La Roca recently opened in Sissonville, and my friend Erin and I went to check it out. I've been to their sister restaurants in Charleston and Nitro in the past, so I was happy to round out the collection. The place was poppin' on Friday night. It's one of the few sit-down restaurants in town, so there was a line out the door. Plenty of kids. Moderately noisy. Upon being seated, we were served chips and salsa and their signature white mayo-ranch style dip, which is pretty divisive. It's a bit sweet and tangy, but I enjoy it as a nice counterpoint to the salsa. For my entrée, I ordered the huarache, which is a wheat tortilla topped with beans and a combination of salsas, pico de gallo, steak & cheese. This was kinda like an open-faced burrito, but the flavors were pretty punchy. The salsas had some heat, but I enjoyed that depth of flavor. I opted for something not smothered in cheese, so it was fresh and flavorful. I also enjoyed a jumbo frozen mango. Margarita, which may have been the best I've ever had. Sweet and a bit tart, the drink was delicious. Have you been? What's your favorite? Grade: A

Bandidos On The Run is a food truck in Wellsburg that parks outside of the former Pizza Hut. My hometown has often been devoid of any Mexican cuisine off and on over the years. So, I am always happy to see a new offering in the small town. I ordered the following: Mexican Street Corn in a Cup, Cheese Dip, Classic Tacos (3) with Ground Beef, Sour Cream & Tomato, Loaded Rice with Grilled Steak and a Grand Chimichanga with Al Pastor but hold the lettuce. The Mexican street corn in a cup eight just a bit too sour for me. Usually the corn is sweet and it has a fairly good balance, but this was just a bit off. I also had the chimichanga, which is covered in cheese sauce. I mean, you can't really go wrong with that. Super stuffed with filling and no skimping on the cheese. My mother and grandmother both enjoyed their cheese dip, the tacos and the steak over rice. Overall, a decent meal. Grade: B

Cozumel has a small empire in the Kanawha Valley area, extending north to Ripley. The Ripley restaurant moved locations since my last visit, so I figured it was time to stop by. My partner got takeout and brought it home for dinner. We enjoyed the Cozumel dip, which is their white cheese queso dip with ground beef and pico de gallo. This was a nice level up from the standard cheese dip. I do wish it was a bit thicker, but that didn't stop me from indulging.

I also tried the Cozumel pasta, because penne is not something you see every day on a Mexican menu. Grilled shrimp and chicken are cooked with onions and mushrooms on a bed of penne covered in a queso sauce. And, it was pretty good. I love the queso so adding pasta to it made it even better. I think there was actually too much chicken for the balance. But good, nonetheless. Grade: B

Named after the Spanish word for “miner,” Minero represents the storied history of the taco, which supposes that Mexican silver miners named the dish in the 18th century. The word “taco” referred to the dynamite miners used to excavate the ore in the mines, which was made of pieces of paper wrapped around gunpowder and inserted into the holes carved in the rock face, reads the website.



Chef Sean Brock (Husk, McCrady's) brought his take on Mexican fare to the Ponce City Market in Atlanta. It's a spin-off of his Charleston original location, though he's no longer involved with the restaurant.



Minero serves street food-style tacos on house-made tortillas.

The Minero team tasted over 40 varieties of corn from different producers before choosing their favorite: Masienda. Using a traditional nixtamalization process to make fresh masa every day, Minero grinds the corn in house, which results in a truly authentic corn tortilla. The corn Minero uses comes from Masienda, a company operated by Jorge Gaviria. Masienda’s goal is to connect with small independent farmers in Mexico who are growing single origin landrace varieties of corn to import to the United States. Minero uses a Yellow Olotillo corn grown in Oaxaca. By utilizing this amazing company and their unique products, we are able to create an incredibly delicious tortilla.



"Chef Bill Hogan embraces traditional Mexican cuisine utilizing time-honored techniques, including nixtamalization of masa for house made corn tortillas. Fresh, high-quality ingredients are used as the foundation for each dish, exploring many styles of cooking and featuring live fire preparations from our custom charcoal grill," reads the website.



I ordered "The Minero Burrito (or Burrito Bowl) - white rice, beans, oaxaca cheese, crema, poblano, cabbage, cilantro, salsa verde, avocado" with veggies, charcoal chicken, grilled steak or al pastor pork.



This boy was filled to the brim, though it wasn't always spread evenly. Still, good flavors and a nice variety of filling ingredients.



Grade: B

Atlanta's Buford Highway is known for having restaurants featuring cuisines from every corner of the globe.



With everything from Vietnamese and Korean to Colombian and Peruvian, the Buford Highway restaurant that stuck out to me was El Taco Veloz. Apparently Anthony Bourdain had said: "Best tacos in town. We love to stick with the barbacoa and the lengua. You’ll get two corn tortillas stuffed with slow roasted meat, white onions and cilantro."



So, I ordered the lengua. That is beef tongue for those keeping track. Tongue is a tough cut of meat so it has to be cooked for quite some time to make it tender. it is kind of rich and fairly fatty, but it does have a bit of gamey flavor. not my favorite, but not the worst.



Grade: B

Plaza Azteca is a chain of Mexican restaurants in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachussetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and one singular location in West Virginia: Morgantown.



This space in Suncrest Towne Centre has been home to a number of restaurants over the years, but I do think the bright blue and vibrant yellow hues on the outside of the building make it one of the most welcoming and exciting options this location has seen. I visited with my friend Kayla and her two kids.



The menu features many of the same offerings you'd find at comparable restaurants in the region: tacos, burritos, nachos, fajitas, chimichangas and the like.



It was something else that caught my eye, though.

FRESH TABLE-SIDE CEVICHE ** Citrus-marinated fish, shrimp, avocados, jalapeño, tomato, onion, lime, orange, salt, cilantro.



"Ceviche is a seafood dish where diced cubes of raw fish, marinated in a lemon or lime juice mixture, react with the citrus juices to cure the fish protein and causes it to become opaque and firm while absorbing flavor," according to Southern Living. It is South American/Peruvian traditionally.



I love a tableside preparation, and there are really aren't too many places to get ceviche locally. Food just tastes much more fresh when watching it be prepared right in front of you.



And I enjoyed the flavors - bright, light, fresh, punchy. While it is typically served as an appetizer, I indulged in it as my main meal. I think the only addition that would have made this meal better is a margarita.



Grade: A

Some of the tastiest Mexican food I have had in the state is in Spencer. La Finca, a roadside restaurant with a small lot, could be mistaken for a house. And the food inside is as good as home-cooking.



With a menu full of options like chilaquiles, burritos, fajitas, enchiladas, chimichangas, and the like, I narrowed down my options by finding a meal covered in queso. The burrito filled with shredded pork was moist and flavorful and juicy. The cheese sauce drenched the tortilla, creating a perfectly cheesy, meaty bite. Simple, but made with care.



Grade: A

I fell deeply in love with Mexican fruit cups while visiting Arizona. And, the place that introduced me to them was Realeza Michoacana. Side note: Many businesses in the area are named similarly; "Michoacana" means someone or something from the state of Michoacán in western Mexico.



"At what is arguably the ice palace of Phoenix, there are frozen treats available in enough varieties and flavors to ensure that every child and adult will find a tasty way to beat the heat. The homemade paletas are made with fresh fruit, like the coconut packed with shavings, lime-infused mango chili, cantaloupe, strawberry, and 'cocktail,' which tastes like a margarita. If you’d rather use a spoon to eat your icy snack, try a raspado full of shaved ice, fruit, and flavored syrups. The Diabilito is a spicy-sweet drink jazzed up with chile powder, saladitos (salted plums), lime juice, hot sauce, and a chile tamarind candy swizzle stick. If you want a more American-style dessert, Realeza Michoacana also has pastries, fruit cocktails, and fourteen flavors of ice cream. This family-owned sweet shop is located along 16th Street in Central Phoenix, a hub for great Mexican eateries. After lunch or dinner, don’t forget to stop here for dessert," reads the Phoenix New Times.



Mexican fruit cups are essentially spears of fresh tropical fruit that have been topped with lime juice, chamoy and Tajin (chili lime salt). The result is a sweet but spicy and tangy snack that is beyond craveable.



It is so well balanced between the sweetness and the spice that it makes the whole snack so satisfying. The juiciness, the sticky sweetness, but then there's a zing that tempers it a bit and adds a new layer. At least, that was my experience at this lovely shop in Phoenix. I've since tried to recreat the fruit cup at home in a similar manner with limited success.



What's your favorite summer dessert?



Grade: A

Huntington is very good at confusing me with its Tex-Mex restaurants. There is El Ranchito, which I've never been to. And there is also Ranchito Bar & Grill, which I recently visited.



This particular restaurant has a bright, fun interior and quite a few interesting menu items - like taco de lengua, or steamed beef tongue. While I didn't go in that direction, I did order a few different things to sample.



I was excited to see Elote Mexicano - A traditional Mexican street food: A corn on the cob smothered in mayonnaise, grated cheese and chili powder. If you add mayo to anything, it's usually better.



But I also got the Esquites - Smoky, sweet, spicy and tangy esquites are the off-the cob version of elotes with mayonnaise, grated cheese, chili powder and a dash of lime. All the flavor, none of the mess.



I tried a single taco al pastor - grilled pork with pineapple & homemade marinated salsa. The salty/sweet combo is always a win for me.



Finally, we split some TAQUITOS MEXICANOS - Two beef and two chicken taquitos deep fried and topped with cheese dip. These ended up not being as crisp as I had hoped, but I'm always down to dip something in cheese dip.



I liked the variety here and some of the more unique offerings. I would like some even more punched up flavor. But, solid meal.



Grade: B