Putting an Edge on the Usual Mexican Kitsch

Place: Tortilla Flats
Cuisine: Mexican
Location: 767 Washington St. at W. 12th St.
Transportation: 2/3 to 14th St.
Occasion: Loud, low-key, funky restaurant with outdoor sidewalk seating for the remaining warm nights. Tortilla Flats stands as the perfect spot for wrapping up a day of roaming the city with a frozen margarita in the West Village without breaking the bank like most other places in the area.
Budget: Appetizers range from $3.95 chalupas (whole corn tortilla topped with beans, cheese and a drop of guacamole) to the $8.50 quesadilla grande (jumbo stack of toasted tortillas filled with chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomato and jalapeno finished with a drop of guacamole). Main courses include everything from traditional burritos or $9.95 Carnitas Colorado (a burrito filled with grilled shredded pork and spicy rancheros salsa, with rice and their homemade refried beans), to $12.95 carne asada (grilled sliced steak with a spicy rancheros sauce rolled into two burritos-served with rice and refried beans). Frozen margaritas are $7, and they have an extensive menu.
Atmosphere: After stumbling across the front step of Tortilla Flats late on a Sunday night, one cannot help but be drawn to the raucous crowds in total chaos over a game of trivia (Trivia hosted on Sundays; they also offer hula hooping on Wednesdays). Bright neon lights, kitschy decor, glitzy hanging streamers, Elvis posters and Elvis furniture cover the interior. The crowd and atmosphere is great, loud, young, and fun-a complete mix of popped collars to Chelsea boys to after-work crowd. The staff is wonderfully friendly, unpretentious, and flirtatious.
Food: Being raised on Californian Mexican grub, I have spent three years looking for a solid Mexican restaurant in New York. We jump-started the dinner with scrumptious frozen margaritas (a little light on the tequila, but completely forgiven when served by the adorable bartender). Although a bit more tomatoes and lettuce, guacamole and salsa would help to lighten up their dishes, Tortilla Flats rolls out a far-above average fair from their kitchen. The guacamole was fabulous, as were the homemade refried beans, which gave the fajita an extra bite. The $12.95 camarones con salsa verde (large gulf shrimp in a tomatillo and garlic salsa with rice, lettuce, tomato and flour tortilla) was much lighter and enjoyable on a warm summer night-with a soft salsa verde. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, but the dish seemed to miss a little spice and lime. The menu itself is common and unimaginative, offering the traditional burritos, fajitas, quesadillas-their beef fajita (13.95) was a bit too fatty for my liking, with an oily side of onions and peppers. A more generous serving of fresh vegetables would have balanced the heavy dish. And the search for the perfect Mexican joint continues.
Phone: (212) 243-1053
Hours: Kitchen: Mon-Thu noon-midnight, Fri & Sat noon-1 a.m., Sun: noon-11 p.m.; Bar: Mon-Thu noon-2 a.m., Fri & Sat noon-4 a.m., Sun noon-2 a.m.