The Arizona Center sometimes seems on the verge of becoming the Rodney Dangerfield of Downtown Phoenix. When it opened in 1990, the complex brought crowds and nightlife back to the city's core for the first time in decades. The mixed-used development combined offices, retail, entertainment, and restaurants in a convenient package in a central location. It showcased the "next big project" approach to Downtown, an approach that resulted in new sports venues, an expanded convention center, and the latest specimen, CityScape.
These days, that approach seems quaint. Newer waves of revival have taken the form of small, independent businesses on the northern and southern peripheries of Downtown. Despite its lush, shaded gardens, the Arizona Center is an urbanist's headache because its storefronts all face the interior of the development, leaving little opportunity for dialogue with the street. The result is a near-fortress in the heart of the city -- a closed space for people who may not be entirely comfortable in a Downtown environment.
If the Arizona Center as a whole plays it safe, the same can often be said for its half dozen restaurants. Some are chains, and even the independents tend to be tamer than their counterparts a few blocks away. Such is the case with Mi Amigo's, a Mexican restaurant in the heart of the development, located roughly halfway between the Van Buren / Central Avenue (northbound) and Van Buren / 1st Avenue (southbound) stations and the 3rd St. / Washington (westbound) and the 3rd St. / Jefferson (eastbound) stations. The Arizona Center location is one of three sites for this local chain; the other two restaurants are in Mesa.
Mi Amigos downplays the exotic when offering Mexican food to Arizona Center visitors, but taken on its own terms as a non-threatening place in which to enjoy mostly familiar border dishes, Mi Amigo's is actually a workable option for a Downtown lunch or dinner. The restaurant interior is bright, cheerful, clean, and ordinary. In fact, take the Mexican food off the tables, and Mi Amigo's would look like a hotel restaurant. Spanish-speaking clientele are few. If all those factors suggest "Mexican lite," at least the food shows some spark.
Order guacamole as a starter, and it'll be made at the table by the server. This practice is commonplace at national chains like On the Border and Chevys, but at least it offers reassurance that the guacamole is pure avocado goodness uncut by sour cream or other thickeners. The chips are adequate, and house salsa is fresh and well-balanced, but of course has only a mild kick. A hotter red sauce is available on request. It's nothing compared to the plutonium at Los Dos Molinos, but still a step in the right direction for heat seekers.
The entrees are all over the map -- a little in terms of representing the different regions of Mexico, but more so in terms of representing different Mexican-American border cuisines. California checks in with fish tacos, Arizona is represented by chimichangas, and Texas flies the fajita flag. The enchiladas (center photo below) are always a good bet. They come in two or three-enchilada platters with rice and beans, with a choice of eight fillings paired with red or green sauce. Unfortunately, mole, one of the more sublime sauces in Mexican cuisine, does not put in an appearance.
To cater to the Downtown lunch trade, there are numerous combination platters are on the menu. Some combine tacos, enchiladas, and other familiar dishes. Others get a little more interesting with items like fish tacos (right photo below) dressed with mango tomatillo salsa. A small selection of tortas, Mexico City sandwiches, are nice nod toward Interior Mexican cooking.There's a selection of grilled items, including carne asada and an interesting Yucatan pork dish. Seafood rounds out the menu, but be prepared for relatively small shrimp and scallops rather than plump specimens of either species. The seafood dishes come with white rice and black beans rather than the traditional rice and refried beans served with the rest of the entrees.
The beverage selection emphasizes margaritas, draft beer, and the soda fountain. Negro Modelo, a popular dark beer from Mexico, recently became available on tap for the first time, and Mi Amigo's is among the restaurants pouring it by the pint. For kids, there's a special children's menu available with small burritos and the inevitable chicken strips with fries for young ones who refuse to deviate from the familiar. Plenty of high chairs and crayons on the tables make this restaurant an obvious destination for families.
Compared to some other places a half mile in any direction -- Tacos de Juarez, El Norteno, La Tolteca, etc. -- Mi Amigo's seems a little tame. To be sure, it is, but that may be just what some conventioneers from nearby hotels or families attending Downtown events are looking for. Given the relatively sedate character of the Arizona Center, Mi Amigo's seems to strike the right balance for its environment.
455 N. 3rd St., Phoenix, AZ, 85004
(602) 256-7355
http://www.miamigos.com
Reviews from Other Sites:
A Lover’s Journal
Yelp
These days, that approach seems quaint. Newer waves of revival have taken the form of small, independent businesses on the northern and southern peripheries of Downtown. Despite its lush, shaded gardens, the Arizona Center is an urbanist's headache because its storefronts all face the interior of the development, leaving little opportunity for dialogue with the street. The result is a near-fortress in the heart of the city -- a closed space for people who may not be entirely comfortable in a Downtown environment.
If the Arizona Center as a whole plays it safe, the same can often be said for its half dozen restaurants. Some are chains, and even the independents tend to be tamer than their counterparts a few blocks away. Such is the case with Mi Amigo's, a Mexican restaurant in the heart of the development, located roughly halfway between the Van Buren / Central Avenue (northbound) and Van Buren / 1st Avenue (southbound) stations and the 3rd St. / Washington (westbound) and the 3rd St. / Jefferson (eastbound) stations. The Arizona Center location is one of three sites for this local chain; the other two restaurants are in Mesa.
Mi Amigos downplays the exotic when offering Mexican food to Arizona Center visitors, but taken on its own terms as a non-threatening place in which to enjoy mostly familiar border dishes, Mi Amigo's is actually a workable option for a Downtown lunch or dinner. The restaurant interior is bright, cheerful, clean, and ordinary. In fact, take the Mexican food off the tables, and Mi Amigo's would look like a hotel restaurant. Spanish-speaking clientele are few. If all those factors suggest "Mexican lite," at least the food shows some spark.
Order guacamole as a starter, and it'll be made at the table by the server. This practice is commonplace at national chains like On the Border and Chevys, but at least it offers reassurance that the guacamole is pure avocado goodness uncut by sour cream or other thickeners. The chips are adequate, and house salsa is fresh and well-balanced, but of course has only a mild kick. A hotter red sauce is available on request. It's nothing compared to the plutonium at Los Dos Molinos, but still a step in the right direction for heat seekers.
The entrees are all over the map -- a little in terms of representing the different regions of Mexico, but more so in terms of representing different Mexican-American border cuisines. California checks in with fish tacos, Arizona is represented by chimichangas, and Texas flies the fajita flag. The enchiladas (center photo below) are always a good bet. They come in two or three-enchilada platters with rice and beans, with a choice of eight fillings paired with red or green sauce. Unfortunately, mole, one of the more sublime sauces in Mexican cuisine, does not put in an appearance.
To cater to the Downtown lunch trade, there are numerous combination platters are on the menu. Some combine tacos, enchiladas, and other familiar dishes. Others get a little more interesting with items like fish tacos (right photo below) dressed with mango tomatillo salsa. A small selection of tortas, Mexico City sandwiches, are nice nod toward Interior Mexican cooking.There's a selection of grilled items, including carne asada and an interesting Yucatan pork dish. Seafood rounds out the menu, but be prepared for relatively small shrimp and scallops rather than plump specimens of either species. The seafood dishes come with white rice and black beans rather than the traditional rice and refried beans served with the rest of the entrees.
The beverage selection emphasizes margaritas, draft beer, and the soda fountain. Negro Modelo, a popular dark beer from Mexico, recently became available on tap for the first time, and Mi Amigo's is among the restaurants pouring it by the pint. For kids, there's a special children's menu available with small burritos and the inevitable chicken strips with fries for young ones who refuse to deviate from the familiar. Plenty of high chairs and crayons on the tables make this restaurant an obvious destination for families.
Compared to some other places a half mile in any direction -- Tacos de Juarez, El Norteno, La Tolteca, etc. -- Mi Amigo's seems a little tame. To be sure, it is, but that may be just what some conventioneers from nearby hotels or families attending Downtown events are looking for. Given the relatively sedate character of the Arizona Center, Mi Amigo's seems to strike the right balance for its environment.
455 N. 3rd St., Phoenix, AZ, 85004
(602) 256-7355
http://www.miamigos.com
Reviews from Other Sites:
A Lover’s Journal
Yelp
2 comments:
Mi Amigos are also great sponsors/contributors to JDRF.ORG.
Good point, Keesha. Mi Amigo's has a solid record of community involvement. It recently stepped up to hold one of Mayor Gordon's community breakfasts on short notice when the original venue turned out to be too small for the number of RSVPs. I'm glad to hear the restaurant supports other worthy causes.
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