by George Cox

Created on: December 09, 2010   Last Updated: December 10, 2010

Mexican food isn’t complicated; it’s just some combination of beans, meats, tortillas, rice, cheese, and spices. Seems easy enough, right? However, what makes really good Mexican food involves the proper blending of  these quality ingredients. The wrong cheese destroys the flavor of the succulently prepared meats, and nothing spoils a good sauce like a dry, flavorless tortilla.

For me, the folks at La Cocina in Raleigh (White Oak Shopping Center) serve patrons the best tasting Mexican food in Raleigh. From standard favorites (like the Speedy Gonzalez) to my personal favorite dinner offering—Tacos La Diabla—the menu items are both eclectic and affordable. Even the children’s offerings come in good proportions for a fair price.

If you enjoy a spirit before dinner, then you must try their Margaritas, prepared for you as if you were attending a party thrown by the owners’ closest family and friends—they do not skimp on the main ingredient, if you know what mean. And if you are celebrating your birthday, be sure to have one of your dining companions notified them. They will not only sing a traditional birthday song in Spanish, they will provide you with a sombrero to wear while you gulp down a complimentary glass (tumbler—not jigger) of tequila. Feliz Cupleaños!

Once you’ve polished off the tastiest blends of meats and cheeses and beans, you will want to save a little room for a sampling of La Cocina’s desserts, several sweet and satisfying culminations to their cultural cuisine. Choose from traditional dessert offerings, such as fried ice cream or flan, or try the sopapillas and my favorite, the churos. Any of these will leave your palate wanting more.

When the bill arrives, you will be pleasantly surprised. A family of four can enjoy a full meal with desserts for around forty dollars, and even if the adults enjoy a few mugs of beer or Margaritas the total damage doesn’t exceed sixty dollars—and that includes the gratuity! So if you are hungry for the taste of authentic Mexican food, prepared by an experienced friendly staff, then La Cocina is the place for you and your family. But you better get there early on Friday and Saturday nights, because their reputation is well known. Even though their restaurant is spacious, with both indoor and outdoor patio seating available, they may require a twenty minute wait some weekend evenings.

It seems that I am not the only one who knows quality Mexican food.

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