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The influx of Latino flavor in The City That Eats underscores the paucity of Mexican victual in the Mount Vernon area (read: near City Paper offices), so with great anticipation and appetite the Cheap Eats desk approached El Torito, a relatively nascent sit-down/carry-out tucked away on a lonely block of Mulberry Street between Cathedral and Park. We ordered and enjoyed tacos ($2.50), each swaddled in two tortillias--a street food must for drip-catching--with carne asada (sliced, grilled beef), chicken, carnitas (roasted pork), and, notably, lengua (beef tongue) that might be on our lunch menu indefinitely, each dressed with cilantro and onion, nicely accompanied by helpings of not-real-hot red and green sauces, guacamole, and sliced radish and cucumber. We sampled both chicken ($8.95) and cheese ($7.95) enchiladas dressed in a complex and satisfying mole, served with rice and black beans swimming in a dark, smoky gravy. El Torito also serves breakfast items, featuring a chorizo con huevo (pork sausage and eggs) sandwich ($7.50) with beans, mayo, hot pepper, cheese, lettuce, and tomato, on a large football-shaped roll and more like brunch in terms of filling our considerable bellies. Advocacy journalism issues aside, we're now officially committed to keeping El Torito in business.

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