The real McCoy

DINING OUT

“Drop by and tell us what you think of us,” was the invitation from

owner Elinor McCoy Lee of Jose McCoy’s restaurant on Warner Avenue

and Bolsa Chica Street in Huntington Beach.

Who could resist an invitation like that or a name that promises

the warmth of the Mexican cuisine with the wit of the Irish?

Located for 15 years in the old Seacliff shopping center at

Yorktown Avenue and Goldenwest Street, owners Elinor and Bob McCoy,

moved to the Meadowlark Plaza nine months ago. Both experienced

restaurateurs since 1984, they wanted a fresh new place and have

created it here.

Friends and family decorated one wall with a colorful cartoon

mural by Barbara Hanes and Jayne Lucas; another wall has a huge photo

of a surfer in the curl of a wave with the logo, “The beach, Jose

McCoy’s and you -- a perfect combo.”

The final decorative touches are small colorful street signs with

the birthplaces of all the friends who pitched in to decorate this

lively cafe of three booths, a small counter, tables and an adjacent

lanai of a dozen more tables.

It’s “order at the counter” with an extensive menu of burgers

($2.30 to $3.99), burritos ($2.39 to $5.95) and combo plates of

hamburgers and lettuce wraps ($4.99). For these, we received a plate

of big, fresh lettuce leaves and a side of steak (or chicken) and

onion bits and a side of tomato-filled salsa. It’s protein packed as

the menu says, a healthy, clever way to eliminate the bun and create

a wrap.

I enjoyed the Real McCoy Burger, fries and a medium drink ($4.09).

It’s big like everything else here -- a soft bun with lettuce, tomato

and a slice of cheddar cheese between two beef patties. It makes a

sturdy burger but heating the bun would make it perfect. If you crave

a lunch to last until dinner, order the Hungry Amigo ($7.95), a flour

tortilla rolled around ground beef and topped with mildly spicy salsa

and guacamole on a plate of refried beans and a crispito (a small

very crisp wrap filled with minced chicken and cheese). A classic

taco with plenty of ground beef in the fold topped with cheese and

salsa completed this very generous dish.

The secret at Jose McCoy’s is freshness. It’s almost as if you

were in the Mexican plaza having a burrito or crispito made just for

you. Kitchen manager Pablo Hernandez provides flavor while keeping

preparation healthy.

Cookies, the only dessert, are made by server Hope Alvarez. Hefty

and filled with macadamia nuts, raisins and chocolate chips, tempt

you to take one on your way back to the office or stop a few minutes

with a cup of coffee on the sunny lanai.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail

[email protected]