re: Do you have a "home base" Mexican restaurant?

I used to. My family (and, later, friends and I) used to go to the Cucos at the corner of Belle Chasse and Lapalco from the time they had Nintendo Golf and Pac-Man cocktail arcade games until they became completely inconsistent after Katrina.

That location was there long before they expanded as a chain, and the food was reliable for what it was. Chips and salsa, soft drink (or margarita for the adults), fajita enchiladas, fried ice cream for dessert.

In Baton Rouge, my wife and I usually got food from El Magey. Or La Reyna for Honduran before they closed.