Aquí

1408 SE 12th Ave, Portland, 97214

The short of it: edible, but not my new favorite Mexican restaurant.

Pluses: nice outdoor seating area (love the booths and the cool tin lampshades), very friendly server, management that actually works, enchilada sauce on my companion's dish was very good, Cadillac margarita was better than average.

Minuses: had to pay $2 for too-thick chips & three kinds of crappy salsas (BOOOO!!!), the cuisine is most definitely mexicanish-for-yuppies. Take the "potatoes olé," for example: while delicious, I am not aware that russet golds mashed with corn, carrots and pepper Jack is a traditional Mexican recipe. I had a wet burrito: very large, sort of tasted like cardboard, not worth the money. I prefer Laughing Planet's burritos to Aquí's.

The verdict: wouldn't go there again. Not even for the margarita.