Inside: Dominguez Family Restaurant

I could eat Mexican food for every meal every day. In fact, I believe I have done that for a week or so at a time. It's because Mexican food can be simply irresistible and addicting. My former loves for Mexican food were quesadillas and enchiladas. In more recent years, however, I have rediscovered the simple perfection of the taco, and you can find that at Dominguez Family Restaurant.

Now, I do love the fish tacos at Sea Salt , but for the off-season,  I’ve found my new favorite beef tacos at Dominguez. This small, family owned restaurant near Lake Nokomis has been around for several years but I had never been. Driving up, I loved the exterior with its brightly painted exterior and the figures of a man and a donkey welcoming us. The inside is simple as well with a small kitchen and a dining area with about ten tables to match.

Some of my favorite memories of childhood are of the dinner table. All four kids and both parents (seated in order of age around the table) would pass tortillas and small bowls of taco fixings around the table. Back in those days we were eating mostly ground beef tacos, which are quite tasty, but these days I’ve been eating more steak and fish tacos.

At Dominguez, the menu is wonderful with its varied options of meals and combinations, but I recommend putting some of your favorites to the test, a la carte. I ordered one chicken tamale, one chicken enchilada and one beef taco. At Dominguiz, you can describe to the staff exactly how you want your taco. For me, corn tortilla, steak, cilantro and onions. When I ordered this, our waitress smiled and said, “Oh, you want it Mexicana style.”  Si, señorita—serve it up Mexicana style, that’s what I’m after!

The entire meal was fantastic. The ingredients were fresh and the flavors were distinct. Not surprisingly, the star of my meal was the taco…simply delicious! We finished our meals and went to pay. While standing at the register, one of the cooks (not sure which member of the family) popped his head out of the kitchen and asked if we enjoyed our meal. While the food itself would bring me back again (especially because I’ve now read about their fish tacos…which I will definitely need to try), the personal touch goes a long way with me.

Katie Cannon is the blogger behind Camacho Watcho as well as an up-and-coming Twin Cities photographer. She both works and plays in the Mill District of downtown Minneapolis.