Cheap eats: Tostado's

Fajita chicken nachos are featured at Tostado's Grill in Columbia Tusculum. (Credit: Amie Dworecki | Metromix)

There are a few things in this world I know to be true: that any movie starring Robin Williams will be offensively unfunny, that too much beer on Sunday night will make me want to jab my eyes out Monday, and that a restaurant specializing in karaoke and serving something called a "Mexican hot dog" cannot possibly be good.

Or so I thought.

With no promise of a tasty meal, a friend agreed to join me on a recent Monday night for dinner at Tostado's Grill, a homey little restaurant tucked away on the corner of Delta and Eastern avenues in Columbia Tusculum. It was a slow evening - just a handful of couples sharing half-priced bottles of wine - and confusion hit not long after we walked in the door.

The evening's special: osso bucco, a dish of braised veal shanks that's practically an Italian staple. And yet minutes after we sat down, a server brought us a basket of tortilla chips and tomato-corn salsa.

We looked at the menu: Hawaiian-style ribs, mett-n-kraut, enchiladas supremas, pasta primavera. They were also offering burgers and Reubens and, yes, the Mexican hot dogs (grilled dogs with sour cream, mustard and pico de gallo). The rapid culinary tour of the globe gave me whiplash, and cause for concern: Can a restaurant actually pull off such a feat?

With our budget in mind, my friend and I stuck to drinking water, though half-price wine was sounding mighty inviting at this point. We both went south of the border - he got the pork carnitas ($12.99), tender marinated pork with tortillas and all the fixings, and I chose the fish tacos ($8.99) with rice and beans on the side (though I was offered French fries, fittingly).

We took in the scene as we waited for our food to arrive (at least I did - he was more interested in the football game playing on the TVs): the karaoke machine prominently displayed in the dining room, the chairs that you'd likely find in your grandma's house, the numerous beer signs. I asked my friend what vibe he got from the place, and he said: "Mexican restaurant." So much for adjectives.

Anyway, the food: It showed up quickly, plates piled with beans and tomatoes and cheese and, on his, a heaping pile of pulled pork. He set to work preparing his tortillas while I poked warily at my taco. The fish was grilled and shredded, a nice departure from the sad deep-fried brick I've endured at other local restaurants, and the pico de gallo was fresh with just a hint of heat.

Across the table, I heard a moan of happiness. He deemed the carnitas delicious, and after taking a bite, I had to agree. So were the fish tacos, juicy and flavorful and seasoned just right. We'd found Mexican comfort food at its finest.

And so, as it turned out, I was wrong. Not about the heinousness of Robin Williams or the bad-idea kegger on Sunday - that's practically bible - but maybe, just maybe, the Mexican hot dog has some merit.

If anyone could make it work, Tostado's could.

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