Mexican Restaurants – Page 19

Utah: Temple Square and Lunch at Red Iguana (Salt Lake City)

April 20, 2015 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Travel, Utah

We slept in on our last morning….well, if you call sleeping until 730 sleeping in. Our food experiences in Utah seemed a bit disappointing, but we decided to give one last popular restaurant a shot. Since they didn't open until 10am, we decided to walk on over to Temple Square, the headquarters for the LDS.

It was nice and fairly crisp and we were enjoying the day as we passed the convention center.

We passed the Creek Shopping Center, with shops like Tiffany, Nordstrom, and the Apple Store….and closed on Sundays! I'm guessing it has something to do with being right across the street from Temple Square. We were greeted as we entered and asked if we'd be visiting "Music and the Spoken Word", which is the Sunday morning televised broadcast. We were interested, but told the nice folks that we would have to leave fairly quickly. We were told it was no problem since the rehearsal was going on. We were free to leave anytime before the 930 start.

Which is how we got to watch part of the choir's morning rehearsal in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. Quite impressive.

Speaking of impressive, the entire complex is dwarfed by the towering Salt Lake Temple.

The grounds features beautifully manicured gardens, a huge conference center, administrative buildings, several historic houses; the "Lion House" which used to be Brigham Young's residence. It had to be large because Brigham Young had 57 biological children, and the connected "Beehive House".

Temple Square is Utah's most visited tourist attraction, with as many visitors a Utah's 5 National Parks combined!

We saw a lot of folks taking photos….they all seemed overjoyed, almost giddy, at being here.

From the Beehive House, we headed North and got on North Temple Street and headed west. SLC's streets are set-up in a very simple (once you get sued to street with the same name with North/South/East/West) grid system. Our destination was on North Temple and was just under a mile and half walk. Things did seem a bit more "gritty" as we crossed over the I-15. A mere half block later we were at our destination; Red Iguana.

We arrived a few minutes before opening. The exterior looks a bit worn and shabby, but I had read that this is one of the most popular restaurants in the city….Mexican….in Salt Lake City? The place opened and we were told to sit anywhere our hearts desired. Our server; I'm hoping my memory isn't mailing me was named Stephanie. She was super outstanding, so very friendly, accommodating, and gracious.

Within a flash chips (not very good) and some salsa (nice and picante) found its way to our table.

We had come here to try the mole….but was having a difficult time deciding. So Stephanie said not to worry, they put together a sampler for us to try.

What really shocked me was how much I enjoyed the version of Mole Amarillo, not quite the traditional version; this one had raisins and habaneros…sweet with heat. We whittled down the sauces to versions we liked….but was stuck on four. Again, making us half and halfs were not a problem. You gotta love the service.

We choose chicken; which was simple simmered bird. The first combo was half Mole Verde and Mole Poblano ($15.99).

The verde was nice and nutty, but was over-shadowed by the rich, sweet, and spicy mole poblano, which tasted closest to versions I've had before.

The second was Mole Negro and Mole Amarillo ($15.99).

The mole negro was fine, though not nearly as good as say……El Tejate. The unconventional mole Amarillo, sweet and spicy stood up well. It was by far our favorite.

The rice and beans (and the tortillas) were pretty routine and not very good.

And while the food fell short of amazing, it was good, easily our best meal during this trip. And the service was wonderful. Our server is a fairly recent transplant and we chatted about SLC's uniqueness, things that caught her off guard when she moved here. The affinity for sandwiches and burgers; how you can look down Main Street on some days and not see a single car….. She made our meal a pleasure.

Red Iguana
736 W North Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84116

We walked back to the Residence Inn and managed a short catnap before leaving for the airport.

Perhaps the food really didn't stand out on this trip. But the views, well they were priceless.

Thanks for reading!

Tacos el Poblano

April 7, 2015 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

My visit to Taqueria Revolucion seems to have gotten me back on the taco trail. I’d been derailed for a while, but now that work is normalizing a bit, I’m able to travel a bit further afield. Craving tacos,I decided to check out Tacos el Poblano. I’d never been to this location, just the now defunct first US location on 3rd Avenue in Chula Vista. I once ran into the venerable Masa Asssasin there, who gave me the history of Tacos el Poblano, which was established in Tijuana back in 1974. Man, we miss you “MA”.

I recall being told that all the TeP locations are owned by different family members, so YMMV. I’d heard about this location from “CC” who visited back in December of 2010.

So, I finally made it here…..like almost five years later. The drill here is interesting, it even confuses the Hispanic customers. You basically walk to the back counter area, which is divided up into three stations, adobada, birria (de res), and asada. You order from one or more folks depending on how many folks are manning the area and what type of protein you want. You pay at the cashier on your way out….also, if you want drinks, the cups and bottled items are located at the cashier so you need to ask for those.

I went with one of each; asada, adobada, and birria ($2 each).

The asada was disappointing, dry, tough, flavorless. Especially since this is what TeP has hung its hat on, the asada traditionally made from three different cuts of meat from a specific butcher.

The adobada was better, a bit more flavor, but still too dry and bland for me. I like my adobada to have a nice salty-savory-sweetness which the Missus says is “like good char siu”. The guacamole does real well on this one.

The best of the bunch was the birria de res, which had some nice spice, but was still behind what I had at Fernandez and even Taqueria Revolucion.

The salsas were quite watery, but had a bit of oomph. I did expect a bit more considering the name and pedigree, but perhaps I caught them on an off day.

Tacos El Poblano
885 E H St
Chula Vista, CA 91910
Hours:
Daily 10am – 10pm

Clearing Out the Memory Card: Aqui es Texcoco, Oscar’s Mexican Seafood, and Sieu Sieu BBQ

March 31, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood

Time to clear out some photos that have been taking up space on my hard drive for a while now.

Just a quick post for tonight.

Aqui es Texcoco:

We don't get down here often enough. But when we do, it's always a nice meal.

Aqui Es Texcoco
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Oscar's Mexican Seafood (Hillcrest):

Was in the area after a meeting finished early, so I thought I'd drop by for a revisit. The Taco de Marlyn (Smoked fish taco) was actually better than before, though the flavor was still too mild and that tortilla wasn't very good.

The fried shrimp in the Fried Shrimp Taco was greasy and the batter started falling off and got gummy quickly…..and the tortilla also failed fast.

There's much better down south, but this is pretty much the only show in town.

Oscar’s Mexican Seafood
646 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Sieu Sieu BBQ:

Another place I haven't been to in a while. Is it just me or has Sieu Sieu aged faster than a second term President? The place is looking pretty beat.

That I think that the Chinese BBQ here is better than Sam Woo should provide me some consolation…..I guess. That rice was horrible by the way.

Sieu Sieu BBQ
7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Mariscos Monday: The El Puerto Mariscos Truck

March 9, 2015 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, Taco Shops

I noticed a "new" Mariscos Truck while driving down Convoy two weeks ago name El Puerto. I felt it was a bit too cold for tacos at that time, but what a difference a week makes. Looks like winter has made its way out of San Diego. Bright and sunny days are perfect for "lonchera lunching"…..

So I parked the car…..the truck is located in the small space between Convoy Liquors (4383 Convoy Street) and Wienerschnitzel (4393 Convoy St)….you can't miss it. I walked up and took a look at the menu; much like Mariscos Nine Seas, things looked quite gringo friendly, which sends off alarms bells. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Pretty straight forward stuff. I ordered a Fried Fish Taco ($1.50), A Fried Shrimp Taco ($2.50), and was overjoyed to see a Gobernador ($4.25) on the menu as well. It was a nice day, so I did as I would usually do….I ate on the hood of my car. Based on how things looked, I expected no consommé and got none.

The fish taco wasn't my favorite….a rather small piece of fish; the batter was on the greasy side and it did not hold up well. It was adequately moist, but tasted a bit more fishy than I like. The fried shrimp was the best of the bunch, the batter, while still on the greasy side held up well, the shrimp were mist and plump.

I've got to say, this was the strangest gobenador I've ever had, also the smallest. You can check out other versions on some of our older posts.

At least the tortillas….not great quality as they all fell apart, had a layer of melted cheese. Basically some stir fried shrimp and a few slices of green pepper (no onions, no tomatoes???) and a couple of slices of avocado. And here I thought the version at the Mariscos Tijuana Jr Truck was different.

The salsas were by the book, decent. The folks running the truck were very nice. Because my order was taking a bit long, they offered me my choice of beverage on the house.

Still, I'd rather drive down South for my Mariscos Fix.

El Puerto Mariscos Truck

Currently parked between 4383 and 4393 Convoy.

Hours:

Monday – Saturday 10am - 4pm

Taqueria Revolucion

February 18, 2015 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** This location became Tacos Frontera which has closed

Man, when was the last time I had honest to goodness tacos…….work has kept me busy, so trips outside my usual "range" had been put on hold. I'd heard about Taqueria Revolucion a few months back, but was too busy to check them out. I mentioned them to my coworker Karina who went to check them out the next weekend. She came back and told me the place was worth a visit.

Recently, I was craving some tacos….and of course Tacos el Gordo comes to mind, as did Fernandez Catering and a couple of others. But I thought why not take the time to drive a bit further to San Ysidro and check out the revolutionary taqueria?

The place is fairly nondescript, I almost passed it….

The interior is unassuming and quite plain, the menu simple, but solid and the young lady working quite hard to take orders, work the register, then deliver the goods to each table….and man, the burritos looked titanic.

But I'm a taco kind of guy and I ordered three along with some Consomme de Birria ($1.25).

I gotta say, this was my favorite item of the day. It was fairly thick, beefy, mildly spiced, with just enough salt and lime to keep me happy. Quite good.

I also ordered tres tacos.

The Adobada was decent, loved the way they did the tortillas, dipping them in the drippings. I prefer mine a bit sweeter, but he texture was nice, and it was satisfying.

I had originally wanted a Nopal Queso Taco, but they were out. So I quickly replaced it with Carne Asada. Which was better than I thought it would be.

It was stuffed with finely chopped beef, which had a pleasant chew. The flavor was nice….I swear, there's some soy sauce/maggi or something like that in here. Not too salty, light citrus tones; much better than I expected.

The Birria Quesataco was good. Though the birria was on the milder side, which played up to the queso, adding a nice milky component to the whole thing. The birria, though mild needed no salt and just a touch of lime from me.

I enjoyed the tortillas, perhaps a bit harder than preferred, but I believe they are made inhouse.

I enjoyed my meal and will probably be back if I'm in the area, especially for some of that consomme. I'd been craving some decent tacos for a while and this hit the spot. The owner, whose name is Emilio I believe, came out and stopped by to chat with all his customers…….mostly regulars it seems, but a few newbies as well. Very friendly guy.

After waiting for a few months, I finally got my taco fix…..

Taqueria Revolucion
362 E San Ysidro Blvd
San Diego, CA 92173

COMC: The Smoking Goat and Romesco

December 13, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, European Restaurants, French Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants

I usually don't take photos in these type of restaurants. I hate bothering other customers and feel strange with a ton of people around me (i.e. Juniper and Ivy). These have been lying around for a while so I thought I'd just do a photos post.

Very different in terms of cuisine; but some common ties. The service at both places was good. And I thought the salads were the best dish. Strangely uneven and somewhat underwhelmed overall.

The Smoking Goat:

The cassoulet was probably the meal in a microcosm, some of it was excellent, the andouille melted in your mouth, almost etheral, the lamb was just amazing. However, the duck confit was dry and too salty, and the "stewed" flageolot beans, I love the usual firmness giving away to a nice creamy testure, were in this case undercooked and hard, not tough, hard….loved the breadcrumb crust. A hundred bucks later, we left scratching our heads…..

The Smoking Goat
3408 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104

Romesco:

For some reason, I really took to the tableside Caesar Salad, it just had the right balance of flavors for me.

Other than that, I can't really say I was impressed…..

Romesco Mexiterranean Bistro
4346 Bonita Rd
Bonita, CA 91902

Two Al Fresco Taco Stands: Yuma

December 11, 2014 ed fromyuma Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

I really have no idea what Cathy and Kirk are doing today, but they are not posting at mmm-yoso, because Ed (from Yuma) has a post here instead. But before the actual post begins, Ed wants to give a shout out to the fabulous Tamale Festival in Somerton (just a few miles S of Yuma on Hwy 95) which this year will take place on Saturday, Dec 20, 2014. Over 40 different tamale vendors – real artisan tamales, some of the very best I have ever eaten. Come Go!

This is the prime season for dining out – out-of-doors, actually – in Yuma. Here are two places well worth a visit.

El Buen Taquito

Some things change – some things stay the same. El Buen Taquito has been part of the Yuma dining scene for a long time, well before my first post about it. Now EBT has relocated to 8th Street almost across from Food City, and it is only partially a taco truck these days:

As you can see, there is now a semi-enclosed space as well as restrooms; the cooking is done in the separate truck.

Currently, there is no identifier on the building because the signage for the new location is a small billboard facing west at the edge of the lot:

On the other hand, the menu is basically the same:

You go up to the window, place your order, get a number, and sit at one of the tables inside or out. Your food will arrive shortly.

Tina and I started with the consommé:

As previously, this was really good. Both of us appreciated that this broth was more complex than we anticipated – with herbal and citrusy notes that enhanced its beefiness.

Tina ordered two flautas, a taco dorado, and a tostada:

I received two sopes:

and five flautas:

EBT is the king of crunch. The simple potato rolled tacos were magnificent, perfectly deep-fried (who knows in what?). The mild shredded beef flavored the crispy folded taco and the tostada. My sopes lacked the crackle of the other items, but the corn cakes had a nice chew. I found the whole meal to be filling and satisfying. EBT doesn't do a lot, but what it does, it does well.

El Buen Taquiyo seems open from before lunch into the later evening every day, and it always seems to have customers.

Mariscos El Delfin

This is the second year for this small restaurant that occupies the space that previously contained the El Navegante truck (1019 Ave B):

Seafood is not just the specialty here, it is just about the only thing served. The truck seems to be a one-woman operation, and her English is not fluent, but this modest seafood stand with two plastic tables is doing a good job.

Recently I stopped in for her combination coctele – containing pulpo and Camaron (octopus and shrimp) ($10):

The sundae glass nearly overflowing with seafood. The octopus was perfectly prepared, not gooey nor leathery, just fresh and chewy tasting:

The shrimp fresh and perfectly cooked:

As well as sauces sitting on the table, Delfin has a first-rate HOT house salsa that can perk up anything:
While the seafood was perfectly prepared, the cocktail liquid was dominated by lime flavors and a bit one-dimensional. I also prefer a wider range of ingredients such as the campechanas at Juanita's or Mariscos Mar Azul.

On the other hand, right now Mariscos El Delfin is making my favorite fish tacos in town:

The fish filets are fresh and hot and flavorful. While the breading could be crunchier, the taco is otherwise wonderful and perfectly balanced.

The shrimp tacos likewise:

Tina and I were also amazed by the ceviche:

While not containing a lot of pescado, the freshness of all of the ingredients impressed. The balance between the citric tang and the crisp sweetness of the veggies was the perfect backdrop for the fish. No way overpowering, but just about right in every way.

Mariscos El Delfin is open 10 AM to 5 PM every day of the week except Monday.

La Casa Blanca-revisit (La Mesa)

December 9, 2014 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Hello again and thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are busy with things. Cathy has no things happening, so she is blogging.

I wrote about La Casa Blanca more than a year ago and The Mister and I eat here pretty regularly, but the photos never make it out of my camera. Here are a few reasons why The Mister and I love this little place. Though the small twinkling lights are up(as they were in May of 2013), the main room wasn't fully decorated for the holidays..or was it? We should ask that most interesting man standing in the corner…When we drop by for lunch, there is usually a lady making fresh corn tortillas in an area near the bar. This day, it wasn't busy and she brought two to our table, with butter, just after the fresh made salsa and chips were brought over…what a way to whet the appetite.The Mister ordered a Jalisco Plate ($12.95) this day- carne asada seasoned just right along with the usual accoutrements, all good and fresh.One of the appetizers we enjoy is the Queso Fundido (con rajas) ($8.95). Queso Fundido can be ordered plain (it's quite a deep dish of melted cheese), with the roasted pepper (as seen) or with chorizo (as seen in the prior post) and this day we were trying to be 'healthy' eaters, with some vegetable…Then there is the reason I wanted to come here: the house made Ranchero Pinto Bean soup ($4.95). A very large bowl of this comforting multi bean, sausage, chorizo and bacon along with some onion, bell peppers, poblanos and topped with a dry cheese is just the thing I want on some days. It's filling and flavorful and just right.

I hope your week is going well.

La Casa Blanca 9570 Murray Drive La Mesa, CA 92042 (619) 466-2912 Website

Mariscos El Camaron-lunch (Chula Vista)

December 5, 2014 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food blog. Usually Kirk writes the posts and sometimes Ed (from Yuma) contributes. Right now, the guys are busy and Cathy, who occasionally writes here is using this day to write about one of her occasions.

When The Mister and I had our eight days of birthday celebrating, we were looking for (another) place for lunch and just North and East of E Street at Broadway, this yellow building caught our eyes. We returned a few months later…Even after reading cc's post because we figured it would be quiet and clean…Even the parking lot was decorated with an ocean theme.The interior is festive, has at least six televisions and is quite large. It turns out that this is the place to go in the evenings on Friday and Saturday, when live Banda is the overwhelming music background.When we were seated, the tabletop condiments as well as the freshly made tomato based salsa were noted.Since I could not decide, a fish ceviche tostada ($4.50) ended up as our 'appetizer' and a mixta tostada ($7.95) was my 'main'. Both were freshly made when ordered and the simple fish ceviche was wonderful as well as plentiful (it could have been a light meal) and the mixta, with fish, shrimp, octopus and scallops was 'cooked' with not only lime juice but also a bit of red/chile pepper and had different flavor points; completely different ceviches and each excellent.The pescado frito huachinango ($14.95) was wonderful! A whole snapper, fried with garlic, topped with fresh salsa and accompanied by beans, rice and a salad was a wonderful meal. The fish was fresh, meaty and fried perfectly with a crispy skin, fins and tail (all of which I happily crunched as a snack while The Mister was cleaning the meat off the skeleton).

Even though it's been here since about 2009, Mariscos El Camaron is new to us and was another great find. I hope you have a great weekend!

Mariscos El Camaron 193 Broadway Chula Vista 91910 (619)425-5835 Open Mon-Wed 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Th 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m., Fri 11 a.m.-2 a.m., Sat 10 a.m.-2 a.m., Sun 10 a.m., 12:30 a.m.

Pacific Ave Taco Truck Food Court: Yuma

November 25, 2014 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Recently, readers of mmm-yoso have been in Japan with Kirk and in Pasadena with Cathy, but today you get to come over to Yuma with Ed for tacos and more.

It is the fall, the time trees turn color and lose leaves, birds (including snowbirds) head for warmer climes, traffic thickens in town, and Yuma's taco trucks flourish.

Way back around November 2005, Kirk came to Yuma and sampled our taco truck cuisine and dubbed a cluster of trucks in an empty lot "a food court." In the fall of 2013, the newest taco court opened on a large concrete pad in a previously empty lot on the west side of Pacific Avenue just about a block south of 16th St. – not really very far from Yuma Palms shopping center:

There are a lot of parking places and tables and chairs:

And currently at least four different taco purveyors:

Let me apologize here for the limitations of this post. Some of the photos are lousy, and they are the best I had because of bad lighting and unskilled photographer. On top ot that, Tina and I have visited these trucks several times when I had no camera with me. So this post is more of a shout out than a report.

On our most recent visit, we tried Blancurri’s, one of the smaller vendors:

The special that evening was $1 pollo asado tacos:

Pretty good, but a little dry. Our favorite taco that night was what's called the mix chilada taco, a flavorful and spicy combination of carne asada and red chile chicharrones (sorry for the lousy picture):

The adobada torta was good as well, the tender pork chunks slightly spicy and the bolillo roll nicely grilled.

Arianna’s, which has been here since the marketplace area first opened, anchors the north side of the lot:

Tina and I have enjoyed the wide range of tacos here – including pastor and chicharones:

Or tripas and asada:

Tina especially enjoyed the nutty earthy flavor of the tripas and we both liked the chicharrones with red chile.

The hot dogs are another specialty, bacon wrapped, nicely grilled, and served in a hot bun with the full range of condiments:

The Monster truck is located at the other end of the food court:

It features a somewhat different menu including some unusual choices:

For most of Monster's dishes, you get to choose between asada, pollo, or pastor, but the pellizcadas includes all three meats, whole beans, cabbage, and onion on a large soft thick corn tortilla:

Tina and I both enjoy the vampires here, the toasted corn tortillas adding crunch to the meats and condiments. Here is one with asada:

The pastor is also excellent:

The monster taco has a soft tortilla, abundant roasted green chili, and your choice of protein and condiments:

The tortas (in this case with chicken) are extra-large here:

But the true monster on the menu is the hotdog:

The extra-large bacon wrapped wiener is slathered with condiments and coupled with a grilled guero pepper and abundant grilled onions. Truly outstanding dog.

In any case, this is a convenient cluster of interesting mobile eateries, which allows folks to wander around and try different dishes. They all have excellent aguasfrescas. Most of the trucks seem open every evening (if not sooner), and we've enjoyed every visit. Take advantage of our nice weather, try some things here, and let us know what you liked.

Guzmán Marketplace (this seems to be the official name of the foodcourt), 1628 S. Pacific Ave., Yuma, Arizona.