Mexican - South Side Bethlehem

La Lupita, 4th and New Streets
South Side Bethlehem
Wed. June 8, 2005

La Lupita is the most recent restaurant to inhabit this corner location in the heart of South Side Bethlehem. My favorite was Cafe Havana, a wonderful Cuban restaurant with a friendly vibe. While La Lupita doesn't eminate the same vibe, the food is quite good, as evidenced by my recent lunch.

While I love Mexican food, I'm by no means a connoisseur. From what I can tell, La Lupita is traditional in its offerings and preparation. I usually get a good feel from reading the menu. If there are egregious spelling errors, it's usually a sign that the proprietors grew up outside of the United States. The "meet" and "chiken" on the menu gave me a level of comfort.

Lunches start with homemade chips with a tangy green salsa that had plenty of fresh cilantro in it. The chips seemed to be fried flour tortillas, a welcome departure from conventional corn chips. The menu has many typical Mexican dishes -- tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, etc. I opted for the enchiladas mole: three chicken (beef also available) enchiladas topped with cheese, onions and lettuce atop mole sauce. The mole had a smoky, earthy flavor to it. Though not as smooth as mole I've had elsewhere, it was a satisfying complement to the simplicity of the enchiladas. My lunch partner had chicken quesadillas, which were on the plain side.

I'll return to La Lupita -- hopefully next time with a larger appetite to sample even more.