A volcano erupts in Coronado

Villa Nueva wanted to be original. For starters, Coronado had enough Taco Tuesdays going on. So they made theirs Taco Friday.

Then the owners introduced a jewel from their native Mexico City, the volcán. It’s a tostada that looks like a volcano’s caldera when you look down at its angry colors from up above, like you're in a helicopter.

This one isn’t that cheap. We’re talking $5.25 for the basic tostada and cheese (a mixture of Jack and Swiss), and then (depending on the meat) $2, $2.50 on top. And you need the meat.

But the result is worth it. Go for the adobada if they have it, or steak. (They also have chicken and fish.) It’s a pile, and on top of that, a big pot of guac that you can upend, to create the lava. Pile on the essential extras, such as tomato chunks and sliced radishes plus plenty of the salsas, which are more flavorful than hot. Actually, Mexico City people aren’t that into the really fiery heat of, say, Sinaloa. That goes for here, too. So pile them on. They have deep serrano and other pepper tastes.

Of course it looks like a perfect caldera for only about five seconds. After that it’s Mount Saint Helens. But as the lady at the next table says, “Go ahead, it ain’t supposed to be pretty.”