In advance of a work trip to Mexico (again), I went for dinner with my friends Amanda and Adrienne. I figured I’d be home by 11 pm or so.

Spoiler: that didn’t happen.

Amanda arrived first and snagged a seat at the bar, texting me to say Mercadito is a “shoebox.” And she was right. To get to the bathroom, you will squeeze past the bar. But you’ll manage. You may even make a new friend.

What Mercadito lacks in size, it makes up for in flavor. And alcohol. And personality.

We loved the food. In order to mix and match tacos, we each ordered a different variation (chicken, hanger steak and pork belly) and traded. All were very good but the pork belly tacos were the best. We also shared guacamole and if I have a quibble about our meal, it’s that I wished the guacamole portion was more generous.

The margaritas are made with fresh lime juice (but also rail tequila–I recommend picking your favorite brand up front).

Our servers were personable and fun. So fun they insisted we have tequila shots.

Twice.

We were feeling good so after dinner, we walked down Avenue B to Idle Hands where my friend Mark was bartending. And somehow ended up doing another shot.

I was not home by 11. It was more like…actually I don’t know.

And how was your weekend?