Several factors set El Mexkal apart from run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurants. Boldly posed on the northwest corner of Belmont and Sacramento Avenues, it offers enticing signage, a well-cared-for interior with fresh flowers on tables, and friendly, helpful service.
But what allows this 3-year-old to vault into the three-fork category is the quality of the cooking. Not only does the kitchen do a very good job with the food on the menu, it also produces tasty daily and weekend specials that challenge the cooks, notably in the seafood category.
Among the specials on a recent Saturday were “Seven Seas Soup”-a combination of seven fish and shellfish ($9.75)-a red snapper fillet ($8.95), as well as a combination of octopus and shrimp ($8.95) in a tangy and authoritatively spicy sauce of tomato, green pepper, onion and lime juice. This was garnished with tender rice that had been mixed with peas and corn, avocado and orange slices and cilantro.
A worthy on-the-menu seafood dish is whole fried porgy ($8.50). It arrived nicely crisp and generously seasoned with salt, which made a nice complement to the moist, sweet flesh of the fish. Bones? Yes, there were bones.
On the landlocked side of the menu, we chose two regular weekend specials: pozole and menudo, each $4.25 for a very large bowl. The pozole was perfection. It contained lots of tender chunks of pork, firm but thoroughly cooked hominy and moderately spicy broth that had great depth of flavor. In contrast, despite lots of tripe, the menudo was bland and disappointing.
Another special that truly was special was a plate of slow-cooked pork ribs in green sauce ($5.99). The fragrant rib meat came away from the bone easily, and the limpid sauce delivered a delayed but substantial spice hit that arrived, luckily, just before I added bottled hot sauce. Again the accompaniments, soft and moist refried beans with a cheese topping and tortillas, had been prepared with care.
The regular menu contains some fine food as well. Some of the listings will be familiar: enchiladas (the chicken version, at $4.25, is a textbook version with notably fresh ingredients) fajitas (the steak filling, $8.75, is chewy but full of marinade flavors), tacos and tostadas. The tostada de ceviche appetizer ($3.25) provides a generous portion of lemon-marinated, chopped white fish that has been tossed with tomato, carrot and cilantro. It is served on a tostada (a flat taco) and garnished with ripe, soothing avocado to counteract the peppery bite of the ceviche.
For those who enjoy Mexican breakfast, El Mexkal makes eight egg dishes, as well as pancakes. The kitchen also prepares a terrific Cuban sandwich ($3.25) complete with ham, cheese and slices of pickle. There are only two desserts: fruit salad ($1.95) and a smooth-as-silk flan ($1.50).
Beverages consist of eight smooth and cooling fruit shakes ($1.75), natural orange and carrot juices ($2) and Cuban coffee (50 cents for a tiny cup), as well as pop, bottled water, tea and regular coffee. El Mexkal recently began to sell beer and wine.
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El Mexkal
(Three forks)
3000 W. Belmont Ave.
773-267-4210
Hours: 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
Credit cards: Not accepted
Ratings: 4 forks: Top of the class
3 forks: Better than most
2 forks: Very good fare
1 fork: Middle of the road
Reviews are based on anonymous visits by Tribune staff members. The meals are paid for by the Tribune.
