Hecho en Vegas, the newly opened restaurant in the space formerly occupied by Diego, marks a collaboration between Tucson’s Flores family—which claims to operate the country’s oldest, continuously run Mexican restaurant, El Charro Café—and MGM Grand. The remodeled space, in the back of the casino’s restaurant district, feels more inviting, beckoning you in to hear mariachi bands and enjoy happy hour activity.
And what a killer happy hour it is: All appetizers are half-price, so you can decide between short rib taquitos ($6), tres quesos fundido—a gooey, charred combination of Oaxacan, blanco and asasdero cheeses—and the chimichanga experience ($6), highlighting the Tex-Mex favorite purportedly invented by El Charro’s founder in 1922. Best of all are the Hecho Wings ($7), a Mexican riff on chicken wings. Frenched for easy handling, the wings come prepared in either prickly pear barbecue or 702 sauce. The prickly pear is well-balanced with a hint of sweetness, while the 702 is mind-numbingly scorching. I personally like dunking my prickly pear wings into the outrageously addictive chipotle ranch.
Should you really be eating chicken wings in a Mexican joint? When they’re this good, why not?
Hecho en Vegas MGM Grand, 891-3200. Sunday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 5-11 p.m.
