After getting some groceries for myself and some feed for the animals, I recently stopped by Noble's new Mexican restaurant El Mirador, 803 N Main St.
Based around an old Pizza Hut shell, the place has been on my radar since it opened about a month ago, primarily because the non-white food in these parts of Oklahoma is no bueno, with the only Mexican treats being fast food Taco Mayo and some convenience store deep-fried burritos on Main Street.
I'm satisfied to say El Mirador rectifies this Mexican food desert situation.
For my first visit, I took my Mexican mother with me, not knowing what it in store for us on this very bright day.
It’s not a taqueria, but it wasn’t Taco Bell either.
With a name based around the ancient Maya settlement, it looks like a standard Mexican place, with a TV playing various sports shows, a clean clientele of seemingly older women, and tables that scream free chips and salsa.
As looked over the menu, it had enough variety to satiate me on the colorless-less berg I’ve been stationed at, providing much more appeal than I expected from a spot in Noble!
From the top, I started with a spicy appetizer – the inventive Chiles Toreados ($1.99), a wildfire of jalapeno peppers and onions, freshly roasted in the pan. While it sounds like no big deal, the methods of madness take a simple center stage, and make it a dish you can enjoy with chips, a tortilla or, as I did, straight off a metal fork.
For my meal, I went with the American Tex-mex classic – a big burrito. In this case, the Burrito El Mirador Especial ($8.25). The "house" burrito, it's a flour tortilla filled with seasoned ground beef, and topped with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream, and paired with the traditional rice and refried beans.
It was a good burrito, but not a great burrito. Don’t get me wrong – it was a well-executed and well-planned with all the key players present, but, in the end, it was still a plain, old burrito that you can get just about any place in town.
Well, except Noble. In these parts, it's only available at El Mirador and they get bonus points for that.
My mother kept things light'ish and tried the Vegetarian Quesadilla ($9.99)—a unanimous victory in various vegetarian circles. A quesadilla that is bursting with grilled onions, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, served with rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, and, of course, Pico de Gallo.
To be sure, this is a modern marvel! In this creamy bouquet of various vegetables, it was well-crafted and well-suited for lunch. My mother took the whole meal in stride, lovingly eating the whole dish and all her sides. Kudos to El Mirador for my mother’s new favorite meal!
Usually, around this time I get the check, but I had to get the Fried Ice-Cream ($4.99), and man, it doesn’t disappoint. While I have never figured out the whole burning-the-ice cream problem, they have here and the world, and especially Noble, is better for it. So good!
In the city, Mexican restaurants are a dime a dozen—but, in Noble, I agree that for prime South of the border comestibles, you finally have a good choice with El Mirador, with not a chicken-fried steak between them.
At least I think so…
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Follow Louis on Twitter at @LouisFowler and Instagram at @louisfowler78.
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