The sign outside indicates a Mexican grocery store-which just happens to contain a Mexican restaurant as well. However, what one finds upon arrival at the "family owned and operated" Mi Tierra at 206 Russell Street (Route 9) is a quiet, yet exciting Mexican restaurant-with an adjacent mini-market. We walked in and were delighted to find several open tables surrounded by brown and orange painted walls and piñatas dangling from the ceiling. The temptation to demolish the piñatas was one I felt throughout the meal. Not going to lie. Instead, I redirected my demolitionist tendencies towards the meal.

We picked a cozy table in the corner of the spacious side room. After figuring out the process for ordering food (we grabbed menus from the counter in the main room and waited for a waitress to attend to us), the waitress brought us a modest basket of tortilla chips. Now, I love tortilla chips, especially those made in-house at Mexican restaurants. Reportedly, their chips are hand-made. These chips satisfied my craving, but didn't quite do it for me. They needed salt, were too thick and, let's be honest, lacked an exorbitant amount of grease. They weren't bad by any means. In fact, they were enjoyable. I just would have preferred the light, crispy, greasy, salty chips of the Chipotle sort. The chips arrived with a spicy green salsa that we later used to accessorize our entrées.

We also shared a bowl of their guacamole ($2.99) with the chips. This was some good guac. Creamy, light, smooth, with fresh chunks of tomato, shreds of cilantro and served in a big bowl you might find in your own kitchen. We didn't get to finish the guacamole, however, since the waitress never brought us a chip refill. What's the deal with that?

We gave the waitress our food orders, but became a little intimidated when she brought out the order for the table across from ours. She was serving a mother with three children aged four to seven. The children were each served burritos the size of their heads. No lie. My favorite part was overhearing the mother remark, "Remember how huge these things are, kids. You don't need to eat it all." If only my mom had taught me such eating behaviors …

Molly and I shared the vegetable quesadillas ($7.50) and the chicken tacos ($4.99). The three quesadillas were a different take on your average quesadilla. Sandwiched between the two halves of a deliciously greasy corn tortilla were broccoli, carrots, squash, red peppers and cauliflower. Accompanying the quesadillas were pico de gallo (with tomatoes, red peppers, onions and cilantro), shredded cheese and creamy, warm Mexican rice. I loved this dish. The thick tortillas were hearty, grainy and you could really taste the cornmeal. The vegetables were comforting and refreshing, sliding down your throat with the aid of the stringiest cheese I've ever encountered. We did have to ask for sour cream even though the menu says the dish comes with it; the service isn't stellar.

The three chicken tacos were made out of flour tortillas with small, tender cubes of marinated chicken, chopped onion, sprinkles of cilantro and served with a lime for squeezing purposes. This was a solid dish, especially for only five bucks. It comes with no accoutrements, but would benefit from a side of pico de gallo in addition to guacamole and/or sour cream.

Caitlin was brought one of the ginormous burritos. Her vegetable burrito ($6.50) was far too big to pick up with her hands. Utensils in position, she attacked strategically. It's nearly impossible to get the rice, vegetables and lettuce all in one bite. Doing her best, Caitlin enjoyed the surprisingly light, sour cream-caked burrito.

Nick devoured his three enchiladas with mole ($8.50). The enchiladas are stuffed with cheese and chicken, rolled in corn tortillas and drowned in a mildly spicy, yet sweet, brown mole sauce. It was essentially a series of saucy, gooey, chewy mouthfuls of tortilla, cheese and sauce. In other words, it was yummy. The entrée also comes with Mexican rice and a pretty standard rendition of refried beans. Nick also ordered the three spicy pork tacos ($4.99), a rare find in the Amherst area. The pork, also sprinkled with cilantro and onions, was mildly spicy, providing a nice parallel to Nick's mole sauce.

I loved, loved, loved the traditional Mexican music playing in the background. I found myself unable to stop bouncing. It did much to enhance the authentic Mexican atmosphere the owners have worked to establish. Almost as great as the music was our bill: only $37 for the four of us to eat to capacity in a sit-down restaurant.

Upon departure, Nick thought it'd be a great idea to introduce Caitlin to Mexican candy. When they approached the candy jars that line the counter where you pay for your meals, the man at the register warned, "No, no, don't take it." To this, Nick and Caitlin told him, "No, no, we want it." The man's response? "Then just take it for free."

Apparently the employee's personal advice was not enough as Caitlin and Nick unwrapped their mango-shaped Mexican lollipops when we got in the car. Caitlin's diagnosis: "a salty fruit roll-up." I refused to try it, knowing it would only be an taste bud disaster. Nick then proceeded to shove his licked lollipop at my mouth. "I have never forced a Mexican lollipop in somebody's mouth before," he assured me. Sure, Nick. I was eventually peer-pressured by Molly to try the lollipop monstrosity. Caitlin was right. A salty fruit roll-up, but no worse.

That being said, Mi Tierra is much more of an escape into Mexico than Bueno y Sano, and sharing a bowl of chips with guac here with your friends beats a lame Friday night any week. Maybe pre-Flics? You'll want to bring the leftovers with you. And don't forget your run-of-the-mill mango-shaped salty fruit roll-up for that post-meal palette cleanser.

For tasty tips on Mexican Cuisine, send Leigh your comments and queries at lfrivlin@amherst.edu.