So I've been at HPU for about 4 years now, but I haven't really explored the food places downtown. Having only a limited time left here, I figured it would be nice to try something from each one of the food places on Fort Street Mall and a few of the surrounding areas around HPU's downtown campus.</p>

First up is the only Mexican food place on the mall, La Taqueria Ricardo. I chose it because I didn't know where to start on the list of food places I made. So I went with something like home.</p>

<img src='http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/1%3A-La-Taqueria-Ricardo/IMG_0168.jpg' /><br />The place occupies a space right in the middle of the main food establishments, quite easy to find and often very full (I've seen a line out the door) during the lunch hour.<br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/1%3A-La-Taqueria-Ricardo/IMG_0170.jpg" /><br />An open space with lots of area for queuing. The menu is simple and you can pretty much ask for anything you see to be put on your burrito or taco or whatever. They have specials listed on the wall, and I didn't notice until after I had gotten my food. The people behind the counter were quite funny and I had more than a few jokes thrown my way in response to questions.</p>

<img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/1%3A-La-Taqueria-Ricardo/IMG_0174.jpg" /><br />I ordered a "Super Bean and Cheese Burrito" which, besides beans and cheese, had some Mexican style rice and sour cream in it.<br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/1%3A-La-Taqueria-Ricardo/IMG_0175.jpg" /><br />The rice was just right and so were the beans. The burrito was also quite large and I was not wanting more for being quite full at the end of the meal. In a future visit, I would probably find something smaller (a taco or two perhaps) and add a side of rice and beans to it.</p>

Since this visit I have used a computer to randomize the list of food places so I no longer have a choice. Also, I've dated this post to when I actually visited the place.</p>

Up Next: The 1132 Cafe and Espresso Bar</p>