Taco Tuesday: my wife and I went to a new place for lunch, within walking distance. Discovered…read moreit's not new...has been holding this spot down for more than 20 years, serving home-style Mexican plates, including a very good flavored menudo, though I wish they had used honeycomb tripe.
We stopped in before 11am (they open at 10), and were the only ones dining in. There is a parking lot to the side, for customers of the businesses in this building (Mamy's and the nail/hair salon). We later learned that they were short staffed this day, but were still greeted with a smile and a motion to sit where we wanted. A really good basket of freshly fried corn tortilla chips were presented, with a good, hot salsa (good indication that their chilaquiles would be good...need to try that next time). The chef also was serving as the waiter this day, and apologized for delays (which honestly weren't that bad). I asked about the Taco Tuesday specials, learned that all meat soft shell meat (beef, chicken, pork) tacos were $1.50 (instead of the normal $2), but we wanted hard shell ($3 each), so couldn't take advantage. We got 6 shredded beef and 3 shredded chicken, and they came out freshly made and fully dressed (with crisp iceberg, cheese, salsa, and crema). The shells tasted freshly made, and both the chicken and beef shredded were excellent, with no fat or gristle and good flavor.
A little bit later, I got my menudo, along with some OK flour tortillas. The broth was excellent: full of flavor, and hearty without being oily. There was a hoof in the soup, probably to let the connoisseurs (not me) how authentic it is. It didn't have too much hominy, so ate all of that up. It had plenty of tripe, but it was all the blanket/flat variety (none from the second stomach chamber (the kind usually found in pho), which I've now learned is what I much prefer). I probably ate half of it, and sipped the rest of the great broth and any orphaned corn pieces.
It's old school here, with the items being entered into an old fashioned cash register from hand written notes. They do take credit card, which is how we paid. My wife learned that the original Mamy has passed. Their daily special is 2 soft tacos with a bottle of beer for $6...knowing now how tasty their tacos are, that's a great deal.
