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By Erin Sullivan | Posted 4/30/2008
One thing that s long been missing from Mount Vernon, in Cheap Eats humble opinion, is a good neighborhood Mexican joint. You can get pretty much everything else in this neighborhood: Thai, sushi, Ethiopian, burgers. So we were pleasantly surprised when someone told us about El Patron. We were greeted and seated promptly in the airy and brightly painted dining room, ordered a couple of Negro Modelos, and browsed the lunch specials. The lunch menu is indeed cheap eats, with nothing priced above $7.50. To start, we had an order of tamales ($6.50), one with red sauce (which was spicy and crumbly) and one with green sauce (moister and sweeter). An order of chicken barbacoa ($7.50), grilled chicken with peppers and onions in a spicy barbecue sauce, and a tacos al carbon platter with chicken ($7.50) rounded out the meal. Both entr es were simple, but fresh and filling and with enough peppery spice to make it tingle. As we were leaving, the lone server reminded us that Cinco de Mayo was coming up soon and there would be food and margarita specials on the menu to celebrate. And we ll likely stop in for a drink and a bite to eat, because now that we ve found a Mexican establishment so nearby, we suspect we ll be there often.