RESTAURANT REVIEW

Airport Highway boasts pair of above-average takeout joints

Little Acapulco enchiladas.

The Blade
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Little Acapulco enchiladas.

■ Little Acapulco Taqueria — menu

With Bob Lizcano as chief cook and bottle washer, Little Acapulco Taqueria, is beginning its third year in a former ice cream shop on Airport Highway just east of Byrne Road.

With assistance from family members, the gregarious Bob makes the food, which includes Mexican-American favorites, plus flautas, fajitas, tamales, chimichangas, tostadas, guisado (beef stew), and menudo (beef-tripe soup). He also makes breakfasts ($2.99 to $5.95) with eggs, potatoes, beans, and more. Sometimes there's soup, which is likely to have a Ramen noodle base.

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Primarily a take-out place, there are a few small tables and chairs and stools at a counter.

Dining in is sort of like eating at a buddy's place: the guacamole (a large serving, $4.50, is one avocado) was served in a plastic food-storage container, as was the fresh-squeezed lemonade ($3 large; it's delicious), which we poured into foam cups.

He'll add or subtract the ingredients you request and make it if he can. Dinner portions with rice and beans are large and weighty. There are charges for sour cream and extra salsa, which is homemade and won first place in the 2008 Toledo Farmers' Market contest.

The chimichanga ($6.95), lightly deep fried, was covered in homemade sauce, and crested with a modicum of melted cheese; it was good but the beef was salty (as was the guacamole). Two enchiladas with beef chunks ($7.95, the platter) were tasty and filling. A couple of standard tacos ($1.75 each) were in flour tortilla shells. There are plenty of options for taco fillings, including barbacoa, tripe, fish, potatoes, chorizo, beans, and steak,

The building is owned by the church next door, Bible Temple Family Worship Center, which allows Lizcano to use it.

Mama Mary’s Pizza

■ Mama Mary’s Pizza — menu

Too bad I don't live in Holland. I gladly would substitute Mama Mary's Pizza for the chain options.

The family-owned and operated pizza joint on Airport Highway has a loaded menu with plenty of solid lunch and dinner options, which, besides being local, makes Mama Mary's worthy of your Rolodex or smart-phone speed dial. The pizzeria does have a few small, cramped tables, but takeout or delivery is recommended.

According to the restaurant's Web site, the pizzeria, named for the family's matricarch, was started in 2012 by Frank Hornik, who grew up in the Bronx.

The menu boasts many sizes for pizzas, from 10-inch small to 28-inch colossal. We sampled the small ultimate ($9.95) — pepperoni, Italian sausage, beef, bacon, ham, mushroom, red onion, green peppers, black olives, banana peppers, and mozzarella — and the chicken bacon ranch ($9.95).

We chose the New York-thin style crust for the ultimate pizza, and it had trouble containing all the ingredients, but overall is was very filling and tasty. The chicken bacon ranch pizza was a good choice with generous toppings and the right amount of ranch sauce and cheese. Not only were there a lot of toppings, but they were large, which was good for the bacon but bad for the red onions.

We also tried two small hoagies ($4.95 each) — meatball and the Italian BMT — and both were hearty. The half-pound boneless wings were served plain and came with choice of sauce and proved to be quite ordinary.

The menu features pasta dinners, salads, soft drinks, and gluten-free pizza. Mama Mary's Web site also has coupons.

Contact Bill of Fare at fare@theblade.com.

Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants. The Blade pays for critics' meals.

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