Off the Beaten Path - Mi Casa - Greensboro NC (bobtail preferably here)

I guess I should start this one with a disclaimer. Trying to drag a truck and trailer here is going to be tricky. In the couple times I've bobtailed (that's just the truck, no trailer attached, for you non-trucking folks) here, I've seen a few brave souls take their truck and trailer into this rather cramped area to get to the close by Bojangles. I personally feel it's just an accident waiting to happen. Even bobtail there were a few turns getting in that were a little tight to me. I wouldn't even dare try to take a truck and trailer into the nearby Walmart lot, the turns are just too tight with stuff just waiting to get knocked over and repaired at your expense. So in this case, I highly recommend you bobtail here.

Now the other problem with bobtailing here is...unless your company has a terminal or drop yard close by, it may not even be possible for the passing truck driver to stop here...unless you're bobtail already. Some companies have drop yards on Elm-Eugene or Groometown Rd and I'm not exactly sure where else close by.

But okay, let's assume you are bobtail or you're a curious reader who drives a car and wants to know about Mi Casa. According to the outside sign, it is now open, or just recently opened. Mi Casa is located on Elm-Eugene Ave just north of I-85. At the exit, go north on Elm-Eugene and take a left at the very first light north of the interstate. Yeah, it's in that shopping center with Bojangles and Cracker Barrel and a bunch of shops and stuff. Oh hey there's a nail salon next door to it, too, in case you need a manicure. I did, so that's how I know. I went looking for a nearby place to get my nails done and after some shopping/restocking at the nearby Walmart I came back here to try out Mi Casa before hitting the road.

First impression walking through the doors was that it looked new. Everything looked new, from the counters to their POS register to the quite nice tables and chairs. Since I had to wait a few minutes while my lunch was being made, I can attest that the chairs are in fact comfy. And leather! The place, to me, looks like they want to be a hip kind of place but still kinda casual. Where you could go on a Friday night or for a casual business lunch with your boss.

On to the food! Mi Casa advertises themselves as a "fusion Mexican grill." After reading the menu (tastefully displayed on a large chalkboard) I wasn't quite sure what they were fusing together. It was all standard Tex-Mex faire. Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, taco salad, etc. and the item that caught my attention, the 'fusion stack' which was described as similar to Taco Bell's crunchwrap supreme. Sure I'll give it a go.

Along with ground beef, chicken and steak they also offer shrimp, fish (catfish or tilapia), veggie or tofu..wait, tofu? Wish I had known about this before instead of now when I'm looking at their website. I'll say a few things about the website later. Then you add toppings: lettuce, tomato, salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream. Queso? Sure, for $1 more. Wait, what? That wasn't explained to me earlier.
Guacamole? Sure, for $1...wait what?! Again that, too, wasn't explained.
Oh wonderful, those sauteed onions and green peppers were another $1, too.
Now I'm starting to understand why my $6 lunch became $9. I thought it was from adding chips/salsa and a drink. Good thing I didn't add bacon, that was another $0.75. Good freaking Lord.

This review is starting to take a turn for the worse, if you haven't noticed. Let's try to find some redeeming qualities and salvage this thing. The queso was a little runny. Wait, that's not redeeming. The salsa was a little off-putting because they squirted it out in a bottle that looked like it would normally hold ketchup. Now I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of liquidy salsa. Like my men, I like my salsa to be thick and chunky, not thin and runny. You can quote me on that.

So what was good about the food, then, Liz? My goodness you've complained about the add-on pricing and the quality of liquid cheese and salsa. Okay, so, all personal complaints aside, the food looked and tasted..fresh. Like..really fresh. When I bit into my fusion stack it didn't taste like premade crap. It was good. It was, dare I say it, better than Moe's. Ah ha! That's the style they're going for! It's similar to and felt like they would be competing against Moe's. Another brilliant revelation, Liz, good job. Have a cookie.

Again all personal complaints aside, I should mention they had a mango salsa that was quite lovely and I think helped add to the freshness taste. Everything tasted fresh, down to the tortilla chips they give you. Now that I think about it, they do seem to be similar but just slightly different from Moe's.

The staff was really friendly and nice. The place looked clean. Everyone had their coordinating Mi Casa t-shirts on. The guy who made my order was great, upbeat, friendly and helpful explaining everything. There were a few Hispanic guys working there, too, so you know it's legit.

I guess I should talk about this picture that I almost forgot to include. Sorry you can't see the details and I'm also sorry for taking two bites and then realizing "oh crap, Liz, take a picture first!" It probably looks like a mess in that picture but it actually was worth it. Well I'm saying that back when I ate it. Now that I'm writing about it nearly 14-15 hours later, I would have loved it more if it was $3 cheaper but hey, you live and learn.

Other than that, there's not a whole lot left I could really talk write about. They had Cheerwine at the soda fountain, that was nice. I think next time I would probably get the same thing I had before but with shrimp, minus the queso, minus the guac, minus the sauteed onions and peppers. Sorry, guys, the $1 extra for these ...now that's according to their website so maybe things changed? I'm just going by "what's on the website is accurate and reflected in the restaurant" which isn't actually listed on the website, I'm just...oh just shut up about that Liz. They also have specials! Taco Tuesday 2/$5 I believe. A $5 chicken bowl, and a few others.

Would I go back? Even with my seemingly non-stop complaining about those add-on prices, yes, for sure, I would go back. No doubt about it. Would I suggest it to people? Yes, absolutely. Hell I'm suggesting it to you guys, so there you go. My only two actual gripes were the runny queso and the runny salsa. Oh, you'll notice mine was green in that cup to the side. That was the 'medium'. I've had hotter and thicker/chunkier medium salsa that came in a jar labelled "Old El Paso" from the grocery store. Next time I'll try the hot and get back to you.

Now to quickly touch on the website. http://micasagrillnc.com/
The pictures are fantastic. One look at those mouth-watering close ups and you'll be sitting outside waiting for them to open. BUT....there are some errors. The person they paid to do this, while they did an excellent job with layout and pictures and the menu....kind of...sort of...well..got the restaurant name wrong in a few places. Like if the site is currently opened in a new browser tab (like it is on mine right now) you'll notice on the tab it reads Micasa. Ouch. In the About Us section, towards the end of the paragraph, overlooking the spelling error, you'll notice the restaurant is spelled 'Mikasa'. Again, ouch. Hope they get that fixed.

So anyway, now that I've rambled enough (I do that when I'm tired),
Mi Casa in Greensboro. Go. Try it. It's fresh, it's clean, it's new. Get the mango salsa!
They even offer online ordering through an affiliate website. Woohoo!