Mexican Restaurants – Page 3

Takeout Revisits – De Cabeza/El Único and Phuong Nga

December 23, 2024 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Sorry about the lack of posts. Seems that my over 10 year old PC has finally seen its last days. So, I ended up getting a new desktop and then had the fun of setting things up and then moving files over.

So, here's a post for today. Two places that we love to do takeout from; especially when the weather is cooler. I've posted on these places a bunch of times so am going to keep the verbiage to a (hopefully) minimum.

De Cabeza/El Único:

The Missus was missing the de cabeza en su jugo, so we decided to head on over and do some takeout. So, sorry to say, as much as we loved the mollejas here on our last visit, that will have to wait until we dine in again.

Jesus was again in attendance and like usual greeted us warmly. We got our usual two orders with everything.

De Cabeza TO 01 De Cabeza TO 02 This delivered as usual. The tortillas were still warm when we got home; such very nice corn flavor, pliable, yet hearty.

The caebza en su jugo is rich, beefy, has a bit of spice, pungent tones, the flavor is quite complex for a fairly humble soup. The meat is quite tender.

De Cabeza TO 04a De Cabeza TO 05 It is so hearty and comforting. It really has that "aaah" appeal. Nothing like rich, beefy, soup dripping out of a maize-y tortilla down your arm and then your throat on a chilly day, right?

And as we were leaving, Jesus came on over and gave us a nice little keychain, telling us "Happy Holidays"!

De Cabeza TO 06

De Cabeza/El Único
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Phuong Nga:

I know most folks go to Phuong Nga for the Banh Cuon. For us, it's been our choice for Bun Rieu ever since "FOY" Elle recommended that we try it back in 2018.

Phuong Nga TO 01

And after not enjoying the Bun Rieu from Mien Trung on our last visit, the Missus insisted on doing some takeout from Phuong Nga.

It seems that the dining area is now fully open and was quite busy, but we still did takeout.

Phuong Nga TO 02c

Phuong Nga TO 03 Phuong Nga TO 04 The Bun Rieu is now $13.99, but is totally worth the price. A generous amount of very fresh herbs and veggies. And look they still provide a good amount of shredded morning glory, though there's a bit less banana blossom these days.

Phuong Nga TO 05

The amount of bun provided is also generous. I used to request that they just give me one order of noodles, but they always gave me two anyway, so I just stopped trying to do that.

Phuong Nga TO 06

For some reason, on this day, the broth seemed even more flavorful than usual.

Phuong Nga TO 07 Phuong Nga TO 08 So savory, with nice porky-seafood tones. The tomatoes added a perfect amount of acidity. The pork ribs were quite swiney, though a bit more chewy than usual. And the Missus enjoys the tofu a lot. The broth just seemed so good, perhaps it's because we hadn't been back here in almost a year-and-a-half? I didn't even use the mam tom! And the soup wasn't overly salty either!

So, I guess we'll be headed back again soon!

Phuong Nga
4016 54th St
San Diego, CA 92105

Phuong Nga TO 09

Hope you're having a wonderful Christmas week!

Tuetano Taquería – Now Open in Chula Vista

December 3, 2024 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

I was happy to read that Tuetano had completed the move and reopened in Chula Vista. It had been a while since we'd been to Downtown Chula Vista, so I thought we would head down and check things out. We arrived before the opening time of 10am, which gave us time for a nice stroll and we also easily found parking. By the time we made it down to H street and back…..whoa, how many breweries and tasting rooms are on 3rd now? It was a quarter after ten. It was a nice day, so the Missus had a seat at one of the few outdoor tables…there are a couple inside the place as well and I walked in to order.

Tuetano CV 01

Tuetano CV 02

Looking over the menu; the prices seem to be in line with the initial prices in Old Town, though the Bolillo, which is what I ordered is now $14 here, much less that what it used to be. I got the Birria a Mano ($5.50); the birria taco with hand made tortillas and also a Tuetano ($7) for the Missus.

Tuetano CV 03

The owner and chef Priscilla Curiel was working front of house on this day and she had always been so welcoming and nice.

It was a short wait, but our food came out looking great.

Tuetano CV 04
Tuetano CV 05 The bone had been really roasted, which was different form what we'd had in Old Town. The marrow was oh-so-buttery. The birria was beefy, with nice pungent-smoky-earthy tones. It's still not quite what I recall from the San Ysidro days, but a bit better than what I'd had in Old Town. The cilantro and onions added the required anise-herbceous-pungent tones. And that tortilla, dunked in the tasty birria consomme was quite good.

The Missus has always enjoyed the straight-forward, very spicy-smoky, chile de arbol salsa and this really doesn't get the sweat going on your truly.

Tuetano CV 05b

As for the Torta; well, it was huge, so much larger than what was served at the Old Town location and cheaper too! Love how wonderfully toasted the bolillo roll was.

Tuetano CV 06

This had so much meat, that the juices and the avocado (which I could have more of) just sogged out the bread. It was a very juicy mess; the meat was pretty tender and beefy….this did give me "San Ysidro vibes". The amount of melted cheese was quite large, but didn't interfere with the flavors of the birria de res. This was a bit too large for my appetite on this day.

Tuetano CV 07

So, if you're hungry, this might fit the bill for you.

I think we'll be down here every so often as long as the food holds steady.

Tuetano Taquería
216 3rd Ave.
Chula Vista, CA 91910
Current Hours:
Daily 10am – 5pm

Tuetano CV 00

Guadalajara – Tikuun Comedor Local

November 9, 2024 mmm-yoso Guadalajara/Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Travel

I thought that this post was already done, but was mistaken. I'm so behind on travel posts, but just wanted to make sure to get this one done as it was our favorite meal in Guadalajara.

After a nice, busy day of exploring Centro Historico, we took a nice break. When it came time for our last meal, I went with a place that no less then five people, all locals recommended to us. A place located in our favorite neighborhood; Colonia Americana, which I briefly mentioned here.

The restaurant was described as Modern, yet very Mexican, relaxed, with an interesting menu. Tikuun Comedor Local. The restaurant was located near the University, closer to the Northeastern side of the district.

The restaurant had a nice outdoor patio area overlooking the quiet street, so we decided to dine there. The service was quite friendly, though it got a bit slower as customers started coming in. It's quite a popular place.

The menu featured traditional Mexican cuisine with international touches. Which can sometimes really disrupt the soul and key flavors of dishes. Here at Tikuun it seemed to work well in most cases.

I stuck with a couple of cervezas with dinner and the Missus enjoyed the house win here.

As we will often do; we went with a meal of all starters as those dishes seemed the most interesting to us. Like the Pellizcadas de Chicharron de Pork Belly.

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For those not familiar with Pellizcadas; it's masa based, sort of like a sope; though I believe these have the "boundary edges" like a like Picaditas. The maize tones came out so clearly; as did the porkiness. The black beans "grounded" the dish which had a bit of acidic heat. This was out favorite dish of the evening.

The Sea Bass Aguachile with Katsuobushi was a nice dish.

While we initially had doubts about the freshness of the fish; this was wonderfully fresh. The brightness of the marinade went quite well with the uber-savory, umami katsuobushi. Nice amount of spice in this one as well.

Of course, we couldn't resist ordering the Sweetbreads; even though it was prepared with Ssamjang!

While the sauce was a bit much for the dish, the pickled onions and radishes were essential in balancing things out. Still, the buttery texture of the sweetbreads contrasted nicely with the greens and veggies. The addition of the spicy-fermented-savory Ssamjang and the Chiltepin chilies made for an interesting heat. The blue corn tortillas were really good as well.

The Scallops were so sweet, tender, and briny.

The firm, nutty-earthy fava beans added an interesting texture and a nice layer of flavor. Good acidity as well. The gremolata had peppermint in it which kind of rendered pungent tones out of the equation.

As you can see; this was an interesting dinner, which we really enjoyed. The sometimes novel combinations worked more often then not. And heck, if Tikuun were here in San Diego we'd be eating here every once in a while.

Tikuun Comedor Local
Calle Emeterio Robles Gil 50
Americana, 44600 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

Well, we had really enjoyed our time in Guadalajara and really can't wait to return!

Yes, there are places that seem a bit on the "gritty" side…..

But folks were so warm, kind, and welcoming. We took a short walk after dinner. We started noticing some interesting places…..

As we walked thru Parque Revolucion; instead of heading back to the hotel, we headed north a bit up Calz del Federalismo. This busy district was again a total change from the other neighborhoods we'd visited on this stay. Which made sense since the metropolitan area of the city is home to over 5 million.

This had been such a fun stay!

We can't wait to return. But on this trip, our next stop was Tequila, the town, not the drink. Though we'd have our share of that as well!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Rubios, Home of the Fish Taco

October 21, 2024 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! welcomes you back to another post from Cathy; Kirk and His Missus are elsewhere.

Rubios opened its first location in 1983 in the Mission Bay area of San Diego, primarily serving Baja style fish tacos. Locations have expanded throughout California, Arizona and Nevada. Serving sustainable seafood as well as chicken and vegetarian dishes, Rubios is a walk up, order and pay and your food is brought to your table type of restaurant.

My usual order is the two fish taco plate ($8.99), part of the "Five under $10" menu. Beer battered wild caught Alaska pollock topped with cabbage, salsa fresca, a 'secret sauce' (it is mild and white) and served on a warm corn tortilla along with tortilla chips and "no fried" pinto beans, this is a tasty filling meal.

Similarly, the Signature Fish Burrito ($12.99) is a very filling meal. It kind of looks small but the cross section cut shows the flour tortilla is packed full. There are three pieces of beer battered crisp fried wild caught Alaskan pollock, guacamole, black beans, white sauce, mild salsa, cabbage, onions and cilantro. This comes with a side of tortilla chips. An easy way to eat and there is flavor in every bite. I do like the black beans a bit more than the pinto beans, but both are good.

The Mango Avocado Salad with grilled Mahi-Mahi ($15.49) was The Mister's choice this day. Brown rice and quinoa, a mango salsa and slices of Hass avocadoes over Romaine and topped with squared tortilla chips. The 'normal' salad dressing is a lemon agave white balsamic vinaigrette. You can choose other proteins (langostino lobster, grilled shrimp, chicken, blackened Mahi, grilled steak, grilled salmon or blackened salmon as well as grilled veggies)(prices of proteins vary). This salad is protein packed and tastes so good. The variety of textures as well as the contrast of warm fresh grilled fish is unexpectedly nice.

I must say that the grilled veggies option is exceptional; there are grilled poblanos, cauliflower, red bell pepper, marinated red onions, and roasted corn.

Always fresh and essentially a local (not nationwide anyhow) spot. Choices for everyone.

Rubios Coastal Grill Website Many locations Opens at 10:30 a.m. daily

It looks like a re-branding might occur soon.

Mariscos Tone Camaron at Harland Brewing Bay Park

September 9, 2024 mmm-yoso Beer, Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood

**** The Mariscos Tone Camaron trailer has been placed by the El Sazon de Nayarit Truck

Sometimes it’s just the smallest thing. A couple of weeks ago, I went to get my morning caffeine fix from Bay Park Coffee. I guess everyone else, and their mother decided that it would be a great time for an energy boost and there was no parking to be found on Napier or Ashton, so I had to park on Morena. While walking toward Napier, I noticed this trailer in the back of the Harland Tasting Room.

Mariscos Tone 01

Interesting, a Mariscos Truck/Trailer was now in back of Harland. I guess they needed something to replace Rosemarie’s which was here for quite a long time until they got their own brick and mortar shop.

An interesting recent development is that the Missus enjoyed the Japanese Lager from June Lake Brewing, that I had Her try Harland’s version which She enjoyed even more! So, we decided to take a walk down Milton and check out Harland and the Mariscos trailer.

Harland BP 01

The place was fairly busy when we arrived. I ordered a Japanese Lager for the Missus and tried a sour.

Harland BP 02

The Missus said that She couldn’t tell the difference between the draft JL versus the canned.

Harland BP 03

The Raspberry Sour was very light and I think a good candidate as a “gateway sour”.

Harland BP 04

As for the food, it was done via QR code. And I’m guessing they do burgers as well as Mariscos?

Mariscos Tone 02a

As for the Mariscos, well, the name of the trailer includes “camaron” and that’s what they basically have; shrimp except for the $25 rib-eye tostada.

Mariscos Tone 03a

So, we ordered the “OG Shrimp Ceviche” and the Aguachile Verde Tostadas. In a nice touch, our order was delivered to our table.

Mariscos Tone 04

The portion sizes for $12 was quite good, though we’ll be the first to say that the shrimp were really tough and rubbery. Each portion was enough to make three tostadas. Though I will say, it seems to us to be more about quantity than quality. The OG was really mild, lacking in spice, quite watery.

The Aguachile was better, with nice citrus tones.

Mariscos Tone 05

The cucumbers were nice and palate cleansing and went well with the maize-y tostadas. Both dishes had a generous portion of creamy, mildly sweet avocado. It was still mild in terms of “heat”, but maybe that’s based on the demographic. This wasn’t bad, though it lacked a good amount of spice and seemed a bit dumbed down.

Overall, while not my first choice with regards to Mariscos, decently priced with fairly generous portion to price.

Mariscos Tone Camarón at Harland Brewing
4112 Napier St.
San Diego, CA 92110

Road Trip – Lone Star Bistro (Lone Pine), Gull Lake, June Lake Brewing, and the La Parilla Truck (June Lake)

August 31, 2024 mmm-yoso Beer, Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, Sierra Nevada, California, Travel

During our trip to the Galapagos back in April-May (yeah, I know, I'm really behind on my travel posts), the Missus really took to doing stuffs in the water. One thing She picked up on was SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) and in fact, we ended up getting one for Her. Several of Her coworkers are really into the kayak and paddleboard thing and will often plan their road trips around camping and those type of activities. So guess what the the Missus wanted?

Yep, She got some recommendations of areas to paddleboard and soon enough we were headed up the 395. Final destination a little town on the west bank of Lake Tahoe named Tahoma. But first, it was recommended that we spend a couple of nights in an area east of the Sierra's named June Lake. My mission as official planner and chauffeur for the Missus? Well, plan things out.

So, it was going to be like a 7 hour drive to where we were staying at in June Lake, which ended up being a comfortable motel/lodge named the June Lake Villager. Of course we needed to stop for lunch. It was early July and super hot, we ended up taking a break in the town of Lone Pine. I had a place picked out for a quick meal; the Lone Star Bistro. Yes, the Alabama Hills Cafe is much loved, but man, it was so busy. So instead we entered this combo ice cream-cafe-coffee-gift-sandwich shop. The place was fairly busy and we even saw some remote workers doing their thing as well. In Lone Pine!

I walked up to the sandwich counter and the friendly young lady filled me in on the "drill".

I basically filled out an "order form" and the Missus handed me two bottles of sparkling water.

I ordered the "signature" sandwich called the "Lone Pine Charmer"; with bacon, turkey, avocado, provolone, it sounded like a single sandwich would be enough for the both of us. I asked that they cut the sandwich in half, paid, and we took a seat in the covered back patio, which wasn't too hot.

The young lady who dropped off our sandwich wasn't quite as friendly….when I thanked her, she went "umph….." Can't win 'em all, right?

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Marbled Rye was used, which added an interesting yeasty-tangy-sourness to the sandwich. As a whole, a routine sandwich, basic mass produced sliced turkey; we enjoyed the cucumber and sprouts the most. It was enough for our lunch and we walked thru this western theme town to our car and headed off.

Lone Star Bistro
107 North Main St.
Lone Pine, CA 93545

From here it was up the 395. I had wanted to stop at Manzanar, it's one of those places on my "list", but it was over a 110 with crazy winds as we drove by, so that visit will have to wait until the next time.

About two hours later we got to the southern junction of I-395 and I-158. The 158 is a loop road, known as the June Lake Loop and passes four different lakes before reconnecting with the 395 just past SR 120. It was a fairly nice drive up to about 7,600 feet.

We arrived at the charming little village of June Lake and went to the motel to see if our room was ready. It was a bit too early, but I had a plan just in case. Gull Lake, the smallest of the four lakes along the loop is close by. And the Marina and launch area was just a few blocks away.

We easily found parking and the Missus set off on Her adventure.

I took a stroll around the lake a bit and then headed to the Marina Shop, which does boat rentals….I saw families and folks fishing off boats in the lake.

The area is quite charming……

I walked into the shop to get some sparkling water.

And I asked about the sign above, which cracked me up. I was told that the cats here are really tough and territorial; "they don't play around!" But there was a sweet pooch hanging out by the sign? I was told "oh, he knows better….he learned his lesson a long time ago!" I would actually find out that the sign is true a bit later on during our visit.

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I had a seat and checked emails and stuff.

Looking over the lake, I felt so relaxed…..

Soon, I got a text from the motel telling me our room was ready. The Missus had the car keys with Her, so I took the short walk up the hill and got the room keys. When I walked back down to the lake, the Missus was packing things up.

Once in the room, which was quite large, it was a one bedroom unit with a kitchen; the Missus freshened up and then we took a short walk . Most of the restaurants, the general store, and businesses were on the main road. But there were some nice shops down driveways and side streets.

We weren't particularly interested in any of the restaurants; so we decided to head on over to the June Lake Brewery which was basically around the corner from where we were staying….but most everything was!

The brewery had a large, welcoming outdoor space, with a food truck at one end of the lot.

Boy was this place popular! It was the most people we'd see during our time here.

While I went to get our brews, the Missus went to order our food at the truck.

The two gals pouring the beers were so nice and friendly.

We wanted something on the lighter side since it was pretty warm out; so we got the two lagers, both were under 5% ABV.

I found us a table and waited for the Missus. She soon arrived with a buzzer which would go off when our order was ready. The Missus took to the Japanese Lager, which She thought was smoother and easier to drink than the lighter "Lager for Joggers".

There were some pretty interesting "seats" in the place.

Soon enough we got "buzzed" and I went to pick it up and return to our table.

We had gotten the "Boss Nachos" with Carne Asada. The portion size was large and this supposedly was quite spicy, the Missus was warned, but it wasn't overly hot to us. The portion size was quite generous.

The carne asada was nicely grilled, but quite chewy, and mildly seasoned. There was just a small amount of ghost pepper cheese on this, which had some kick, but there wasn't enough to really matter. The chips were routine, there was sour cream and guac added. Overall, just like what you'd get at an Americanized Mexican spot here in San Diego.

I had wanted to try the Al Pastor, so we ordered a taco.

From the bland and brittle tortillas, to the dry and flavorless al pastor, this was not to our taste.

Still, we enjoyed the vibe of the brewery and the service was quite friendly. We'd return for a brew on the following evening.

June Lake Brewing and La Parrilla Grill & Tacos
131 S Crawford Ave.
June Lake, CA 93529

After dinner we walked back down to Gull Lake and took in the view.

It had been a pretty long day; but I'd say the view and vibe was worth it!

Thanks for stopping by!

El Taller De La Barbacoa (Spring Valley)

August 27, 2024 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

While picking out my photos from our visit to Las 9 Esquinas, I (obviously) got a hankering for some birria or barbacoa. A few weeks earlier, I had been wondering what was going on with the former location of Emily's in Spring Valley, which was an awesome recommendation from "FOY" Kenneth! Sadly, Emily's had closed and gone to doing catering only in Chula Vista. While doing my search I found that the location now housed a restaurant named El Taller De La Barbacoa…hmmm…..barbacoa "workshop/factory" eh?

So, on a recent Sunday, I decided to make the 20 mile drive to Spring Valley. It was still quite early, like 845 am when I arrived, one source said the place opened at 9am, while Google said 8am. The little parking lot still had open stalls and the signage said they open at 8am.

El Taller 01

I could make out the fragrance of birria in the air from the parking lot. A good sign!

And the interior is now quite colorful!

El Taller 02

Not quite knowing the drill, I walked up to the counter. The gentleman working, I'm thinking he's the owner looked very serious, but was quite friendly and the young woman working was very nice and said I could just have a seat. Though I just went ahead and placed my order for a Taco de Barbacoa de Borrego, a Birria de Res, and a small Consomme de Borrego.

The salsas were soon delivered to my table.

El Taller 03

That salsa roja had a nice kick and bit of smokiness.

Soon enough my order arrived. I was surprised to see how hefty the tacos were. I was surprised at how much consomme was provided. This was going to be quite a filling breakfast.

El Taller 04 El Taller 05 The consomme was aromatic and slightly rich without having that greasy "tongue feel" that I don't like. It was just slightly gamey, but not bland, and you knew there was some "chivo" swimming around here. It wasn't very salty and really needed the lime to help things out. I prefer my consomme having a bit more goatiness, but this was decent.

As for the two tacos……

El Taller 06 El Taller 07 I preferred the Barbacoa, which was moist and more tender than the Birria, which was on the chewier side of things. The birria did well with a dip into the consomme, some salsa, and a squeeze of lime. While it was a level above what I have nearby, in terms of the smokiness – spice – complexity – beefiness, it's still not as good as what I've had at Fernandez, though it's been a while.

As for the Barbacoa, it looked chewy, but was fairly tender, milder in seasoning which actually brought out the rich – gaminess more. It also did nicely with a dip into the consomme.

The tacos were enrobed in double tortillas which held up well and provided some nice maize tones. El Taller 08

When I went to the counter to pay my bill, I was shocked at the price – $13.47! I definitely expected it to be more. The portion sizes were quite generous and the service very nice. I thought this was a decent meal though I really do miss Emily's.

El Taller de la Barbacoa
1015 Grand Ave
Spring Valley, CA 91977

Speaking of Emily's, I'm wondering if Kenneth who recommended Emily's to me has had a chance to check this place out?

El Taller 09

Guadalajara – Birria de Chivo from Birriería Las 9 Esquinas and a Walk Around Centro Historico

August 23, 2024 mmm-yoso Guadalajara/Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Travel

After our Food Tour of Santa Tere, we headed on back to the hotel and had a short nap time. After waking and freshening up, we decided to head on out for dinner. I had a place in mind, one that had been recommended to me, by no less than three folks with Tapatio heritage. In case you didn't know, a Tapatio is what you call a person from the city of Guadalajara. In trying to figure out why; well, I came across several different "stories", but thought that this article was the most informative.

It was still early, so in spite of the hot weather, we decided to take the "long way" to dinner, strolling thru Centro Historico. We had a private walking tour of the city scheduled for the next morning, but thought it might be fun to get a preview.

Being that the city was established in 1532 and founded in 1542, declared as the capital of Nueva Galicia, there's a lot of history here. And the diverse architecture illustrates the changes. We heard that Guadalajara is called the "Florence of Mexico" from several sources during our stay.

Instead of heading straight down Avenida Juarez, the main drag, we strolled down Calle José María Morelos and of course we passed a couple of churches. This one caught our attention because it was open for visitors, so we decided to take a look.

According to the signage, this is Parroquia Santa Teresa de Jesús, which started it's existence as a convent. Construction on the structure was started in 1690 and completed in 1720. At the time of it's completion, this was considered the edge of the city!

According to Wikipedia, the convent was converted and sold to the Archdiocese of Guadalajara in 1977 and is now in service as a Catholic Church.

Just a few blocks down is the bustling Plaza Guadalajara, one of the four plazas that surround the Cathedral.

There are also several fountains in the plazas. This one is Fuente de Guadalajara, in other words, "Guadalajara Fountain".

It's really popular with the kids!

We knew that the Cathedral would be part of the tour the following day so we took a left and quickly noticed a Rotunda.

Looking at my Google Maps, I identified this as the Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres (Rotunda of the Illustrious Jaliscienses). The actual name I saw in my Google Maps was Rotonda de los Hombres Ilustres which is literally translated to "Rotunda of Illustrious Men". Which is a monument to those who have made Jalisco what it is today. There are 98 niches to house urns of those prominent figures. And 22 statues surround the monument. I quickly saw a statue of a woman, and would find out that the addition of Rita Perez de Moreno and Irene Robledo García would hasten a name change from our guide Diego the next day.

Past the Rotunda, we saw a nice walkway and after a couple of blocks came across this charming looking Carousel.

Guadalajara, at least what we saw of it seemed like a nice family friendly city. This is the Carrusel Monumental de Guadalajara.

And right past the carousel was yet another temple.

This is the Temple San José de Gracia, which was completed in 1890. It has an interesting story which you can read by clicking on the link.

By now, we were getting hungry, and our destination for dinner meant another 15-20 minute walk south. Past the plazas and the lively streets.

We strolled past a very busy location of Liverpool, a popular department store chain, before finding ourselves in a nice plaza.

This is Plaza De Las 9 Esquinas. It is surrounded by restaurants, including several birria shops. You know us and birria de chivo, right? Well, like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, there was one restaurant that came highly recommended. And the name was easy to remember as it is the namesake restaurant here; Las 9 Esquinas.

We had arrived at about 530 and the place wasn't too busy. It would eventually fill up with families.

The service was very warm and friendly and we could watch the women making tortillas, salsas, and guac.

Well, of course we were going to get Birria de Chivo; we got a small order and the Missus wanted to try the Quesadillas and got one each of the Huitlacoche, Champinones, and Flor de Calabasa.

Loved the salsas. The salsa rojo to the left was super smoky and spicy!

And the beans were lovely; earthy – nutty, with just the right amount of salt.

Nice a creamy as well.

The Quesadillas were fine. The huitlacoche (corn smut) was fabulous, mushroomy-earthy-sweet, with a touch of "truffleishisness".

After tasting that, the mushroom version seemed quite weak, though the flor de calabasa (squash blossom) had a mild earthy-nutty-sweetness. The cheese was so stringy and paired well with the huitlacoche adding a mild milkiness.

And of course the Birria de Chivo.

What to say about this? The meat was on the toothsome side, but the goat was oh so gamy; flavor of the pasture indeed. There was a nice goaty-smokiness to the broth which had a lightly rich tongue feel without being greasy at all. For some reason, those pickled onions were just amazing with this. The freshly made tortillas were hardy and up to the task. By far the best birria de chivo we've ever had.

We really enjoyed our meal here.

Funny thing, when I got back to the office, I spoke to one of the managers of another group who asked me where we travelled to. I told him CDMX, Guadalajara, and Tequila. He told me his family is from Guadalajara and I should have asked him for some recommendations. He said there's a birria place they always go to when visiting family….guess where it was? Yep, Las 9 Esquinas! I guess we made a good choice!

Birriería Las 9 Esquinas
Calle Colón 384
Zona Centro, 44100 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

It was still pretty darn hot as we walked back to the hotel. I went and got my phone out and took a look at the temperature. Sheesh!

Still, having that birria de chivo made it worth dealing with the heat!

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Thanks for stopping by!

Delici-yoso Mollejas at De Cabeza/El Único

August 13, 2024 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

On a recent Sunday morning the Missus was in a well, "offal" (pun intended) mood. And She was thinking about how enjoyable the Lengua, Tripas, and Maciza was on our last visit to De Cabeza/El Único. Yes, we are regulars for the Cabeza en su Jugo (head soup) there, but that's usually during cooler weather. She had really enjoyed the "offal three", so we decided to head down to Chula Vista for our version of "Sunday brunch". We usually get there a bit earlier, but this time arrived at 1030 and the place was pretty busy.

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We were heartily greeted by Jesus, the boss man, who always seems so happy to see us.

We had a seat and this time, really looked at the menu more carefully. And my goodness, they have Mollejas (sweetbreads)! The Missus enjoy the Alambres here and ordered the version with Lengua (tongue) and Maciza (head meat). The Missus really wanted to try the Sesos (brain) and since She wasn't ordering the Tripas (intestine), I ordered one each of the tacos. And, we also ordered the Mollejas. The young lady waiting on us was very nice and serious, but it was interesting watching her eyebrows go up and down as we ordered…….

De Cabeza Rev 02 De Cabeza Rev 03 Love the tortillas here, full of maize goodness, heated on the comal with drippings, it is always up to the task. The tripas have a nice mild crunch with beefy goodness. I bet you'd never figure out what it was if you were served one of these.

The sesos was somewhat mushy-soft and there was a metallic tinge to the flavor which the Missus wasn't fond of. I personally thought this did fine with the Salsa Verde which had enough sour-acidity to balance things out.

The lengua here is so beefy and tender, and combined with the bacon in the Alambres it's quite a treat.

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Combines with the Maciza; this is beefy heaven. Though I think the combo of tripas with the beefy crunch and the bovine wonderfulness of the lengua might be the perfect combo.

And then it arrived.

De Cabeza Rev 05 De Cabeza Rev 06 My goodness; this was even better than we thought! Fried to a light crispness, the interior was light, creamy, and almost fluffy. There have been times when we've had a iodine like aftertaste when having mollejas, but this was mild with a slight offal-nutty-buttery-sweetness. We actually didn't need salsa, lime, or heck, even the wonderful tortillas.

I think we have yet another go-to dish here! This turned out to be an "offaly good" (yes, I know…) meal. Man, if only De Cabeza/El Único was closer!

De Cabeza/El Único
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911
Current Hours:
Open Daily 8am – 9pm

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Guadalajara – A Food Tour of Barrio Santa Tere

July 20, 2024 mmm-yoso Guadalajara/Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Taco Shops, Travel

There were so many iconic dishes from Jalisco, that doing a food tour, which we'd done with great success in Oaxaca and even CDMX, seemed like a no brainer. So, I went ahead and booked the small group Gastronomic Tour of Santa Tere. It seemed like it would tick all the boxes, we'd learn so much about barbacoa, birria, tortas ahogadas, stuff that had become quite popular in San Diego over the last few years.

The area, Santa Tere (Santa Teresita) is still known as being "working class", yet is but a 30 minute walk away from where we were staying. We were looking forward to tales and history of the items we'd be trying. Unfortunately, the tour guide was a very nice young lady, whose basic duty was just leading us to various eating establishments and ordering food for us.

Still, it was an interesting introduction to local places in the city.

We met a block away from the Mercado and were led into the market.

And this stand; Fonda Mariquita which was super busy.

We were told that it's all about the quesadillas with green sauce here. So, we asked for the version with nopales con huevo. Very tangy salsa verde.

The tortilla was thick and quite crisp, almost like an empanada. The milky queso helped to quell the puckery and tangy salsa verde.

Fonda Mariquita (In Mercado Santa Tere)
Calle Andrés Terán 523
Santa Teresita, 44200 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

We then stepped out of the Mercado and across the street to this place.

I was quite thrilled; after all Jalisco is the home of Birria and of course, I love birria de chivo.

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The folks here were so friendly, our guide ordered us birria de chivo which was quite good; gamey, nice spice, the broth was rich and flavorful, nice smokiness.

This might have been the best we'd had….but there was a place we headed to for dinner that was even better!

Still, birria de chivo, better than anything I've ever had in San Diego.

And the service was wonderful!

Birriería La Victoria
Calle Manuel Acuña 1511
Villaseñor, 44200 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

We then headed back around the Mercado.

And we were brought to this storefront.

Which cracked us up. That whole modern looking area is just seating. Everything really happens here.

To the left of the "dining area" is where the tacos for Tacos Juan are put together.

Of course, being on this tour meant we'd just have a seat……

Man, those caramelized onions and charred peppers were so good.

The actual grilled queso and tortillas for the barbacoa tacos dorados were fabulous.

It actually outshone the barbacoa….which almost seemed like an accessory. That texture; the corn and cheesiness.

Tacos Juan Santa Teresita
Calle José Clemente Orozco 465
Santa Teresita, 44600 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

We then headed back thru the Mercado.

And made a stop for agua frecas….sorry, was having too much fun and didn't take a photo.

Our last stop was for something I'd been wanting to try in Jalisco.

Tortas Ahogadas are a way of life here. And this shop…again, the food is prepped outdoors and there is indoor seating, seemed like just what we wanted.

The line made it seem so promising. Here's where having to just find a table and not order made things easy for us.

Man ,these guys work hard!

So, when we were asked how spicy, we told the young lady that we love spicy, we've had some pretty spicy tortas ahogadas here is San Diego.

But, I think they went easy on us. The Birote (bread) was outstanding, yeasty, almost like a good sourdough, the meat tender, the sauce had a nice level of acidity, but was not very spicy.

I think they might have gone easy on us.

Tortas Ahogadas El Profe Jimenez
Calle Andrés Terán 841
Villaseñor, 44600 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico

In the end, while I wish the "tour" was more than someone taking us to places and ordering….I really can't recommend this, it was nice to have the variety and exposure to dishes we'd had many times in the past.