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It’s no secret that Mexican eateries have boomed in Indy over the last 10 years. Whereas Acapulco Joe’s and El Sol De Tala used to be about it when you craved a tortilla stuffed with anything, now there are intersections with multiple Mexican options, from Chipotle to Adobo Grill and dozens of mom-and-pop joints. With all those options, why add another to your culinary rotation?
I’ll make the case that Roscoe’s Tacos (642 S. Madison Ave., Greenwood) deserves a spot there because it knows what it wants to do and does it well. This quick-serve eatery focuses on the quality of its core meals, offering them in customer-friendly combinations at reasonable prices.
Don’t worry that many of the dishes are
named after non-Mexican personalities. You don’t go to Roscoe’s for a cultural experience. You go for good grub.My guest and I started by sharing a half-order of Chicken Nachos ($5.39). It looked like the kind of chips-and-cheese platter you’d get from a concession stand at a high-school sporting event-until we hit the marinated shredded chicken. It didn’t quite redeem the platter, but it pointed toward a more promising future for the meal.
That promise was met in my Super Sampler platter ($7.89), which featured a trio of tacos. The Chicken Paul Bunyan Taco encased the same shredded chicken as the Nachos, but to a more unified effect. The Paul Bunyan Taco offered chili in addition to the usual toppings. But the big winner was the Tesla Taco, with tender and juicy slow-cooked beef. Black
Beans and Rice and a fountain drink were included in the well-worth-it price.We also sampled the Black Bean & Rice Burrito ($3.99), which was plenty satisfying even without any meat. The sizeable tortilla held up well despite being stuffed with its namesake ingredients and an ample representation of Roscoe’s version of “everything”-sour cream, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives and onions.
Of course, your experience will largely depend on whether you match the right sauce to your taste. The six squirt-bottled offerings here range from the extremely mild Cincinnati City Slicker and Texas Brushfire to Tonsillectomy and its stronger cousin, Lava. Proceed with caution. •
First in our month-long series of reviews of “possessive” restaurants.
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