Legit hood eats. Janky parking lot with chewed up asphalt, next door to a laundromat with peeps constantly going in and out, and the possibility of someone laying down on the sidewalk. But none of that stopped me from giving this place an impromptu whirl. So good I came back twice in one week cuz I was in the area anyways.
The place is huge with a lot of tables, many are for groups of 4 or more. You can easily fit a group of 10+ here no prob, just not sure how often that happens tho. Actually on both early dinners like 5ish, there actually weren't a whole lot of diners in there. Actually saw more take out than peeps eating in. Place actually reminds me of a standard resto in Mexico, very no frills and most go for the food, versus ambiance. I saw a sign for karaoke during the later evenings, so not sure if that draws a bigger crowd. Sometimes it does.
Fish Taco ($5ish/4*) This is a sauteed fish taco, not a deep fried fish one. It is fairly large like 4-5 bites and is stacked quite well. Nicely seasoned small chunks of fish lay in a warm corn tortilla. It is topped with cabbage, salsa and some sliced avocado. I ate this as an app with a beer before my menudo and was quite pleased.
Menudo ($15ish/5*) Totally legit, better than most from my area in the burbs. Nice sized bowl of steaming hot broth, quite viscous and sticky. The kind where if it were refrigerated, the broth would congeal into a solid gelatin mass. Good balance of chiles and seasonings, I had no desire to season further. Just added the garnishments of diced raw onion, crumbled oregano leaves and a hard squeeze of lemon.
No hominy, which I tend to prefer, but I never dock a place for ever using it. When it is all protein, it just seems more premium and indulgent. The simmered tripe were perfect. Perfectly cut in nice chunks that fit onto a spoon nicely, and most importantly perfectly tender and silky. I'm actually craving this now as I'm recalling it. And the soft tripe pieces totally absorbed into the broth that it melded as one. With bites of warm thick corn tortillas and this super warm bowl of comfort and a cold Pacifico, just made time stop for me on a cool rainy spring evening.
2nd out I came after work and I was starving. This time I sat down and got table service, as I didn't know how it worked on my first out. I ordered at the counter a few days before. I like the table service much more as I can just go into chill mode.
Mary Chelada Con Camaron ($17ish/4.5*) Monster goblet of a michelada then topped with freshly grilled shrimps coated in a spicy coating. The shrimps arrived hot which I was not expecting. I had to let them cool a bit, but the bites of the spicy shrimps then sips of michelada was the perfect appetizer when I was hangry.
Enchiladas Michoacanas ($18ish/4.5*) I had no idea what this was, but I was ready for an adventure. They did ask me if I wanted beef or chicken, and I chose beef. What came out was a nice surprise that totally threw me for a loop. I'll break down the elements of the platter as it multi-faceted. Actually when it first arrived I wasn't even sure if I received the right dish, as the enchiladas are totally not visible upon arrival. You have to dig and unbury them from a slew of other elements on the plate.
So them enchiladas that are way on the bottom of the plate are not what most Americans would think of when ordering enchiladas. First they are not rolled like a cigar or cylinder. Rather it is corn tortillas filled a strong cheese much like feta, folded in half like a taco, then lightly fried to absorb some oil, then simmered in light but nicely chile flavored red sauce. I'll actually probably never roll enchiladas again, I'll just do a simple fold and shingle them along. It was a very good and basic cheese enchilada.
Then they top 3-4 of those enchiladas with a ton of shredded raw cabbage. I thought it was strange, but the crunch with the warm food actually made a nice contrast. I didn't eat all the cabbage as there were just so much, but I thoroughly enjoyed the vegetative crunch.
And on top of all that cabbage was a nice slab of well seasoned carne asada. Carne asada is always quite well done and a bit chewy, but if you're familiar with real Mexican food, that is just the way it is. Don't expect anything pink or medium rare or any premium cuts like a ribeye. It is just part of this culture's cuisine.
Then off to the side of the plate laid nice planks of lightly fried potato. Another twist that threw me for a loop. So to take bites of this, along the beef, then the well saturated cheese enchiladas, just made for a very filling and satisfying beef and potato meal with an authentic ethnic twist.
I'll be back for more of their offerings, since I'll be in the area a lot more these days. My kind of Mexican food outing fasho. read more