f you like Mexican food, you're going to love this post.
Remember Mike's Café, that fairly seedy lunch place w/ a mid-east bent on Merrimack St.? Well hold onto your chalupas spice fans and meet Senior Jalapeno. Ricardo Candiani, of Billerica by way of Mexico, is set to open a Mexican restaurant in this space by Christmas. He let us in his shop last night as he was painting and laying tile and the vibe was warm and promising. His plan is to offer authentic Mexican food, burritos yes, but also chicken w/ mole sauce and all kinds of dishes
he grew up eating in the hood. Added Perk: coffee from Guatemala and other Central American regions will occupy a corner up front next to a salsa bar. Right across the street from the Mambo Grill, Senior Jalapeno maybe looking for a burrito war. But taco shops have tried to thrive on this street before (remember the short lived outfit a block east?) so who knows how this will shake out. It's not a zero sum game and burritos are the new coffee — there's a shop on every corner in most bastions of youthful hipness. (See Harvard Sq.). I think there's enough pico de gallo to go around. As always GG will keep you posted on Senior Jalapeno’s progress. Okay, I admit it, I love that name!