Mi Pueblo - The hunt for good inexpensive Mexican

Well the weather is definitely warming up and I have been craving some good Mexican food, so it has been off to some of my usual suspects to see what is up: First, over the Memorial Day holiday I stopped out at Mi Pueblo Taqueria, at 12207 Lorain. This used to be one of my real favorites, you could count on good authentic Mexican food at a reasonable price. This time, while the food was OK, the prices have gone way up. Mi Pueblo is nice, clean and well run. You get the expected chips with red and green salsas, both of which have some real heat to them. These salsas have never been chunky, relying on heat instead. The first disappointment was that I did not get the carrots and jalapeños. I don't know if they stopped serving them, if it was just during the holiday weekend or what, but I usually love the combination of the crunch of the carrots with the heat they pick up from marinating with the peppers. When I get the menu I was shocked by the increase in the prices. My usual order, the Chiles Rellenos, which are delicious poblano peppers stuffed with a white cheese, batter coated and then fried are now $13. I finally decided to try the Shrimp Fajitas. which while $14, I figured where a better value. While the flavors were overall good, I was disappointed with what I received; I got about 10 relatively small shrimp with a lot of peppers and onions. The beans and rice are good, and the guacamole is tasty, although a relatively small portion. The tortillas were a disappointment, they seemed small and just didn't have the right texture. The fajitas were well cooked, although they come out on a plate, with none of the hot plate we have become used to. Overall, not bad, but certainly not exceptional, especially at the price. My overall recommendation would be in the middle, I think the food is still good, although not at the level it once was, but the prices have gone up too high for what is being served. Sadly the hunt will have to continue.