Dinner at Nina's

Regardless of how limited my (Mexican) home-cooking experience tends to be, I am proud to share that my (Mexican)-food taste buds are pretty well developed.
As in: I can smell bad Mexican food before it's sitting in front of me.
This is not to say that I won't give any recipe, restaurant and anyone that calls themselves a Mexican home chef the opportunity to let my taste buds do the judging.
I do, I really do.  But usually, most people, recipes, and restaurants fall short on the Mexican authenticity.
As the time I went to Nina's with my husband.

Nina's Mexican Food is located at1651 Sawtelle Blvd.,
in West Los Angeles

Nina's, you see, recently opened in this great little corner at the north end of the Sawtelle District in West LA, that is the Westside version of J-Town.
First things first, I had high hopes.  I really did.
Nina's is very close to where I live and looks cute from the outside.  Plus, being that (see above) my Mexican home cooking is simply OK, I am always on a prowl for good and authentic Mexican restaurants that are close to home.
So, on a recent Saturday night we opted to try-out Nina's.
Because of the area, I wrongly assumed that Nina's was a sit-down restaurant.  Although you can eat at a table, this is a walk-up-and-order-lunch type of place.
The menu, as most walk-up and order restaurants, was directly in front of of the entrance and above the cash register.
The usual Americanized Mexican basics were front-and-center: Burritos, hard shell tacos, tostadas; and a couple interesting menu items: machaca, chile rellenos (with cheese!), and (Mexican) shrimp cocktail.

The order counter/cash register.
Kitchen directly behind.

The restaurant also had a salsa bar, which was very clean and fresh I might add; and a walk-up drink fridge with a small selection of Mexican soft drinks. (including the coveted Mexican Coke in the glass bottle!).

Chips and a selection of salsa from their salsa bar

Soft drink Fridge

My husband ordered the burrito, to which he quickly reviewed as "OK," and I ordered the chile relleno plate with an "a la carte" crispy shredded beef taco.

Chilen Relleno Plate

The chile relleno was made with cheese, which I personally prefer over the meat filling.  The pepper was evenly coated in the egg batter (a huge must when ordering chile rellenos), and although the cheese filling was generous, the flavor was a bit bland by itself.
The sauce over the chile was the basic tomato-based recaudo (sauce) with the added pizzaz of bell peppers. Not bad, not amazing - but good enough to order again.
The rice, albiet nicely seasoned, was undercooked and the beans, not one of my favorite Mexican sides, wasn't good.  At all.  
I even thought for a second that the beans were canned!

Crispy Taco with Shredded Beef

The taco, topped with neon yellow cheese, was filled with a nicely seasoned shredded beef.  So good, that I took out all the institution-style cheese, shredded veggies (lettuce and tomatos), and skipped the tortilla to eat the beef.
Amazingly good!  I might actually give Nina's the most generous compliment by saying that the taco topped anything else we experienced that evening.

Well-appointed and clean interior

Yes, dinner at Nina's will fill the spot, in a cute location. But if you are seeking authentic Mexican food, you are better off driving a bit further west and dine to any one of the authentic Oaxaquen West LA restaurants instead.
From my lips to your tummy,