Central Mesa

519 Greensboro Avenue

Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

 

 

This small university town’s stomach resides right in its heart. Where the arteries of McFarland Boulevard and Greensboro Avenue intersect the main vein that is University Boulevard, student housing merges with the University of Alabama’s campus, the bars of the Strip, and the more subdued storefronts of downtown Tuscaloosa. This sliver of the southern United States looks and feels worlds away from the equatorial corridor of Central America.

Yet Central Mesa gives a singular, refined Central American flair to the small southern downtown scene of this restaurant body. Nestled between Mugshots and the Grey Lady pub, its muted and minimalistic aesthetic blends in to the earthy tones of the brick building that once held Central Shoe Store and later Epiphany. Local restauranteur Craig Williams of the Avenue Pub took over the location in March 2017, and reopened its doors to invite people in to Central Mesa. With food best described as Central America meets the southern United States, all elements of Central Mesa’s atmosphere, service, and menu draw on traditions in Central American cuisine that embody the current local, fresh food focus—something the surrounding restaurants in Tuscaloosa do not necessarily supply.

The restaurant’s simple atmosphere and menu did allow the food and my hunger for it to take center stage when the dishes began to arrive from the kitchen’s wings. The salsa roja strutted out first, eye-catchingly tomato red and cilantro green within a halo of toasted tortilla chips. The cream-colored queso fundido sea presented a garnish of pickled onions and Serrano peppers in its center. The neat row of tacos hung suspended over another short row of pico de gallo and guacamole.

 

 

 

 

However, each plate was not quite perfect enough to distract me from devouring it immediately. The firm tomatoes in the salsa tasted like they had been swept into our bowl straight from being cut into tiny chunks on the cutting board. The queso was thick and robust. It clung to the chips as I brought them to my mouth and fulfilled all desires that warm, melted cheese can engender. The corn tortillas of my chorizo tacos were light and paper-thin, containing yet not overwhelming the savory layers of moist, piquant chorizo, soft and peppery diced potato, jack cheese, cilantro, and onion garnished with a crowning drizzle of moist crema. The physical act of eating them was made easier and more enjoyable by the amount of filling within the tacos: enough to compose a meal, but not so much that the filling fell out of the bottom when I picked it up or made the tortillas soggy.   After cleaning my plate, I felt satisfied. My hunger had disappeared without leaving me overfull. I had simultaneously tasted the wispy memory of my travels in Costa Rica and Belize and the comfort food of my southern upbringing.

 

 

 

 

I entered Central Mesa’s door hoping to be served a fresh, delicious main with sides of a new restaurant’s creativity and memories from my travels in Central America. I was not disappointed by the experience and I plan to return to taste the rest of their selection. I recommend Central Mesa as a place where one may explore new food formats and flavors without venturing too far outside a comfort zone, small plates to share at a dinner with friends, or somewhere to impress a date. In its simple, stately atmosphere, I felt that Central Mesa added the most fundamental qualities of Central American cuisine to the heart of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.