It Doesn’t Just Have to be Taco Tuesday
The chips and salsa from Carreta’s.
November 23, 2021
In October, we celebrated National Hispanic Heritage Month. This is the time where we recognize the contributions and influences the Hispanic people have made on our history and culture. They have especially made profound impacts on the cuisine consumed in America. Mexican food and ingredients are loved by many with a statistic saying that about 240 million Americans used Mexican food and ingredients in 2020.
Junior Hanna Jachna and her family enjoys Mexican night often.
“[We] use corn, beans, and rice a lot when we make Mexican food and we love making tacos,” Hannah said.
Just as there are a lot of Mexican ingredients, there are also many Mexican restaurants in St. Louis. One popular one in our area is Carreta’s. It is located on Olive Blvd just east of the I-270 intersection. They have an expansive menu including tacos, enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, quesadillas, and more.
The first test at any Mexican restaurant is how tasty the chips and salsa are. This can be a real deal-breaker if done poorly. The chips at Carreta’s were warm, crispy, and salty. Yum. The salsa was freshly made with just the right touch of heat and no big chunks of tomatoes. The chips and salsa passed the first test with flying colors.
I tried 4 different meal options and thought they were all delicious. The cheese enchilada with white cheese sauce instead of the red enchilada sauce on top is great if you like queso. I am not even a big cheese fan but this one was very good with a great blend of warm cheeses inside and on top.
You can’t go wrong with a quesadilla, but I would recommend getting more than one if you are hungry because they aren’t the most filling. Also, the chicken chimichanga, which is basically a deep-fried burrito, had a crispy, fried shell and includeded amazing rice, cheese, beans, and chicken inside. I really liked the seasoning they added to the chicken in the dish. Lastly, I tried the ACP, which stands for arroz con pollo. Arroz con pollo is chicken, rice, and white cheese sauce. This is my go-to dish at Mexican restaurants but it is sometimes hard to find on the menu so I was really happy Carretta’s offers it. This dish did not disappoint and the ratio between chicken, cheese, and rice was perfect for my palette.
Sophomore Rory Williams enjoyed a meal at Caretta’s.
“ I get a chicken quesadilla whenever I go to a Mexican restaurant and this one does not disappoint!”
I highly recommend this restaurant if you are craving Mexican food, want to try somewhere new, and want to help celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month!
