Mi Tierra
206 Russell St. (Rte. 9), Hadley,
(413) 587- 9820
Open every day 11 a.m.- 9 p.m.
Entr?es to $14.
Hidden behind the Norwottuck Shops on Route 9 in Hadley is a jewel of a restaurant, Mi Tierra. Informal, authentic, cheap, and above all delicious, Mi Tierra has garnered quite a following. On a recent weeknight, most of the tables in the surprisingly spacious restaurant were full of sophisticated professor types with their glasses of wine, young kids sipping brightly-colored Mexican sodas, and everyone in between.
Friends of mine have been raving about Mi Tierra as their go-to lazy-night spot, but after my exceptionally tasty meal there, I'm thinking about it as a worthy destination more than a fallback.
Being greeted with a basket of homemade tortilla chips, thick and golden from frying, is always a good start. Over neon-colored fruity soft drinks, my dining companion and I contemplated the huge menu. Standard Mexican fare like tacos, enchiladas, and burritos graced the bill of fare, of course. But some interesting standout ingredients—cactus, mole, and tomatillos among them—proved the place has an edge of authenticity that so many "Mexican" restaurants lack.
A platter of fat golden fried plantains arrived arranged in a sunburst pattern. A plastic ramekin of creamy, thin dipping sauce, reminiscent of sour cream but thinner and milder, served as an excellent accompaniment to the heavily salted, deep-fried heartiness of the plantains.
We had ordered a steak quesadilla, based on the price and our (incorrect) assumption that the dish is a nice-sized appetizer for two to split. Woops! The quesadillas (there were three of them) arrived chock full of tender, smoky chunks of steak and melted cheese. The tortilla packages, folded in half and slightly open, more closely resembled tacos than the flattened quesadillas to which we've become accustomed. The warm corn flavor that only fresh tortillas can offer delightfully encircled the richness of the meat and the salty mildness of the cheese.
I was certainly prepared to call it a night after our "appetizers" (we couldn't even finish the quesadillas between two of us), but we still had two entrees on the way. Enchiladas de pollo con mole, chicken enchiladas smothered in mole, presented me with a flavor combination that caught me completely off guard.
I've had mole before, but never like this. The complex sauce so prevalent in authentic Mexican cuisine can be made with any number of ingredients in myriad proportions, but the moles I had come across before were mild and even somewhat familiar to my North American palate. But Mi Tierra's was spicy and bittersweet from chiles and cinnamon, scarcely alluding to the faint chocolate flavor of the cocoa beans within. Three huge enchiladas accompanied by a healthy scoop of yellow rice and several ladlefuls of pinto beans slow-cooked into a stew-like consistency were too much for me. I slid my plate aside to be packed up, eager to taste my companion's dinner.
Vegetable burritos aren't usually on the top of my list for a dinner out, but this one surprised and excelled like none other in the area. Stuffed with gently spiced fresh squash, peppers and onions, and held together by slightly sticky short-grain rice, the burrito could teach a lesson in flavor to fast-food Mexican eateries everywhere. Topped with cheese and sour cream, the burrito was too much even for my hungry companion.
Never have I left a restaurant with so many doggie bags, so much food for so little cash. For just over $30, including tax and tip, we had a full two-course dinner with drinks, and lunch for both of us the next day. Mi Tierra is well worth the visit, a place where you can order your standbys and take an adventurous leap into unknown flavors with equal confidence.
