September 29: Casco Antiguo

Now that we're all in Seattle, my manager has set up monthly team lunches. Once she got wind of this blog, she asked me if I'd be willing to pick lunch locations for the next few months. Today's choice: Casco Antiguo. Google says that's Spanish for "Old Town", which is appropriate given its Pioneer Square location.

They don't take lunch reservations, so I arrived a few minutes before noon and asked for a table for the nine of us. The greeter scrambled a little and managed to fit nine seats at a table that was originally set for six. The rest of my team arrived, reviewed the menu, and ordered quickly.

The food came out about 20-25 minutes later, which seemed like an eternity, but really wasn't that long, especially after we saw it. My Casco Antiguo Enchilada was the most beautifully plated meal I've had in this series. The shredded pork was perfectly cooked; the tortillas were crisp from the heat yet soft enough to cut with my fork. The enchilada sauce was a little spicier than I expected -- and that's a good thing. It came with a side of unremarkable beans and surprisingly good corn mash. I washed it down with a bottle of Mexican Coke.

A bit of caution: tortilla chips are $5; guacamole is an additional $3. This appeared on my receipt as $0.89 -- 1/9 of the $8 charge.

The two folks next to me had Carne Asada tacos (pictured in the distance) and Rajas Con Crema tacos. Both looked great.

In the elevator on the way back up to my desk, another co-worker confided in me: "I don't normally like Mexican food, but that was really, really good." It was indeed.

Casco Antiguo
115 Occidental Ave. S.
Enchilada, Mexican Coke, 1/9 of two baskets of chips and guac, $23.96