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• El Meson

El Meson, a mexican restaurant at 8810 S Emerson Ave on the far southeast side of Indianapolis. (Matt Kryger for The Star)

"El Mason" fajitas, for $10.99 at El Meson, a mexican restaurant at 8810 S Emerson Ave on the far southeast side of Indianapolis. (Matt Kryger for The Star)

Enchiladas Poblanas, for $6.99 at El Meson. (Matt Kryger for The Star)

A new venture in 2004, El Meson quickly took root on the Southside and was followed by restaurant openings in Plainfield, Shelbyville, and most recently on the Northside.

The place is instantly familiar, straying little from the Midwestern Mexican-restaurant formula with a colorful atmosphere and a menu of enchiladas, chimichangas, fajitas and such.

The Food

Maybe our server heard us grumble about the ketchupy salsa because he showed up with a fresher, spicier tomatillo version that beat out the original with one cilantro stem tied behind its back.

El Meson regulars are devoted to the fajitas, and when the cast-iron pan loaded with steaming strips of steak, ground sausage, chicken and shrimp showed up at our table, we imagined ampleness alone might be the draw. But the El Meson fajitas ($10.99) were seasoned heavily and cooked restrainedly so that all the meats still had some juice and a ton of flavor.

Carnitas ($8.99) meant a plateful of sliced, roasted pork still fatty and moist but only lightly flavored. Enchiladas poblanas ($6.99) brought one each of beef, chicken, bean and cheese enchiladas topped with poblano sauce.

Camarones a la diabla ($8.99) "can be made extra hot" I learned too late from the menu. The version I got wasn't more than mildly spicy, and the pittance of shrimp had an overwhelming fishiness about them that interfered with what little seasoning was there.

Dessert? No way; too many chips. Had we been game, we would have chosen from the flan, sopapilla and fried ice cream.

The Service

The pace at El Meson is fast. Numerous servers and bussers hustle across the floor, replacing drinks, salsa and chips before you have time to realize you need them. Our server in particular was lively and gracious and very good at his job. The Atmosphere

My middle-school '80s wardrobe couldn't beat El Meson for luminous color. A palette of bright colors repeats across booth backs and chairs, each carved with the restaurant's name (you won't forget where you got that sweet margarita) and ingredients that may have found their way into your dish.

The Price

$50 for four people, including tax and tip. Nothing wrong with that. Lunch specials average $5 and are served even on Saturdays, so getting out less expensively wouldn't be a challenge.

Next Time

I'll try the tamales and maybe the chilaquiles -- corn tortilla chips topped with chicken, cheese and the titillating "special sauce."

Traci Cumbay / Star correspondent