After a great dinner, I spent the evening watching Football in my room at the Best Western Mo(tor Ho)tel. I got up the next morning and walked on over to the office to check out. The Lady at the front counter seemed absolutely shocked that I didn’t take advantage of the "free breakfast" voucher. Honestly, I can get eggs, bacon, and hash browns anywhere. I had something else in mind:
Tacos Mi Rancho, sits almost right across the street from the Best Western, and I was looking forward to getting some Birria(goat). I stepped into this crowded little restaurant and sidled up to the counter and had a seat.
I could see plates fly past me, the breakfast crowd seamed to be a ravenous bunch! Unfortunately, no Birria yet this morning, so I ordered a Lengua Taco($1.99), and a Taco Al Pastor($1.79).
What arrived were two tacos packed with meat, cabbage, onions, salsa fresca, and cilantro. The lengua(beef tongue) taco, is not really what you think. It’s soft and moist stewed and shredded beef tongue. This taco had a mild beef flavor, the cabbage added crunch, and the onions and cilantro gave the taco some "punch". The only challenge with this taco was the amount of "stuff" piled on the little corn tortillas, eating became a real battle as meat and vegetables kept falling out on the plate with every bite. In the end, there was more taco filling on the plate as was in the taco when I started, not really a bad thing I suppose. I guess that’s why they gave me a fork and spoon with the tacos!
The Tacos Al Pastor had a generous amount of meat, along with the same toppings as the lengua. The pork in this case was alot drier then the version I had the day before. The Al Pastor meat was very aggressively seasoned and the "chili" taste came through front and center. I ended up eating half of the taco filling off the plate, as filling spilled everywhere with every bite.
If I were to compare the tacos of the day before with the ones at Mi Rancho, I’d say that Mi Rancho’s tacos have alot more "stuff" and they deliver a much more "polished" product. The taco stands meats were more moist, and I thought the true taste of the source meat (i.e. beef) really came through. Much of it could be due to the "ambiance", but I enjoyed the stand tacos more. That’s not to say that Mi Rancho’s tacos are bad, they’re quite good!
Tacos Mi Rancho
188 S 4th Ave
Yuma, AZ 85364
As I left with a full belly, I decided to take in one tourist site in Yuma; the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park.
Located on a bluff above the remains of the Colorado River, this facility was in use between 1876 and 1909. The guard tower is one of the original structures still standing:
During the 33 year period of use, 3069 prisoners, of which 29 were women, were incarcerated here for crimes ranging from polygamy to murder.
Even though it was 9am, the temperature was already nearly 80 degrees F. I could only imagine what it would be like here during the summer, when temperatures exceed 100 degrees.
Crime does not pay……..
One final item. If you’re driving East on Interstate 8, say maybe to Tucson, or Sedona, and have a sudden craving for a Spam® Musubi, you’re in luck!
Take the 16th Street exit and turn into the Yuma Palms Regional Center. And believe it or not, you’ll find Yuma’s Hawaiian BBQ. Just goes to further support my belief that Hawaiian BBQ will soon take over the world!