By Shari Benyousky
Guest Columnist

Column Note: In the 66th column in the Diners and Dives series, some Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club members explore The outskirts of downtown Warsaw.

WARSAW — In December 2022 a fire decimated several businesses in downtown Warsaw including Mi Lindo Acapulco, a long-time local favorite for Mexican food. The restaurant was famous for comfortable leather seats, enormous burritos, and Dona Socorro’s tamales.

Spicing Things Up

After a 17-month hiatus, Mi Lindo Acapulco re-opened on June 26 with a twist. In a unique partnership with Hopelore, the restaurant is now at 307 W Market St., in Warsaw. A quick search with Google indicated that the location anchors the far western edge of downtown restaurants next to the post office.

Owner Socorro Brito opened the door with a warm welcome. “This is a surprise for me. When I open over here, we are so busy.” She gestured around Hopelore. “Everybody is happy and understands this. We even need to hire more hands.” I asked her what items had been the most popular and she grinned. “Of course, the fajitas and burritos and also my tamales. Everyone wants those.”

When you step into Mi Lindo through the east side door, you’re greeted by a festive patio adorned with pennants and lights, with a clear view of the Courthouse. Despite the sticky, humid weather deterring us from dining outside, the interior was inviting. Inside, Socorro welcomed us, pointing out the familiar puffy leather seats from the old Mi Lindo, now in the contemporary Hopelore space, blending old and new elements. Diners and Dives regulars were thrilled to see her lunch buffet back in action, eagerly filling their plates with various delicious options.

The Broken Chip Trick

We hosted three guests for lunch, including a special 7-year-old. “Hey Knox,” I waved across the table at Realtor Jeff Owen’s grandson. He waved back, not completely sure that a lunch with a bunch of adults was a good idea. I flipped through the menu and noted an extensive kids’ menu including hot dogs.

Owens shook his head no at the kid menu and asked Knox. “What do you want me to order for you?”

Knox had been waiting for this exact question. “Al Pastor tacos,” he said happily. Al Pastor is seasoned and marinated pork with crispy edges from the grill. Along with the rest of us, Knox crunched the baskets of chips and salsa while he waited. Occasionally he would hold up a triangle chip and ask someone if it was broken.

“No?” I ventured and Knox shook his head sadly at my inability to notice details.

“Look!” He showed me where the chip had been carefully broken and held together. “It’s really broken!” Broken or whole, the chips and salsa are excellent. Order a bowl of fresh jalapeno Pico de Gallo too if you love chunkier bits.

Nicole handed out a little salsa bowl to each person. “I love that everyone gets their own bowl here,” she said. “No more worrying about how many times to dip a chip.”

The Elephant Trick

Our second guest Daniel Messenger (also my son) shook hands with our third guest Nicole Rouached. Rouached has a wide-ranging experience from being a history teacher, a museum curator, a project manager, a talent director … “What haven’t you done?” I asked in amazement.

“I know right?” Rouached laughed. “I’m a consultant now.”

Messenger shares Rouached’s (they pronounce it Rua-shed) interest in history. He heads back to school in the fall to get his master’s degree to teach history. The two wildcards immediately began discussing connections. Rouached has family in Tunisia (in North Africa) and frequently visits there, and Messenger’s historical specialty is the Punic Wars between Carthaginian General Hannibal Barca and Rome. Tunisia is the historic location of Carthage. Remember the dude with the elephants who climbed the Alps and surprised and decimated Rome? That guy.

“Hannibal was the greatest opponent Rome ever had. Rome was the greatest civilization in the Western world,” Messenger commented. Seeing eyes glaze over at the mention of history, Messenger gestured with a chip and changed tactics. “Remember the movie Gladiator?”

“Yeah!” That got the regulars’ attention. They re-enacted the best gladiator scenes from The Roman Arena between multiple trips to the steaming Mexican buffet to reload their plates. Titus Funeral Home Planner Brittany Lyons kept one eye on her watch as she needed to catch a plane after lunch.

“Did you know that the largest Roman amphitheater in the world outside of Rome is called El-Jem? It’s in Tunisia too,” Rouached chimed in. I added the destination to my travel bucket list with one hand while layering avocadoes and crunching chimichangas with the other. Tunisian and Mexican foods have a lot in common including spicy peppers, cilantro, flatbread, grilled meats, and beans. “This is delicious.” Rouached grinned.

1st Source Banker Paul Finley poured cheese on a taco and observed the freewheeling conversations down the table with a smile. “It’s nice to have history added to our normal chaos.”

Knox held up his tacos and his end of the table conversation admirably. Rouached appreciated his contributions, noting the differences between cultures here and there. “Arabic culture is so kid-friendly,” she commented. “There a waiter would typically be hugging the kids at the table and bringing them special treats.” I felt that my chicken chimichangas with fresh guacamole counted as a special treat.

We Say Yes

Eventually, after the paperwork is completed in a few weeks, Mi Lindo will be licensed to carry Hopelore’s brews along with a selection of domestic and Mexican beers and margaritas to go with the great food. “I need a siesta after all of this buffet food,” Realtor Jeff Owens rubbed his stomach.

“How do you rate your Al Pastor tacos on a scale of 1-10?” I asked Knox.

“10!!” he said enthusiastically. “10!” He proceeded to politely thank us for inviting him and shook some hands. “I earned a Yes Day today,” he told me proudly as we waited to pay our bills.

“What’s a Yes Day?” I asked.

“It’s a day when they say yes to everything,” Knox informed me seriously. “But I only ask for good things.” Wanting to understand the parenting technique better, I did some research on the concept later and wished it had been a thing when my kids were younger. I could see how “good things” could include Al Pastor Tacos from Mi Lindo Acapulco. We say YES too! Thanks for coming Knox, Daniel, and Nicole.

Williams Gets The Last Word

As we groaned with the last delicious bites of chimichanga, burrito, and chorizo, Orthopedic Consultant Kris Williams turned to Daniel. “You turned out so well.” He frowned at me. “How did that happen exactly!” Probably because we didn’t have Yes Days or Mi Lindo Acapulco.

Do you know of an interesting place, restaurant, nonprofit, or person that you’d like to see featured in Diners and Dives? Send Shari Benyousky an email at [email protected].