Restaurant Review: La Taverna del West

So yesterday, I wrote about the beauty of eating regional Italian food. This, of course, was promptly after I ate at a non Italian restaurant with a friend of mine.
Three nights ago, after a long day of work, Endira and I decided to get the easiest, most convenient food available right by my train stop.  We decided to try La Taverna del West   Another friend had mentioned it had Mexican food and at the time, it seemed like a good idea. It is literally right under the train station near Basilica San Paolo (so not in center).

Cutte and yet, I just had to laugh...

Teepees in a restaurant... Yes, I wanted to sit there lol

The exterior and interior were decorated in a way that can only be descrived as stereotypically Old
Western, Texas, at the peak of cowboy and indian films.  I really enjoyed the decoration, certainly not for its accuracy, but because of the sense of fun. I really wanted to sit under one of the teepees.  We didn't simply because those were the tables for 4 or more.

The menu was an interesting compilation of traditional American food i.e. hamburgers, potato skins, onion rings etc, plus pizza, pasta and quite randomly Mexican.  Maybe because Texas and Mexico are close to one another?  I think they were trying to appeal to a diverse group of people, traditionalists and younger people alike.

Endira and I probably should have ordered hamburgers like all of the Italians but we weren't quite in the mood. Instead, we ordered a liter of beer (Carlsberg), potato skins and 2 burritos del sol.  The beer was quite refreshing and the first I've ordered since being back in Italy.  I usually drink wine so it was a nice change of pace.
The potato skins I rather enjoyed. They were served with sour cream (which is usually hard to find

in Italy) and guacamole which was quite good but strange to see served with potato skins. I think that the guacamole was probably not fresh avocado but a frozen or a premade mix. The cheese was delicious and melted perfectly while the potato was cooked well.  However, out of the 4 halves of potato only one had bacon on it. It had a lot of bacon on it, which was quite tasty... The rest of the potato would have benefitted from the moisture and flavor it provided.
The burritos were pretty good but nothing like a traditional burrito.

It didn't quite look like a burrito...

They were covered in melted cheese which reminded me more of enchiladas but I liked it with the cheese. It added to the overall flavor which was on the bland, heavy side.  The inside of the burrito on the menu was listed as chicken and an herbed tomato sauce.  I saw no traces of tomato on the inside but did find bits of unidentifiable vegetable that Endira thought was pepper and I thought might be zucchini... If it was pepper, it was severely overcooked. If it was zucchini, it was still slightly overcooked and I would wonder what it was doing in a burrito.  The chicken itself was juicy, and based on the consistency of the filling, I would guess also fried. There were also beans inside the burrito, not refried or black but some kind of red bean that I rather liked. It was served with a great salsa, guacamole, sour cream and plain lettuce. I covered my burrito with the extras and ate it all up. For a "Mexican burrito" it was rather bland, I would've preferred some kick of spice but I was hungry. The only thing I didn't eat was the yellow rice. It was undercooked and bland. It had a whiff of some random spice that I couldn't identify, but completely lacked salt.
I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon. The food was okay but not great, and Endira did wind up with a stomach ache afterwards.  The food wasn't super authentic but maybe the hamburgers would be better.
However, it was guick and close to the train with a very friendly and helpful staff.  I will say, I was hungry and the food arrived quickly.
If you've been living abroad for more than a few months I would say give it a shot, because in a pinch it will cover a strong craving.
If you're just visiting for a short time as a tourist there are far better options. Definitely go for some of the Roman specialties.
In this post you'll find some suggestions of foods to look for on Roman menus.  If you're in center I highly suggest trying Cul de Sac and also keep an eye out as I write other reviews of restaurants here in Rome.