Mystery Diner in St. Charles: La Mesa delivers dynamic dining experience

La Mesa, a restaurant that describes itself as modern Mexican, enjoys a spacious and chic setting on First Street in downtown St. Charles.

We were seated in the area fronting the plaza, enjoying the heightened visual appeal of trees decked out in strings of holiday lights complemented by flames from fire pots.

Inside, we were warm and toasty as we studied the menu, and landed on one of five variations of guacamole for a starter. They range from traditional to recipes with grilled corn or lump crab or grilled pineapple. Not surprisingly, my dining companion leapt on the bacon option, flavored with pico de gallo and queso fresco.

It proved to be a good choice of dip paired with the freshly fried, light and crunchy tortilla chips. The bacon pieces were flavorful and balanced well against the creamy avocado and accents of onion, tomato and shredded cheese.

The menu offers a wide selection of tacos, as well as fajitas, entrees and sides that range from La Mesa’s interpretation of Mexican street corn to Brussels sprouts, fried potatoes, rice, and slow-roasted beans.

We each opted for tacos, which come four to an order of the hand-held specialties. My fellow diner chose the carnitas, which featured slow-roasted Mexican style pulled pork.

“The single corn tortilla held up the generous filling, which was a tasty blend of flavors and textures,” he said.

I picked the seared tuna, which was superlative, with ahi tuna, slaw, mango pico, avocado, chili garlic aioli and cilantro. The tuna, with a spicy kick, was luscious, and the other flavors played beautifully off each other, from the fresh fruit pop of mango to the savory aioli.

There are numerous taco temptations, including several with fish and shrimp prepared in different ways. And a comfort food fusion entree called barbacoa offers slow-braised beef with agave-glazed wild carrots, accompanied by Cotija cheese mashed potatoes and au jus.

A focal point of the restaurant is the attractive, full bar, which offers wine served in quartino-style petite carafes. And fans of Mexican beers will be thrilled to find five on tap. Margaritas and tequilas, of course, are specialties at La Mesa, where our server was attentive and helpful.

Homemade flan is a go-to baked custard dessert for us when the opportunity arises. La Mesa translates to table in Spanish, or the flat-topped geologic formation familiar in the western United States. Reminiscent of the latter’s look, a delectable tower of flan arrived ringed by a creamy caramel sauce. We enjoyed the dish at home as a carryout sweet treat.

An upbeat modern Latin soundtrack is icing on the cake at this vibrant venue.

• The Mystery Diner is a newsroom employee at the Kane County Chronicle. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a review.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: La Mesa

WHERE: 51 S. First St., St. Charles

PHONE: 630-549-0162

INFORMATION: lamesamodernmexican.com