I've often walked by Cartel and been enticed by their chalkboard advertizing all kinds of delicious sounding specials.  So on a rainy Friday, with our hearts set on tacos, we ventured out to Cartel for lunch.  And I will definitely be back, hopefully with nicer weather so we can enjoy the terrace!\n\nI was a little worried about portion sizes, never sure if a small plate is really going to be a small plate, or a tiny plate, or a giant plate.  But these portions were quite reasonable, and we definitely ordered a bit too much food, at least for a lunch.  We started with the guacamole, and I know, you're thinking: guacamole, really?  Was it ever good!  Especially the homemade tortilla chips it was served with.  I could go and order a fancy drink, and guacamole, and be a happy camper.  Then we had the mango, papaya and peanut salad: nice and simple, but well spiced, with a bit of a kick.  The perfect refreshing salad for a hot day.  For mains I had the fish tacos, and my dining companion had the lobster roll.  The fish tacos were really stuffed!  Just the tacos would have been enough for lunch for me.  Tasty too! Apparently the lobster rolls are decent, but unfortunately after having lobster rolls in the maritimes, from a lobster caught that very day, well, it's hard to compare. \n\nI had the rootbeer mexicana, and yum yum!  If I'm going to order a drink when I go out, I make sure and order something involved, that has way more liquors in it than I would make at home.  And this really hit the spot.  \n\nThe restaurant itself is really beautiful, and very much my style.  I'm not picky about the appearance of a restaurant, if it's tasty, I don't really care what the place looks like, but I still like to look at beautiful spaces, it's a bonus!  This place is definitely beautiful, with the painted ceiling and mirrors.  It would be a fantastic place to host a 5a7 with people you want to impress, or say, take your mom out for a really nice lunch, that is, if your mom is adventurous!  Mine is!\n\nI hear that Tuesdays are $2 taco night, so I will definitely be coming back.  On a recent Tuesday I walked by, and sure enough the place was hopping, full of people munching happily on tacos.  Reminds me a lot of San Diego, it seems there is always somewhere having a happy hour with cheap tacos and drink specials.