With its wall of glass windows Mi Cocina is filled with natural light in the afternoon. It takes on an entirely different face later in the evening, and I realize that I was fortunate enough to arrive during its siesta. It is a rare break in the afternoon to not see every table full and the booth in the foyer lined with waiting guests.
It’s one of the best parts about dining at Mi Cocina, inevitably you will see someone that you know. Maybe even Troy Aikman if he’s not on the Katy Trail.
I really enjoy it when a client suggests an early dinner prior to their engagement shoot. When I met Patrick and Cori here this past Wednesday before their engagement shoot, it only took looking at the menu to talk with John, Mi Cocina’s manager, about coming back another day to photograph the restaurant for the next Friday Local Favorite blog post. 
I look at the menu to feast my eyes over the chance to indulge a different entree, but I rarely get the gumption to sway from their chicken quesadillas with grilled onions.
I’ve always wanted to sit at a table overlooking the main floor of the restaurant during prime hours. You get not only a view of the restaurant, but Mi Cocina has some really unique details like these chandeliers from that second-story vantage point.
Upstairs they have a bar area that overlooks the South side of Highland Park Village. It is one of the best places for happy hour in the afternoon, or if you are just craving their chips & queso rather than a full meal. 
If you happen to arrive when Mi Cocina is not quite this empty, taking a stroll through Highland Park Village is an incredible way to pass the time looking through the different window displays. Work up an appetite while waiting on the pager to go off letting you know your table is ready. They keep the chips-and-salsa fresh and full!
It’s probably because I am writing this in the morning and craving breakfast, but I just had a thought. If Mi Cocina served breakfast tacos… it might completely revolutionize my mornings at least once (probably four times) a week. A uniquely up-scale Tex-Mex favorite of the community, make sure you grab one of their blue mints when you walk out the door.
Great article John! And nice photo essay to accompany it as well.
[...] left it to Patrick and Cori to select their location for engagement portraits, and went from Mi Cocina in Highland Park Village downtown to the Venue at 400 N. Ervay. The bright Texas Summer sun finally [...]