New Paltz offers a wide array of culinary fare for visitors, locals, and of course, college students, too. It only takes one quick peruse of Main Street to get a sense of what the town’s hottest spots are.
But it is when you turn off Main Street you’ll find one of the best places in town, Mexican Kitchen. Small and tucked away, down North Front Street, Mexican Kitchen is a modest little Mexican restaurant off the beaten path. The exterior may not be eye-catching, but the restaurant compensates with its charm and authentic Mexican cuisine.
I’ve been there a handful of times and I have never been disappointed. On my most recent visit I went with a friend, and to our delight, it just happened to be Taco Tuesday, which meant veggie and chorizo tacos were $1.50 and most other tacos were only $2.00. At those prices, we decided to go to town and order much more then we knew we could eat.
First on the list, the chicken soup. Perhaps it was gloomy weather, but the soup was one of the best dishes of the day. Full of flavor, it was hearty and filled with chicken, vegetables, and the best part, it was topped with homemade crunchy tortilla strips. The chicken was tender, as if it was stewed for hours. The soup is certainly a must try for anyone who is a fan of tortilla soup and those who want to warm up on a cold day.
Next it was on to the the asada burrito: it was immense and could very easily have fed two people, or you could do what I did, bring the rest home for dinner. The burrito was filled with the standard ingredients, steak, rice and beans. Rice and beans were packed into in the burrito, but it was the grilled flavor of the beef that really stood out. I just wish there was more.
We orderd a tamale, I am not sure why, neither one of us are a fan but it was Taco Tuesday, we could afford to give it a try. They offer three varieties, pork, chicken and vegetarian. We went with the pork. Wrapped in corn husk, the masa was moist and the meat tasty.
We finished up with tacos, one fish, and one carnita. The fish in the fish taco was cod and was delicately fried, almost like a tempura. It was served with crèma and topped with fresh cilantro, delicious! The pork in the carnitas had a bit of crispness on the ends and they were certainly not shy with the ingredients. Yummy as well!
We skipped dessert, we were too full! We got the check, a whopping $21, and we wrapped enough food for another meal. I would say it is a good value! The Mexican Kitchen is small, with a small menu, but what they offer they do right. Seating is limited but they also do take-out.
Mexican Kitchen is located on 15 ½ North Front Street in New Paltz, New York. They can be reached at 845-256-5070
