Mi Nidito

We took an off-campus lunch at work today, with tomorrow's Fourth of July making TODAY a half-day--Happy Birthday Eve, America!

Our group went to Mi Nidito (translation: my little nest) on 8th Avenue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. When I worked in my talk show days, I ordered delivery way too often from this spot. So tasty and so reliable! It's also vegetarian-friendly (no lard in their refried beans, etc), which was good news for at least two people in our party.

The first basket of chips & salsa is free, and there are placards on every table letting you know it's $2.50 a basket after that. You've been warned! The salsa is so delicious that you will likely get a few more--I couldn't get enough of the super-garlicky salsa.

Four of us got there early and we were ravenous, so we ordered the nachos with the meat on the side (as one of us is a vegetarian). These were so cheesy, flavorful, and terrific than I didn't even miss the meat. The meat was good and well-seasoned, but honestly, these nachos didn't need the meat. You can't have lunch at Mi Nidito without having a 'rita, and since it was a half-day, we all ordered a variation on their margaritas (there is truly a mind-warping selection, from flavors, tequila combos, and more).

I stuck with the basic and ordered the Ultimate (first photo in this post), which is a regular 'rita on the rocks with fresh lime juice instead of chemical-y sour mix. Outstanding! One of my coworkers opted for a regular frozen with a splash of strawberry--artsy!

For my entrée, I ordered the chile relleno (stuffed poblano chili pepper) filled with shredded chicken. This has a nice coating of broiled cheese, but was pretty light overall. I love poblano peppers--they taste like thick, meaty, intense pieces of spinach to me. Yum. The salad came with beets (I love beets!) and a tasty citrus dressing, and the beans and rice were okay (no lard in the beans, so they're light, but I'm not a rice fan, so I mostly ignored that).

My coworker CJ (that's her sassy manicure you see in the chips photo) ordered the beef enchilada and said it was scrumptious with a nice kick.

We were pretty stuffed, but we managed to make room for a bite or two of the tres leches cake the manager sent us on the house. It was light, chewy with bits of coconut in it, and the sauce that came with it was super-cinnamon-y deliciousness.

The food was SO good. Yes, it's New York City. It's not like the food in San Antonio or Houston or your typical Tex-Mex havens..but you know what? It's pretty damn tasty. Their lunch specials are reasonable (9.95-10.95), their margaritas are STRONG (1 was plenty for all of us!), and the service is good.

Mi Nidito

852 8th Avenue

New York, NY 10019

(212) 265-0022

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