Mexican Restaurants – Page 33

Mr Choby’s, San Luis R.C., Sonora

November 12, 2008 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Seafood, Sonora, Mexico, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Well folks, since Kirk has been sharing stories about his international travel, it is only fair that ed (from Yuma) should share his latest foreign adventure with mmm-yoso readers.

What with the sick economy and the exchange rate at 12 pesos to the dollar, it seemed like a good time for Tina and I to cross the border for a night of, we hoped, reasonably priced fine dining.

Our taxi driver actually had to stop and ask directions (and he was a man) because Mr Choby's is fairly far from the border on Calle Obregon and not a common tourist destination. Since we were driven directly into the parking lot, I have no exterior picture, but it is on the north side of the street and its logo features a lighthouse and a Mariner's wheel. The inside is modestly and tastefully decorated, though you will find no white tablecloths:

Using our best Spanglish (a pretty feeble excuse for communication) and a lot of pointing at the menu, we were able to order. We started with margaritas on the rocks:

Along with the drinks, arrived some rather ordinary yellow cheese spread thing and some rather good crackers:
Both Tina and I preferred dipping the crackers into the complex and spicy table salsa:

For our first course, we decided on steamed clams. They arrived dripping in butter on top of some grains of rice on a large plate. This was a generous portion and the clams were fresh and balanced between tender and chewy: While not the best rendition of steamed clams that I have ever had (I would've liked a little garlic), they were quite serviceable and their flavor was enhanced by squeezes of lime juice:
Along with the clams came our bottle of L.A. Cetto chenin blanc. This dry and fruity white wine from the Guadalupe Valley, which we chose from the modest list of about a dozen Mexican wines, paired nicely with our meal:

We then each had a marlin taco. While not much resembling the smoked marlin tacos at Mariscos German, these were things of culinary craftsmanship in their own way. The lightly smoked marlin had been cooked with green chilies and a bit of onion and was balanced in the soft grilled flour tortilla by typical Sonoran white melty cheese. This picture shows the taco opened up just before I spooned in the flavorful salsa:

This taco was very good, but not "in your face" powerful. What I mean is that the flavor was complex, multilayered, and subtle, adjectives that I do not often use when describing Mexican food. The next time I have this, and I sure hope there is a next time, I will simply spoon salsa all over the taco and eat it as if it were a mini marlin quesadilla.

For her main course, Tina chose the camarones chipocludos, which turned out to be eight large shrimp in a wondrous rich and creamy sauce with just a hint of smoky chipotle flavor in the background:
The shrimp were of excellent size and quality and perfectly cooked, and the sauce was a wonderful complement to them. The main courses were accompanied by okay coleslaw and a tasty truncated cone of buttery rice. We also received a basket of toasty bread, which was great dipped into the that great creamy chipotle sauce:

Since Tina and I habitually pass plates back and forth, I wanted a dish that would balance hers. When I saw combinacion jarocha on the menu, I thought that would be a good choice. In addition, it would let me see how the restaurant approached the traditional Veracruz presentation:
I was very impressed by both the look and the taste of this dish. Sometimes Veracruz sauces can be much like an Italian pasta sauce, with green peppers, olives, and capers in a thick tomato sauce. At Mr. Choby's, the chef had decided to present the mariscos integrated with an assortment of vegetables. The fish fillet pieces were fresh and tender as was the octopus, and the shrimp, while smaller than Tina's, were also very good. Fresh tomatoes, seafood juices, and olive oil were the basis of the brothy sauce. Even with the frozen peas and carrots, the collection of vegetables (in particular the seeded and deveined jalapeno slices) was excellent and provided color balance and textual variation as well as a variety of tastes. The jalapeno flavor, in particular, added a nice touch of picante spice and capsicum flavor without overwhelming the other ingredients:

We were happy. Our mouths were happy. And when we got the check, our pocketbooks were not too unhappy:

Even adding a generous tip for the friendly service and $3 each way for the cab rides to and from the border, and we'd had a pretty economical night out.

Tacos at Taqueria San Pedro

October 22, 2008 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Well Kirk is off in Thailand – eating and taking pics so we can enjoy his trip also – and Cathy is scampering about sharing her meals and ideas with us too. But today, ed (from Yuma) wants to talk tacos.

If you remember my post about a taco reconnaissance, we ended that night with hot dogs at Taqueria San Pedro. Everything about that place called for a return visit, but this time we wanted to focus on the tacos.

The menu is easy to find as there is one on each table:

The only items missing from this list are the wonderful aguas frescas and the hot dogs, which are only prepared on weekends. We each ordered up three tacos – a volcanes, a San Pedro, and a pastor.

While we were waiting a complete cafeteria tray covered with condiments arrived with our aguas frescas:

Although the cucumber slices are pretty ordinary, the three salsas (one smoky, probably chipotle, one arbol that's thick with chile chunks, and one pico de gallo) are each good, if not outstanding. The grilled onions and jalapenos are fiery enough to bring tears to one's eyes. The pickled carrots and jalapenos, on the other hand, were relatively mild. The highlight of the tray was the real guacamole, nearly pure avocado purée:

We also tried an order of the frijoles, and they were served whole bean style, not refritos. Good but nothing special:

The tacos, when they arrived, were things of beauty. The taco San Pedro, at the upper right, is a soft corn tortilla topped with a split whole roasted chile covered with cheese and carne asada. As you eat this, the greenness of the chile permeates every bite, without making the flavors too picante. Many of the same pleasures as green chile cheeseburgers:

Even though I saw no trompo, the al pastor was very good. The spice rub/marinade added sweet and picant red chili notes to the sliced pork steak. The onions and cilantro provided complexity and contrast. This close-up shows the porky freshness of the meat:

The highlights of the tacos, nonetheless, were the volcanes. Based on the few words of Spanish I recognized in my conversation with Pedro, the owner, I thought that these might be vampiros hiding under an alias. And indeed, that's what they were. This close-up shows all of the usual suspects. The moist and flavorful carne asada, covered with a blanket of melty white cheese, lay on a bed provided by a thick, desiccated, charred, crunchy corn tortilla:

On another visit, I discovered that Pedro will make volcanes with al pastor. This is how that looks:

Add salsa and guacamole and you have a tasty thing of beauty decorated with enough red and green to make one think about Christmas:

Taqueria San Pedro seems to be open every evening around five o'clock. They close long after I've gone to bed. The folks are friendly and the ambience is as sophisticated and elegant as is possible at a taco stand.

Taqueria San Pedro, 3445 8th St, Yuma AZ

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A Taco Reconnaissance

October 5, 2008 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Mmm-yoso is the blog. Kirk has done most of the posts here, but sometimes he lets Cathy and a few others help him out. Today ed (from Yuma) is here to share a recent taco exploration with you.

As a result of my love affair/obsession with Pupuseria Cabañas, I have been driving at night on 8th St in Yuma more often than was my habit in the past – particularly back when the street was torn up for years. These days, an amazing number of taco stands, taco trucks, and even old houses, most of which I had never noticed before, are open serving food at nights. That meant it was time for a taco recon.

So recently one evening, Tina and I decided to try some of these places. First, we chose one of four trucks parked in a large lot just west of Avenue C on the south side of 8th St.It reminded me of what Kirk had called a taco food court on his visit to Yuma several years ago, but this is a new congregation of trucks in a new location.

We were fairly early, so the only truck doing business was Asadero Los Compadres:

We ordered three tacos apiece, two cabezas, two pastors, and two asadas. We also decided to split a jamaica.

First to arrive was the jamaica, accompanied by two squeeze bottles, one containing guacamole sauce and the other salsa, and a small wheel of condiments, including sliced radishes and cucumbers, cabbage, lime wedges, and pico de gallo:

The jamaica was as good as I have had in Yuma, clearly homemade, deeply flavored, and nicely tart:

The tacos showed up quickly as well. We were somewhat disappointed in the pastor. While it had a nice flavor, it was a bit dry and tasted like it had been grilled once before:

Still, with a nice squeeze of guacamole sauce and a topping of condiments, the pastor tasted pretty good.

The other meat choices were better. The Asada had a nice light citrus marinade that brought out the beefy flavor. The meat had enough fat and had not been overcooked so that it was slightly chewy with a complex beefy flavor.

The Cabeza was even better, tender and very juicy and full of the richness of the stewed beef cheeks.

The next place we checked out was Corona. Probably the king of 8th St taco stands, this has been in business since I moved to town. Years ago, I stopped here one evening, but on that night I preferred Lucy's tacos (another long time 8th Street purveyor) — though at this distance I have no memory of why. Located across Date St from Pupuseria Cabañas, Corona, from the outside, almost looks like a building, but instead it is walls and screens surrounding tables, chairs, and grills:

I was pleased that they offered pollo, and the chicken tacos here were outstanding. The meat was moist and flavorful, and the light marinade was a perfect complement, not dominating the meat:

Also outstanding was the wheel of condiments, the guacamole sauce was flavorful, the cucumbers were more evenly and thinly sliced, and the pico de gallo was outstanding, distinctly spiced with many chunks of fresh jalapenos:

On another evening, I would have been delighted by the limonade, which was clearly homemade and tasted of fresh lemon. However, on this evening, it was the least good of the agua frescas we tried. Also a bit disappointing was the Cabeza here. It was less moist than the version at los Compadres, though it still had a decent flavor:

We decided to end our evening at Taqueria San Pedro. While I had driven by its location on numerous occasions, I had never noticed it until I drove by at night:

Far beyond a fence adorned with the name of the establishment, sits a very nice Ramada with ceiling fans, leather chairs, and restaurant quality tables.

Maybe it was because we had already eaten five tacos apiece or maybe it was because the large sign on the Ramada proclaimed "HOT DOGS" and offered a full buffet of condiments, we couldn't resist a doggy change of pace. Soon we each had our own bacon wrapped hot dog covered with a range of various toppings — amazingly, they even had sautéed mushrooms as an option. Mine looked like this:

"Dos Perros" (yes, that was what our waitperson called out to the grillmaster) don't get much better than these. The dogs were freshly cooked and cooked fully through. The bacon flavor, the snap of the dog, and the wonderful condiments — why aren't all hot dogs served with pickled jalapenos? — made these real winners. Only the unheated bun was a bummer.

Adding to our extreme culinary pleasure were the agua frescas, an horchata and a piña. The horchata was rich, thick, and cinamony. As good a Mexican horchata as I've had in Yuma, ever. Unbelievably, the piña was better. A fresh pineapple doesn't taste as much like pineapple as this beverage.

All in all, the evening was a great experience. While there were a few clunkers, we ate well. Oh, and the bill for everything (not counting tips, of course) was $22.50. What with the economy, I think we'll be going back — soon.

One note, the last time I was on 8th St (about a week after this recon), Los Compadres had vanished. Who knows if (and where and when) it will return. Because these places can literally be "fly-by-night" operations, one of the reasons for a taco recon is to find out what is new and what's gone. Sad to say, Deliciosos del Mar disappeared last year, so no more stingray soup (that I can find) on 8th St. Also currently missing in action is Mariscos Nayarita. The place is still there, but they haven't been open since late last spring (or early last summer). I already have a shrimp empanado jones. (Late breaking news: Sign at Mariscos Nayarita "Abierto Oct 10.").
In any case, more evening visits to Calle Ocho are needed just to figure out what all is there now. Stay tuned.

Mutant Green Chilies

August 3, 2008 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Today it’s ed (from Yuma) posting at mmm-yoso. Just a note, if you are researching genetic variations in pepper cultivars and you Googled some search terms and ended up here, you probably want to search again – unless you like eating chile verde.

When I moved to Yuma after having lived for most of the previous 15 years in California, I was sure I knew what green chile was – chunks of pork stewed in a mildly spicy green colored sauce consisting of tomatillos, green chilies, onions, garlic, and fresh cilantro.

My sense of green chile was challenged, however, soon after I arrived in Yuma and began eating at some of the "old school" long-time Yuma Mexican restaurants. I realized then that not all green chile was the same. Although it took me a while to get used to these mutant forms, nowadays I appreciate their unique flavors and their place in the traditional cuisine of this border community.

One of the best and most unusual examples of this old style of green chile is the version found at Yuma’s oldest Mexican restaurant, one that has roots back into the 1930s, Chretin’s. Recently relocating from a rather shabby building in the middle of an older residential section of town (see the first picture), Chretin’s now occupies a large and fancy location at the intersection of Arizona Avenue and 16th St (second picture):

For $7.60 (or less as a lunch special), you can get Chretin’s green chili burrito enchilada style (also known as saddle style or as a wet burrito):

This style of burrito is fairly simple but also very traditional in Yuma. One fills a flour tortilla with the green chile and then ladles more green chile on top of the burrito along with cheese. Of course, some of you must be saying, "Green? Green? There’s nothing green about that chile." And you’re right. Do not try adjusting the color balance on your screen, because Chretin’s green chile is indeed brown in color. As near as I can tell, this style arose back in the day when fresh or frozen green chilies were not available year around. Therefore, the main source of chile flavor (rather minimal in actual fact) had to be dried green chile powder. One of my friends says that Chretin’s green chile is just odd flavored brown gravy with meat, since the sauce is clearly thickened with flour and the main source of picante heat is black pepper:

A careful look at this close-up shows that the meat in the green chile is a very tender, coarsely ground beef, reflecting the Sonoran background of most of Yuma’s citizens before World War II. The ~~gravy~~ sauce also contains flecks of tomato and bits of onion. While this is very far away from anything I would’ve considered green chile when I moved to Yuma, I have grown to like this unusual dish at Chretin’s.

Another old-school Mexican restaurant in town is El Charro, a restaurant that has been managed by one branch of the Gutierrez family since 1949. For many native Yumans and numerous winter visitors, this restaurant on 8th St is the essence of Mexican food in Yuma. Personally, I have always found their large portions to be generally bland and low in flavor. One example of this blandness is their salsa, which tastes like a can of chopped tomatoes mixed with a can of diced mild green chilies:

Nevertheless, I have always been intrigued by their "El Green Saddle," as they call their version of a green chili burrito enchilada style. In fact, this dish is so much a part of the tradition here that it is only dish mentioned in the history of the restaurant painted on the wall:
When served,"El Green Saddle" looks like this:

Again, you would be right to say "this isn’t green!" And yeh, the predominant color of this "green" chile is red. Even when one cuts into the burrito and looks at it up close, there is as much tomato red here as there is chile green:

So what is the secret to this dish? Having eaten it several times, I am convinced that El Charro’s green chile is simply coarsely ground beef and onions cooked with left over table salsa. That would explain both how it tastes and how it looks. It would also explain why El Charro features this dish. You have to do something, I guess, with all that leftover salsa.

Another branch of the Gutierrez family (92 year old Bessie and her descendents) also began in the restaurant business back in the 1940s, although their oldest restaurant currently in operation is La Casa Gutierrez, which has been located in an old house on Orange Avenue since 1960:

Although their fast food outlets, Mr. G’s and Chile Pepper, serve credible versions of their green chili recipe, its best incarnation is in a green chile dinner (Tuesday lunch special pictured) at La Casa Gutierrez:

Although this green chile is the most watery of any in town, I still love the fresh green chile flavor that arises from all these large pieces of green chile. Nonetheless, the use of ground beef and presence of chunks of tomato, instead of tomatillo, marks this as another Yuma mutant green chile:

While I have had the green chile burrito enchilada style at the restaurant (and it’s good), the green chile lunch special on Tuesdays is one of the best meal deals in Yuma. For $5.25 (including tax), you get chips (store-bought, unfortunately), salsa, a good-sized portion of green chile, your choice of a beverage (the lemonade is killer), rice, beans, and a soft and flavorful flour tortilla almost the size of a bedsheet:

The newest of the restaurants serving atypical green chile in Yuma is Eduardo’s, which dates back to 1964, meaning that it is less than 45 years old. Currently located in a strip mall on Avenue B between 16th and 17th, this small restaurant has its own unique take on green chile. The Chile Verde burrito, enchilada style, currently costs $5.50 and looks like this:

From the outside, this burrito looks a lot like the others, with almost as much red tomato color as green chile color. When you cut into the tortilla, you find beef, tomato, fresh green chile, cheeses, and sauce all mixed together:

It is only when you focus on the meat itself, that you can see one of the main differences between this green chile and the others in this post. Eduardo’s does not use ground beef. Instead, numerous sizable chunks of stewing beef have been slowly cooked to utter tenderness:

These chunks of beef give this dish a wonderful deep beefiness. The other difference, one that you cannot see, is in the spiciness of the finished product. All of the other mutant green chilies are very mild in flavor and have virtually no picante heat. Eduardo’s, on the other hand, sets your mouth afire with chili spice. While not a standard California-style green chile, I have to admit that this is one of the tastiest green chilies I have ever eaten.

I hope you folks have enjoyed reading about these unusual and weird green chilies in Yuma because I have enjoyed eating them.

El Portal Fresh Mexican Grill

July 23, 2008 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is this. The blog about food. It is just Kirk and some friends writing a sort of diary about meals. Really. We tell you what we like and don’t like. That’s it. You get to vicariously enjoy it. Or not.

Hi again. It’s still Cathy writing. I happened to be on Genesse and Balboa Avenues not too long ago and remember Kirk posted on El Portal and liked it…I just didn’t remember what He liked, or when I had read the post. So, anyhow, I walked in, ordered some "to go" stuff and came home and read the blog.

Kirk really likes the salads. I didn’t order a salad.

Then again, He posted about this place, like waaay back in November 2005…so this is pretty much a whole new post!

Anyhow, it was crowded, considering it was after 7 p.m. on a Wednesday night.

The menu looks interesting, but they had no paper menus nor a website- so you can look at it as I did…

I noticed that carnitas was listed as a "new" item, so decided to get a plate. ($8.45)

The plate comes with refried beans, rice and a small corn cake on top of the rice along with a choice of corn or flour tortillas.

You can see the serving of pork is quite large and the meat is cut in large chunks and not shredded, as some servings of carnitas happen to be served. The food here is more healthily prepared than I have had at taco shops, and the carnitas tasted dry and did not have much flavor to me.

I also decided to try the spinach enchiladas, one of the many vegetarian choices on the menu. (2 for $4.55). These were excellent. Fresh spinach, melted cotija cheese and a simple salsa (chopped tomatoes, onions and cilantro) filled the corn tortillas, which were topped with a very good, slightly garlicy tomatillo (green) sauce.

I have to go back -soon- and try a salad. El Portal has been in that location forever, and must be making money.

El Portal Fresh Mexican Grill 4104 Genesse Ave San Diego 92101 (858)571-7771 Fax (858)974-1448

El Rodeo Mexican Food

June 24, 2008 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

I know someone who swears by the Super Sergio’s on Convoy, and El Rodeo Mexican Food, located on El Cajon Boulevard, near the intersection of 69th street. Bad thing is, he has a "convenient bad memory" which I’ll explain a bit later on. What he did tell me was, you get around 69th street, you can’t miss the place. And you know what, he was right. Screaming oranges and yellows, it really does stand out.

I was in the neighborhood, and it was past lunch time on a weekend afternoon a few months back. So why not? I parked the car, check out the murals, and walked to the front counter…..and stopped dead.

At first I thought that perhaps this gal was unconscious, or passed out. At which time she let out a huge snore……at least I knew she was alive. I quietly crept to the counter to order, but could find no one. I could hear music blasting from the rear of the place, but there was no one in sight. I whispered, "hello? hello?" "ola?" And the gal let out a "snort-snort-snort". A bit of sleep apnea perhaps? Not wanting to wake her, I decided to revisit El Rodeo at a later time, and tip-toed back to my car.

About a week later, I was back in the area, so I decided to give it another go. Not knowing what awaited me in the dining area, I peered around the corner, and noticed no sleeping, snoring women.

My eyes were assaulted by the reflection of orange…everywhere. But I managed to order what I came for: a Carne Asada Torta. As I waited, I noticed how busy the phone booth right in front of the restaurant was.

It even rang twice while I was waiting. And 2 different young women walked up to answer the phone. I believe this is probably one of the last remaining pay phones left in the area, but it was strangely busy….and the only persons using the phone were young ladies. Hmmmm…..

When my Torta was ready($4.25), I grabbed it quickly and headed home. The bread on the sandwich was nothing to write home about, there was just too much shredded lettuce, and the Guacamole is pasty and tasteless. But I really enjoyed the Carne Asada, it was nicely caramelized and had a nice overall flavor.

Yes, the bread was heading to the land of soggy pretty quickly, but that could be explained away by the ride home. Soon after, I ran into "MrC" and told him that the Carne Asada Torta was pretty good. He stared at me blankly and said, "Carne Asada? I didn’t tell you carne asada, did I? You have to have the Milanesa."

So back I was for the Milanesa Torta($4.25). This time here was no activity at the pay phone, and there were a few other customers eating in the patio area. I decided to grab my sandwich, and consume it in the car. As I was walking to the car, I was stopped by 2 young women, "we need a ride, can you give us a ride?" My reply? "Ummm no." Which is about as close to a "hell, no, not a chance" as I could muster up. Next request, "can we use your cell phone?" I gave them 2 quarters….I’m pretty sure they knew where the pay phone was. As they walked to the pay phone, I entered my car, sat, took a deep breath and removed the foil from my sandwich.

This was not a very good Torta. First, the bread was stale and crumbly. Second, the Milanesa, which was totally overwhelmed by lettuce, had no taste. I suppose it would have been nice texturally, if there was a bite less lettuce. But the meat, which looked to be breaded pork, was tasteless. It was so bland I couldn’t make out what kind of meat it was.

About a week later, I run into MrC; "hey, that Milanesa wasn’t very good." "No-no-no, not the Milanesa, you should have the Carne Asada!"

Sigh. You gotta love early onset senility. No more snoring young ladies, being accosted for a ride or my cell phone, or that strangely busy pay phone for me for a while.

El Rodeo Mexican Food
6924 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Tres Tacos at Mariscos German

June 5, 2008 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Kirk and Cathy and all the other yosoers are eating, taking pics, and having fun. Today, though, ed (from Yuma) wants to share three tacos with you and explain how he broke an important law.

I’ve never been very good at following directions or abiding by the rules. On the other hand, one culinary law rarely violated since I moved to Yuma is my rule against eating Mexican food anwhere outside of Yuma or Mexico. Yes, I know there is great Mexican food elsewhere, but when I go to San Diego or Monterey, for example, I am far more interested in other cuisines. I get enough good Mexican stuff around home.

So when I pulled into the empty lot next to a liquor store that surrounds the Marisco German truck at 35th and University, I felt a small twinge of guilt:

I had my reasons, however. First, almost all of the Chowhound buzz about this small San Diego chain of Mexican seafood eateries (estilo San Felipe) has been very positive. Second, Chris, a friend of yoso, compared Mar Azul, an excellent Mexican seafood house that I had just posted about, with Mariscos German. Third, as I was leaving my favorite San Diego used book store at around dinner time last Wednesday, I glanced up and noticed that the cross street was 35th. I took that as an auspicious omen and headed up 35th until I found the taco truck.

I’m certainly glad I did. Shortly after placing my order, I was handed a small styrofoam cup full of broth (free with order). The plastic spoon dredged up bits and pieces of fish and veggies:

After taking that picture, I ate the other solid goodies from the soup and then spooned a little bit of the broth into my mouth. Oh wow! The stock had a depth of fishy flavor like the one at Mar Azul, but even more complexity, all of which was highlighted by a significant picante hit of red chili. In my haste to wolf down the flavorful contents of the little cup, I forgot to take a picture of the broth by itself. Oops.

Soon after I finished the soup, I was handed a styrofoam tray about 10 to 12 inches long filled by three enormous tacos (each $3.75):

The gigantic taco on the left is a smoked marlin (marlyn) taco. In the center (partly covered by its neighbors) is a gobernador taco. And to the right, the taco is octopus (pulpo). I had wanted to try the scallop (callo) taco, but the truck was out of them.

My favorite taco of this trio has to be the gobernador:

The perfectly cooked shrimp had been grilled together with bell pepper slices, tomato wedges, slices of celery, and perhaps onion on a very hot griddle, charring some of the veggies and leaving little flecks and bits of smoky goodness throughout. Then the shrimp and veggies were placed in a warm yellow corn tortilla on which a layer of white cheese had been melted (much as in a vampire taco). Perhaps the cheese serves the same purposes as on vampiros – adding richness and flavor while keeping the tortilla from being soaked with juices.

The taco de pulpo was similar in having the seafood with veggies cooked at high temperature before being put onto the tortilla:

All the tacos were so huge that no way could I eat them in standard taco fashion before I had consumed half the filling with the forks provided. Not until then, could I fold the tortilla over small enough to cram into my rather large mouth. As I forked my way down into the generous filling, I discovered some of the sources of that great Smoky charred taste:

As you can see, many of the vegetables showed the dark scars of the hot griddle. The flavor of the octopus taco (a tako taco?) was outstanding, at least partly because of the smokiness. On the other hand, the pulpo was a bit chewy for my taste. I guess I have been so spoiled by the tender octopus in most Mexican cocketeles that I have forgotten how chewy octopus usually is.

The most powerfully flavored taco was the marlyn:

The combination of flavors in this taco is outstanding. Here the grilled charred vegetables were complemented by the deep, rich, dense, smoky, fishiness of the chunks of smoked marlin. And the veggies in this taco also added a welcome contrastive crunch. As with the gobernador, the tortilla was covered with mild white cheese, adding a smooth richness. Again, the taco was far too gigantic to be picked up and eaten in a standard fashion. Let me say that I am not complaining about being given too much taco for my money; I repeat the point only because actual size does not always register in photos.

My one and only complaint about this wonderfully smoky and fishy treat is that it was a bit greasy:

Of course, as soon as I spotted the grease I stopped eating. Yeah right, who am I kidding? – that’s not gonna happen with something that tastes this good. Plus, sometimes an intrepid reporter has to put him/herself at risk for the good of the community. Yeah right.

In no way should this little report about three tacos be confused with a real review. The three tacos that I ordered are similar in many ways, but the truck at 35th and University offers 15 different tacos, eight cockteles, aguachile, tostadas, burros, ceviches, and caldos.

In addition, Mariscos German also has trucks at 3269 Beyer Blvd, and 174050 S. 43rd, and a restaurant at 2802 Ocean View Blvd. Try one, you’ll like it!

Mariscos German, 35th & University, 619-239-2351, Open 10 AM – 7 PM daily.

Mariscos Mar Azul: Yuma

May 24, 2008 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Everybody at mmm-yoso is eating, no doubt. Kirk is not only tasting his way through San Diego, but still has posts about his great trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. Cathy is taking photos and eating food all over San Diego county. Still, today, ed (from Yuma) wants to share the latest entry into the world of Yuma Mexican restaurants – and this place is new and different and bueno.

March 2011 update: Mar Azul is still going strong. Since they got a liquor license, customers can no longer bring wine, but Mar Azul will happily sell you beer.

Tina, whose work often takes her to South Yuma County, kept telling me about an awesome Mexican seafood restaurant located on Somerton Avenue in Somerton, Arizona.

Before we could make it down to this place, Mar Azul, I read in the newspaper that the restaurant was opening a branch in Yuma at 1314 4th Ave — in the back of the strip mall anchored by the large health food store. Needless to say, I stopped by for lunch soon after the place opened:

The space had been completely refurbished and remodeled, and was clean, bright, and welcoming. I could do without the flatscreen TV, but I am sufficiently used to televised distraction in restaurants these days that it really doesn't bother me much.

In addition to sodas and stuff like iced tea, the restaurant offers a nice range of aguas frescas: horchata, pineapple, jamaica, and limonade, the last two of which are especially tasty:

As soon as one receives her/his drink, a bowl of split key limes hits the table so that one can tart up one's beverage or add some tang to the seafood. Since Mar Azul has no liquor license, they are okay with customers bringing bottles of wine, and I have found that New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs go well with Mexican seafood.

Among the appetizers, the toritos are hard to resist, the crunchy breading covering the fresh yellow chile stuffed with cheese and chopped shrimp ($1.25):

Even better is an order of red aguachile (also available in green)(13.99):

These uncooked shrimp are prepared much like ceviche, and for those of us used to cooked shrimp, they look strange, almost like raw oysters, but the flavor is outstanding:

The chewiness of the shrimp is accented by the hot and spicy, slightly sour flavor of the marinade. The accompanying avocado, red onion strips, cucumbers, and tomato slices make this almost into a salad course. This is the only dish I have ever had in Yuma that comes close to the excellent cebiche at Latin Chef.

For those who want some thing even more like a salad, I heartily recommend the stuffed avocado ($6.99), available topped with either fish or shrimp ceviche. A whole large avocado is peeled, cut in half, and depitted. The two halves are then surrounded by romaine lettuce and covered with a generous amount of the ceviche. Here's a picture of the whole order with the fish ceviche:

Here's a picture of half an avocado and some of the shrimp ceviche (notice that this shrimp has been cooked before being marinated):

For soup lovers, the restaurant offers fish soup, shrimp soup, and seven seas soup (siete mares), none of which I have tried yet, but given the quality of everything else, I am sure they are outstanding. I have had the clam chowder, which was smooth and creamy and showed off an excellent fishy stock. Though not full of clams, the soup contained numerous chunks of potato. A friend battling a cold ordered the broth ($2.00), which she said was very deeply flavored and even contained a shrimp:

The restaurant also serves a complete range of Mexican seafood cocktails. Although they are a little more expensive than the ones from the seafood taco trucks like Juanita's (this medium sized one is $9.99), the campechana is very well made with fresh scallops, an oyster, perfectly cooked shrimp, and chunks of tender octopus, accented by chopped red onion and diced cucumber and all brought together by a slightly fishy tomato water:

The seafood tacos here are also very good. The gobernador ($2.25) is very much like a folded shrimp quesadilla:

Inside, it is full of chopped shrimp, chopped tomatoes, and melty mild cheese:

While this is not health food, it is extremely tasty.

The fish tacos ($1.25 apiece) are also outstanding:

The generous pieces of fish are wrapped in breading and fried perfectly, their exteriors crunchy and their interiors moist and flaky. The cabbage, pico de gallo, and crema are a perfect accompaniment:

Add some of the very spicy and flavorful house salsa, and they are even better:

In addition, the restaurant also serves perfectly fried whole fish (tilapia ($9.50) or red snapper ($13.99)). Served with rather mediocre french fries, three corn tortillas, salsa, and cabbage, the fish has been wonderful both times that we ordered it. This is a picture of the red snapper:

In each case, the fish was cooked expertly, fully done and yet moist and flaky inside. These close-ups of the snapper (first pic) and the tilapia (second pic) illustrate both the perfection of the frying technique and the dusting of spices that adds flavor to each one:

Mar Azul is not the first attempt to establish a Mexican seafood restaurant in Yuma. Its predecessors have not been successful. I have hopes for this place, however. First, it is better in quality and selection than those seafood houses that have gone out of business. Second, I am amazed by how the business has grown in the short time the restaurant has been open. On my first visit, I was alone – except for the waitstaff. Today, only a few weeks later, eight tables were occupied at lunchtime, and someone came in for take out.

It is also nice that instead of going to Somerton for the restaurant, the restaurant came to Yuma for me.

Mar Azul, 1314 S. 4th Ave., Ste. 5, Yuma AZ. 928-329-6606. Open 11-9 daily. Also at 109 E. Somerton Ave., Somerton AZ. 928-722-0117:

Taqueria El Chipilon 2: A World of Tacos

March 19, 2008 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Kirk is the wonderful host and main writer here at mmm-yoso!!! , but he lets others play in his sandbox too. Today ed (from Yuma) is here to tell you that more than just vampires lurk at this Taqueria.

Just wanted to do a quick post about the huge taqueria where I found the vampire tacos in San Luis, Sonora. Usually we think of getting tacos at stands, trucks, and carts. Of course, you can also get tacos at most Mexican restaurants, but real restaurants have all kinds of other things on the menu. El Chipilon is remarkable for being a large restaurant that serves primarily just tacos.

On my last visit there, the pollo asado taco was exceptionally flavorful, though you can’t tell that from this picture:

The chicken had a wonderful flavor, a hint of char, and a moist and succulent interior. Much better than the rather undistinguished version I had had previously. A quick visit to the charcoal grill showed me why the taco was so much better that day:

That afternoon the chicken came straight off the grill and onto my taco. From this next pic, You can see that this taqueria prepares meats in vast quantities, so the quality of any item will vary depending on how long it has been on hold:

The positive side to this mass production is that the cooks can satisfy 50 to 60 tables full of hungry partiers all at once, chopping up the meats with skill and speed:

Friends tell me that the place is busiest and completely packed at 2:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights (more precisely, on Saturday and Sunday mornings). After all, what better way to end an evening of drinking and clubbing (and the drinking age in Mexico is 18) than to have a few great tacos?

And of course, all the tacos come with the wheel of condiments (and grilled veggies and house salsa):

Along with vampire tacos, this place does one other unique and distinctive taco – the Super Taco Chipilon:

Basically, just a cheese and carne asada soft taco (which is called a caramelo taco – see this link (thanks Alex)), this Super Taco Chipilon is loaded with moist and flavorful beef, and the white cheese lays atop a roasted green chile. What’s not to like? The combination of mild white cheese, carne asada, and green chile all enfolded by a yellow corn tortilla – with its touch of natural corn sweetness – provides a nice balance of contrastive flavors.

As good as these two types of tacos are, my favorite non-vampire at El Chipilon is their version of al pastor:

They don’t skimp on the meat. Most al pastor in Yuma is done with a dry rub, but this succulent pork flesh is carmelized and almost glazed and has a slightly sweet flavor note that surprised me the first time that I tasted it. It was only later, when I looked at this close up of the meat, that I began to speculate about the origins of this style of al pastor with its distinctive flavor:

Doesn’t this look a lot like Chinese barbecued pork – if it had been cooked over open flames? I’m not saying that al pastor estilo El Chipilon is unique, because I’ve eaten similar looking Mexican pork before, but the hints of sweetness in this meat made me wonder if there might be some Asian connection. Someone more knowledgeable than me has pointed out the profound influences that Mexican and Chinese food have had on each other along Mexico’s northern border with its large Chinese population. Some claim that Chinese cooks invented the chimichanga, so maybe it isn’t too fantastic to suggest that this shepherd style pork, which is often cooked on a Lebanese style spit, sometimes exhibits the finishing touch of some Asian pig herder (which seems appropriate considering that no one has ever shepherded pigs). Small world really.

How are the prices at El Chipilon? Well, no prices are listed on the menu, and I didn’t do any bargaining before ordering, so I suspect we paid the gringo rate. Nonetheless, 16 tacos (8 deluxe and 8 regular), 4 Pacificos, an order of beans, and a large jamaica came to $30 American. Seems fair to me.

Birrieria Los Gueros

March 17, 2008 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

*** Birrieria Los Gueros has closed.

This little shop is located near the corner of El Cajon Boulevard and Winona Avenue, and is partially hidden by the bus stop near that corner. And though I've passed the place hundreds of times, I don't think I've ever seen a single person in the place. Though it just may be that the aged and smudged windows just obscure my view.

Recently, the large sign above the front of the restaurant went up, and on a recent weekend morning, stomach growling, I decided to grab a bite here.

The interior is decorated in a random fashion, from the just ever so slightly tilted bull horns(I was expecting goat horns….), to the Chargers poster, and even though the place is relatively clean, you just get the feeling that everything is covered in a layer of dust. The menu sits on the wall, with former prices taped over, and yellowing edges….there is a kind of haphazard charm to this place. Though let it be said that I've had many great meals on places like these.

As is the norm for shops like these, the prices are quite reasonable. With tacos going for $1.25, Burritos $4.00, and Menudo and Birria $5.75. After speaking to the very nice young lady I learned, no Barbacoa de Borrego(lamb), only Barbacoa de Res(beef). I decided to have a few tacos, and placed my order, 1 Taco Al Pastor, 2 Birria de Chivo. I was asked if I wanted onions and cilantro on my tacos, which was something a bit different….I'm used to getting my tacos, and adding cilantro, onions, and salsa from a bar. But here they put them on the tacos for you.

In a few minutes 3 nicely wrapped tacos arrived at my table. Along with some very, very good pickled carrots and onions, and in something else new to me…..wedges of lemon, instead of lime. I'm wondering if this is some regional preference? A bottle of nicely spiced salsa roja was also brought to the table.

The Al Pastor, was nothing special, not very tasty, and on the tough side. The corn tortillas were also mediocre….

The Birria de Chivo was very interesting.

You could tell the meat had been simmered for a good long time, and while it didn't look it, I found the flavor to be better than the Birria I had from Birria's Chivo and Cheves, more spice, more salt, nice fat content…but there was just one thing about the flavor that got to me. Even though there was some depth to it, there was a graininess and after taste to the birria that was much like liver…something that I'm not a big fan of. I don't know if it was just this batch of meat, or what…..

The young lady who served me was very nice. But I think I'll wait a while before returning….. Maybe someone has a recommendation for this restaurant?

Birrieria Los Gueros
4944 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Just one more thing…..

Every once in a while, I see something that just makes my day. While perusing Sarah's wonderful blog The Delicious Life, Sarah did a post to summraize items she came across during the week. Among the items (french fry coated hot dog), was a YouTube impromptu Food Court Musical:

For some reason it just made my day! Can I get a napkin please? Have you ever had the urge to just break out in song? Well….maybe not ….. Thanks Sarah!