and rich, with a complex spicy-sweetness with hints of cinnamon. A mild white cheese is sprinkled sparingly on top. No blanket of cheddar, as pleasurable a guilty pleasure as that may be.
Flan and yogurt with strawberries (both $3) are available for dessert, but diners also have the option of drinking their dessert with their meal. A tall, thick, freshly-made fruit shake ($3), which tastes creamier and more caloric than your usual smoothie, is delicious, and includes the occasional chunk of fruit to testify to its authenticity. Flavors include strawberry, banana, and (in season) melon.
El Torito does have its drawbacks. Most days it’s only open until 6 p.m., and nearby parking can be a problem.  Unless you’re a downtown office worker, Saturday or Sunday might be the way to go. Lots of Baltimoreans routinely head for their local Mexican joint to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but who wants to wait for May? The Day of the Dead is coming right up this weekend. What better way to celebrate than with Mexican food that’s to die for?
El Torito
110 W. Mulberry St.
Open 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.,
9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sun.
Phone: 410-244-7072
Our lunch for two: $25.33

The Latest Dish…
Many Baltimoreans are still mourning the Women’s Industrial Exchange’s chicken salad, tomato aspic, and sweet, grandmotherly waitresses. The Way It Was might not be coming back, but at least we can look forward to something good: Galen and Bridget Sampson’s Dogwood group, which has already brought us Hampden’s wonderful Dogwood deli and sustainable-gourmet restaurant, will be opening the Dogwood Café in the former tearoom at 333 N. Charles St.  Estimated time of arrival: November 10. They’re starting small and casual as Dogwood Express, with sandwiches and smoothies to eat in or grab-and-go, but will morph into a full-service lunch place by spring. And rumor has it they’re considering putting chicken salad and aspic on the menu!

by Lynn Williams
maindish@baltimoreguide.com