Andrew L.

If you're familiar with the Carthage/Elmwood Place area, you've probably noticed that it appears not to have changed one iota since about 1972... a true working class, time capsule neighborhood. It is the seedy stretch of Vine Street between Reading and Spring Grove lined with fledgeling storefront businesses... used appliance stores, greasy spoons, dive bars and the like. Along this stagnate stretch commerce sits Taqueria Valle Verde...a little splash of color and freshness against the rather dreary backdrop of Carthage. It is a modest establishment... A small space with cheap furniture and delightfully cheesy artwork... about what you would expect looking at it from the outside. It wouldn't surprise me if they did more carry-out business than dine-in... especially with gringos such as myself... We ordered a couple beers and they came out with little napkins wrapped around them and tucked in as you might wear a towel after a shower. For some reason, my buddy and I got a kick out of this. When our quesadillas came to the table, it was clear by appearance alone that this place was in the upper 50% of mexican restaurants in Cincy. It is fresh and tasty, and I love that they have 5 different hot sauce options. After some experimentation, the best combination of these sauces was revealed and the rest of the meal was enjoyed to the fullest in light of our findings. One odd glitch, however... They didn't have chips for before the meal.... Wha??? How are you supposed to showcase your fresh and delicious salsa without chips? My only guess is that maybe their margins are so slim that they can't afford to serve food that people usually expect to get for free. If that's the case, they should just charge a couple bucks for it. I don't mind. Just lemme get my dip on! Overall, very good, though. I will definitely stop here on my way home from work for carry-out regularly. Very glad I stopped in...