ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ

The atmosphere at San Miguel is vibrant and colorful with hand-painted murals and brilliant mosaic tiles. The seating itself is vivid with a considerable amount of lavender and white tufted booths; tons of tables with the same color scheme; walls in gold, red and green; and recessed and track lighting. Inviting with its many windows, it is also quite roomy, which is a good thing since it seems to be a popular spot.

On other visits here, I have tried the margaritas, and they offer all flavors and sizes. If you are looking for a tequila drink that is more tangy than sweet, I would suggest the cantarito. Similar to a paloma, this drink features grapefruit soda, lime and tequila served in a terra cotta tumbler over ice. They have all the good Mexican beers on tap. All flavors of Jarritos and horchata round out the drink menu.

Mexican restaurant menus are notorious for being pages long, and San Miguel is no different. I appreciate the variety on the menu, and the photos alone will whet your appetite. Chips and salsa were delivered to our booth immediately and distracted us a little from our menu reading. The chips were delicious and the salsa was chunky, full of tomatoes, onion and cilantro with a wonderful, fresh taste.

For my entree, I finally decided on camerones jarochos ($18.99). Jarocho indicates the dish is from Veracruz. The sauce was buttery, and there were slices of onion and pepper grilled with the shrimp. It was served with rice and a lettuce and avocado salad. I had plenty to take home. Tortillas are my favorite thing about Mexican food, and San Miguel does them right. I happily wrapped my shrimp in the warm, fragrant corn tortillas. They were more substantial than many other corn tortillas and so tasty.

Helene ordered the tacos Vallarta ($14.99) which consisted of three mahi mahi fish tacos. The mild fish chunks were tender and lightly seasoned and served simply with lettuce, a little pico de gallo and slices of avocado. Uncomplicated, each ingredient was tasty on its own without overpowering the others. The tortillas were a blend of flour and corn, were slightly puffy, and tasted wonderful. Served with rice that was buttery and had a few peas, carrot pieces and corn tossed in, it was a very satisfying meal.

Jennifer was tempted by the mouthwatering photo of the taquitos Mexicanos ($13.99). Served on a bed of chopped lettuce, four rolled corn tortillas—two filled with beef and two filled with chicken—were gently fried. The ends were rather charred, but Jennifer preferred them that way. The taquitos were definitely not dry, though—just the opposite. They were moist and very flavorful. Her entree was served with rice, beans and a guacamole salad. She didn’t see the salad at first glance but noticed a nice medley of guac, pico de gallo, sour cream and cilantro drizzled on top of her taquitos. The combination was top notch with just a slight amount of heat.

Nikki ordered carnitas ($14.99) off the “especialidades de la casa� section of the menu and was not disappointed. The big chunks of pork had been cooked to soft, tender perfection and fell apart as she ate. The meat was accompanied by grilled onions, a couple of whole jalapeños and sliced avocado, as well as the requisite beans and rice. She opted for the corn tortillas over flour and made a few tacos with the meat and veggies.

When we found out Jennifer had never tasted flan, we turned our attention to the dessert section of the menu. Made in house daily, San MiguelÃÛèÖÊÓƵ version ($5.25) was perfect: soft and creamy with a light caramel sauce and some colorful sprinkles. We also ordered the churros with cajeta ($6.99), served with a scoop of ice cream. The churros were thick and chewy with a soft center and the whole plate was drizzled artistically with chocolate and caramel sauces.