This morning we picked up my parents at the airport, and we wanted to stop for lunch somewhere quick, cheap, good, and nearby.

The answer was obvious: [Taqueria El Rinconsito](http://www.elrinconsito.com), a local taco chain with branches all over south Seattle. We went to the one on International Boulevard in Tukwila.

I wish El Rinconsito had Starbucks-esque aspirations, because I think America is ready for it. They serve burritos and enchiladas and the like, but most people come in for tacos and tortas (Mexican sandwiches). The tacos come in all the usual taco-truck flavors: carnitas, cabeza (beef cheek), birria (shredded beef), adobada (spicy pork), pollo, and lengua (beef tongue). Iris loved the tongue. Laurie and I split a six-taco plate, with two each of carnitas, adobada, and pollo. We printed a coupon off the web site and got Iris a free quesadilla plate.

El Rinconsito should be everywhere not just because it’s good, but because it’s good for a snack. Often I’ll find myself wanting a snack but not in the mood for candy, chips, or fruit. Basically, what I want is a miniature version of a meal. Most restaurants don’t cater to that kind of craving. Good Mexican restaurants do. The tacos at El Rinconsito consist of two small corn tortillas topped with about two tablespoons of meat, with salsa, onions, and cilantro. Naturally there’s a salsa bar.

The prices at El Rinconsito are frankly insane. It’s like wandering into a country where the dollar goes farther, or possibly it’s like wandering into the 1950s, with tacos. The tacos are 79 cents. The six-taco plate, with a drink, is $5.79, and you don’t pay extra if you want tamarind juice or horchata instead of soda. Free refills!

Finally, is it wrong to feel an inner glow when you go to an ethnic restaurant and your party is the only one there not of the same ethnicity as the restaurant? I don’t even mean “the food must be good, just look who’s here.” It’s more a “some of my best friends” thing.

This is about as mature as thinking I must be really progressive because I rap along to De La Soul in the car, but c’mon, tell me you don’t feel the same way.

Iris enjoyed El Rinconsito, but then afterwards we took her through the car wash, which completely blew her mind. I think it was more exciting than the zoo, the aquarium, and pizza combined.