EXPERIENCE
“All Aboard” The La Pasadita Train
Charlestown gem serves up authentic Mexican eats
BY D. TODD APPLEGATE | PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN WATSON
As a self-professed foodie and wannabe chef ’n‘
restaurateur – and one of the Extol Team’s newest
members – I am thrilled the role of food writer has
been put on my plate. I am ready to dig in. At the risk
of losing an audience I don’t yet have, I apologize
in advance for the food puns, but hopefully you
can develop a stomach for them. I look forward to
extolling the virtues of the fare I find in our Southern
Indiana community and will relish sharing it with
you. So, please enjoy and just try and digest what
I’m serving up in these pages. And if you have a
place you think I should try, just send an email to
extol@extolmag.com and put “Extol Eats” in the
subject line. –D. Todd Applegate
18
EXTOL : OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018
I wish I had a peso for every time I’ve thought to
myself, “I sure would like to find a restaurant that
serves good authentic Mexican food.” If you’ve
found yourself thinking the same thing, give La
Pasadita a try. Just off Highway 62 in Charlestown,
the eatery is easy to get to, hard to get in (more on
that in a moment) and easy to enjoy…at least once
you find the entrance.
Housed in a red railroad car nestled between
the “powder keg” tower and the suspended vintage
Chevy on the flagpole, La Pasadita is kind of hard
to miss. But getting inside the restaurant itself
poses a bit of a challenge. There are three possible
entrances, each with its own parking area. The key
is to locate and stay to the right of the nondescript
La Pasadita sign and park near there. With that
accomplished and the red railroad car now in front
of you, take one of the two entrances, choosing
either ramp or steps, to one of two doors, each
leading into the restaurant.
After what sounds like a bit of a treasure hunt
to this point, you will now have even more of an
appetite and as your reward, be ready to enjoy
some good authentic Mexican food and in an old
railroad dining car to boot. Just be sure you ask
to be seated in the dining car, as the restaurant is