Mexican Restaurants – Page 35

Borders Cafe – Yuma

July 1, 2007 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

No, Kirk has not moved to Yuma. This is just Ed from Yuma doing another post for mmm-yoso!!! Hope you all don’t mind.

Just a brief update – I dropped into Border’s last week (Jan 21, 2008) and didn’t recognize anybody there. Tried to order a couple of my favorites (fish ball soup and sting ray soup) and were told that they no longer made those. Found out that a new family was running the place. I did have a bowl of rightous, beefy albondigas de res, but this post is no longer a useful guide to the place. R.I.P.

I feel a little strange writing another post about Yuma for Kirk’s marvelous blog that generally centers on San Diego dining. I guess my justification is that in my mind Yuma is just a distant suburb of San Diego – it is thinking like this that keeps me sane when it’s 115° here. In this post, I’d like to focus on a small, family run Mexican restaurant in which the chef, the grandmother of the family, has around 30 years of experience of cooking in Cabo. The place is called Borders and located on Yuma’s main drag 4th ave.

Many of the items available here are fairly standard dishes found in many Mexican restaurants, although always done very effectively at Borders. For example, the chiles rellenos here are long and beautiful to look at:

Although the chilies themselves are not especially picante, they have a good flavor and the rellenos are not lost in a thick layer of breading, a soup of sauce, or a mound of cheese. Even the cheese stuffing is fairly thin so that the overall effect is a balanced flavor.

Another standard dish done very well here is the taco salad with carne asada:

The flavorful slices of steak were not just the topping of the salad but extended all the way through. Yum. The fish tacos are another treat:

Each taco contains two small crunchy fish fillets. These are as good as you would get in Yuma. While lengua is found in many Mexican restaurants in town, Borders serves it as lengua estofada – or lengua stew.

My friend Betsy raved about this molé after she had it, so I had to order it also and I agree with everything that she said. It is easily the best in town. Most moles are too sweet, and sometimes plain boiled chicken is just topped with sauce. In this case the mole sauce is nicely balanced, slightly spicy, and full flavored. The chicken is fall apart tender.

Borders also offers some interesting dishes that cannot be found in another Mexican restaurant in Yuma.

Caguamanta, or stingray soup, has been heretofore available only at Deliciosos del Mar, a taco truck. Borders’ version is rich and deeply flavorful, if a touch too salty for my taste.

It is full of small chunks of the stingray and various vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes, green peppers, and olives. Another amazing dish here is albondigas de pescado. The deeply flavorful and chili infused broth is full of pale and mildly fishy meatballs along with some veggies. Unlike fishballs in Chinese cuisine, these balls have a texture more like meatballs and a taste that is enhanced by the wonderfully rich and tasty stock:

My only concern about this restaurant is that it contains only about 10 tables, and it seems like every time I come there it is busier than it was the last time. I guess that’s good for the restaurant, but I always worry that I may have to stand and wait if the customer base continues to grow and if winter visitors find out about it. Prices are very reasonable. Most medium soups (lunch size) are 4.99. I believe all the entrees are under $8. While there is minimal atmosphere, the service is efficient and caring. Another reason to visit Yuma, the great metropolis of Southwest Arizona.

OK, the only metropolis of Southwest Arizona.

La Casita Mexican Restaurant- Good Mexican Seafood in El Cajon

June 26, 2007 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is the blog, which Cathy is doing today because Kirk isn’t. He just isn’t.

Hello again. Looking at the past few weeks of the blog, it seems that none of us has gone out to eat, except maybe to a "regular rotation" . So, here is one of our favorite places, yet another Mexican Restaurant, in El Cajon. La Casita "Especialidad en Mariscos"-specializing in seafood. If you are at the interesection of Magnolia and Bradley, ready to turn onto Highway 67- the In-N- Out is on your left, so you are facing south…right there behind the gas station …see it? (So, it is basically on the southwest corner at 67 and Bradley)

OK, park and it looks like this. It is also the Radiator Repair Shop parking lot. One row for cars.

You walk in and there is a menu on the wall in front of you. Order, pay, get a tray with chips and some cups for salsa, load up and sit down. Your food will be brought to you. *** The prices on this printed menu are off by about $1 on some items; new menus are being printed***

It was Friday, so I decided on a fish taco ($2.25)

Two corn tortillas, a lightly breaded, crispy fried fish piece,tangy white sauce, salsa, guacamole and cabbage. Fresh tasting and oddly, light.

I also had a craving for a ceviche tostada ($3.50). It is made with only shrimp here and so wonderful. The mix of tomatoes, onions, cilantro and jalapeño was jsut perfect. Some nights though, I htink there is too much jalapeño. It is always this overfilled.

The Mister wanted a salad, and there is only one on the menu- #9, Ensalada la Casita- beans, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and olives, with a choice of shredded beef or chicken ($5.50). Substantial food. Not much lettuce. Great shredded beef. The Mister usually likes the Camarones la Casita plate ($9) 5 very large shrimp with a cornmeal breading and rice, beans, salad and tortilla.

As I said, you do pay first, but the food is brought out to you at these lovely tables. There are murals over all the walls, but I like this one on the back wall the best.

Really, The Mister and I come here for breakfast more often than not. All of the items are $6. We go to the Starbucks in the In-N-Out mall, one block North, for coffee after.

La Casita Mexican Food 1503 N. Magnolia El Cajon 92019 (619)444-8228 Open 7 days 6 a.m.-9 p.m.

Yuma Taco Truck Update

June 18, 2007 ed fromyuma Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Hello, this is Ed from Yuma. I know many of you think that I am just a fictional character who exists only in Kirk's imagination and on his blog, but on my good days, I am actually a real functioning in-the-flesh human being. In a moment of folly (or perhaps just laziness), Kirk has asked me, ed from Yuma, to write a post for this wonderful blog of his, so here goes.

Careful readers of this blog will remember that Kirk visited Yuma a while back and sampled some of our unique taco truck cuisine. Considering how much the taco truck scene can change literally overnight, it is remarkable that Kirk's posts are still very relevant in 2007 – though some trucks are closed for the summer. In this post, I will look at the best of the new taco trucks and revisit some old favorites from Kirk's trip here.

Tacos y Mariscos Juanita's

The most important new addition to Yuma taco truck choices is Juanita's. It is located in a lot just west of Avenue A on 8th St. Unlike many taco trucks, Juanita's is more than just the truck. There is a covered ramada with five small tables each offering plenty of hot sauce choices. In addition, restrooms for men and women are provided as well. Not only do these come in handy for obvious reasons, but they also provide a way to clean taco sticky hands.

During Yuma's main season, there is also an outdoor grill next to the truck, preparing meat for carne asada tacos, but seafood is the specialty of the truck. Both shrimp and fish tacos are available ($1.25 each):

The fish taco is on the left, and the shrimp is on the right.

The fish taco (taco de pescado) contains a generous portion of fresh meaty white fish. The lightly flavored white sauce adds a bit of moisture and a little tang , the diced cabbage adds crunch, and the chopped tomatoes add a nice color contrast. While numerous bottled sauces are available, I always use Juanita’s own homemade salsa, and a squirt bottle of this spicy and powerful sauce sits on every table. My only complaint about the fish taco is that its breading is not crunchy. Normally I'm not a huge fan of shrimp tacos (tacos de camerones), but Juanita's version is outstanding. Each small shrimp is individually breaded, and these have the required crunchiness that makes them a delight to eat. In this case, as you can see, I squirted too much of Juanita's great salsa over the taco so that some of the shrimpy taste was lost in picante overload. Very tasty nonetheless.

My favorite item at this truck, however, is the campechana "con todo," with everything, meaning with all the seafood choices and chopped red onions and cucumber ($11):

Juanita’s serves one of the most outstanding campechanas I have ever eaten. The mildly flavored tomato water (who knows exactly what is in it, along with tomato juice, lime juice, and perhaps a little Clamato) provides an outstanding backdrop for the fresh and tasty seafood. One or two squirts of salsa and I am ready to devour. The shrimp here are large and perfectly cooked – completely succulent, juicy, and flavorful. The octopus chunks (pulpo) are not at all tough and rubbery; instead the pieces of octopus are tender and almost soft, having just enough chew to provide some complexity in mouth feel with the other ingredients.

But there is more than just octopus and shrimp:

Yes, your eyes are not lying. This seafood cocktail also contains raw and extremely fresh bay scallops, squarish chunks of canned abalone (thanks Melanie), and three flavorful oysters. For some reason, the oysters are always my favorite as, in my mouth at least, the briny and slightly funky oyster flavor perfectly complements the tomato water while the soft texture contrasts with the crunchy onions and cukes.

If I have any complaint about Juanita's, it is that it is too popular. At peak times during the winter, there is no room at any of the tables, and I have to stand in line to order. However, the food is quickly prepared – and tastes great even when eaten in the front seat of my car.

Taco Trucks Redux

In this part of the post, I just want to add some information about three of the trucks that Kirk visited in Yuma. First, Tio Juan is still making an outstanding mixed seafood cocktail (campechana) although they are closed now for the summer – which is why I have no pictures (sorry). But twice this winter when I visited the stand, the coctele contained unusual and very flavorful black clams. While the exterior of the clam is grayish, the interior is solid black like coal. No matter how strange they looked, the firm textured flesh was clammy sweet. The young man who made my campechana told me the clams came from Los Mochis.

I also watched carefully as he made my campechana and was surprised by the complexity of the liquid. He used small amounts of ketchup, lime juice, Clamato, canned tomato sauce, and dashes of bottled hot sauce. He then ladled shrimp water (“this is the water we get from boiling the shrimp,” he said) into the mix. The liquid was much fishier tasting than in other cocteles I've eaten. My only complaint was that the shrimp were hammered, so overcooked that their texture was not ideal.

Of course, I have returned often to Mariscos el Nayarita as no one can get enough of their wonderful shrimp empanadas. There are, however, at least two other dishes that are done very well at this stand. One of them is whole fish:

This perfectly fried whole tilapia is served with corn tortillas and salsa. The outside of the fish has a nice crunch, but most of the flesh was still moist and juicy. There was no greasy aftertaste whatsoever. As you can see, we liked the fish:

We also tried a very special dish at the truck, pescado zarandeado, a traditional style of fish preparation common along the eastern shore of the Sea of Cortez. Here the whole fish is split in half, sprinkled with Mexican spices, and grilled outside over charcoal:

This type of fish is served only at the height of the winter season, and often one needs to let them know an hour or more in advance so that they can prepare the coals. Again, the fish was served with salsas and corn tortillas. The Mexican spices add a flavorful touch to the fish although this one was slightly overcooked for my taste.

Recently, I was driving along 8th St, trying to locate any new trucks and see which ones were still open. Well, okay, I was also hungry, so this wasn't purely a research exploration. Unfortunately, one of the new trucks I was looking for had vanished, and a couple others are closed for the season. So that brought me back to Deliciosos del Mar, the wonderful little truck that makes the tasty caguamanta, stingray soup. At first it looked like it was not going to be my day as the nice lady at the window finally was able to communicate to me (her English being worse than my Spanish – and that means almost no communication at all) that the soup was not ready yet.

Well, I was too hungry to look for any place else, so I ordered two tacos:

The taco on the right is a decent shrimp taco though I prefer the ones from Juanita’s. The taco on the left was the revelation. It had never before occurred to me to try a cabeza taco at a truck that seemed so focused on seafood. Now I have learned my lesson as this was the best cabeza taco I have ever had in Yuma:

Look carefully at the chunks of Cabeza here. Each one was like a tender flavor bomb, full of meaty and beefy goodness. If you look carefully, you also can see some of the fat that added so much to the richness (and, no doubt, cholesterol) in this taco. The chopped cabbage and red onions and the leaves of cilantro contributed flavors and textures and helped make each bite a true joy.

So even now, a person can find good taco truck cuisine in Yuma, and with temperatures reaching around 110°, the town has plenty of parking places and no lines at the taco trucks. Come visit.

Tacos El Gordo DE Tijuana B.C.

May 14, 2007 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

On a recent post "Dee" mentioned Tacos El Gordo, and damned if I didn’t forget about the place. So on a recent trip to Hogetsu Bakery, I managed to talk the Missus, a recent taco convert into some tacos from Tacos El Gordo. I’ll usually "hit" the H street location of ‘TEG’, since it’s right off the I-5.

Little had changed at TEG over the last few years; I believe that prices had gone up a dime. But over the last two years, much has changed in the mmm-yoso household…with regards to tacos. Where before, I’d only order the Carne Asada…and if I were feeling really brave, perhaps the Adobada(Al Pastor), nowadays, it was a whole different story. We now order the stuff that’s boiling away in the cauldrons behind the counter.

We didn’t give the Asada a glance…..we had moved on…aaah, how fickle the mind of the Asian Taco lover is! And no Sesos(Beef Brain) today…bummer!

Though we did give in to the temptation of the Trompo.

The drill is simple you order your tacos, and take it over to the cashier stand along with any drinks, she checks out your tacos(keep it clean guys), and you pay. And enter taco nirvana. We ordered all of our tacos with "everything".

The Lengua(Beef Tongue – $2) was nice and tender, though a bit smothered in Salsa Verde. It was a bit on the mild, rather than "wild" side as far as lengua was concerned. It was still quite good.

My usual favorite, Cabeza(Beef head/cheek – $1.75), was good, beefy in flavor, and very soft. Not the best I’ve had, but quite good.

I have not had Suadero before, when the Missus stepped up to the counter and asked the Gentleman what suadero was, he raised his bent arm perpendicular to his body, and moved it up and down. I told the Missus, "I know what it is…it’s meat from the wings of a cow!" She was not amused, but brightened considerably when handed a generous sample. The suardero, in this case beef shoulder, had been cooked for a long time, it had a nice rich beef flavor, and I kinda thought of it as "beef carnitas".

The favorite of the day was the Adobada(Al Pastor). Cut fresh from the trompo(verticle spit), the pork had a mild spiciness, with a hint of sweetness. The meat was slightly chewy while still moist. The Missus is not a big fan of "white sauce" on Her tacos, but loved this version as it complemented, not overpowered the tacos, by slightly buffering the spice, and balancing out the flavor.

You may wonder "why only 4 tacos?" But this stuff is quite rich, and we felt satisfied sharing the four tacos. We saw two pretty hefty guys eating six tacos each…..I’m sure that they’d be ready for a nap soon after lunch.

So the next time you’re in the mood for some Cabeza……..

Tacos El Gordo De Tijuana
689 H St
Chula Vista, CA 91910

And other locations…..

Mexican Fiesta

May 2, 2007 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

*** Mexican Fiesta has closed

A little over a month ago I received a really nice email from "GregM". In the email Greg mentioned a little Taco Shop on India Street called Mexican Fiesta. To quote "check out Mexican Fiesta's al Pastor taco. Good enough that I carry it back to NYC for my Dad, and it was the champion in my now aborted attempt to sample every taco stand in SD." How could I resist? If it's good enough for Dad, it's probably more than "good enough" for me!

So during a recent weekday, I made it down to the South end of India Street, and amongst all the towering High Rises, and new development, I found Mexican Fiesta. I must have driven past this place many, many, times and never noticed it.

I just had to cross the street and snap this photo which shows the sharp contrast between the "little taco shop that could", and the towering buildings surrounding it. For some reason, this little scene stirred up memories of one of the first books I ever read, called The Little House, written by Virginia Lee Burton. (and no, I didn't read a first edition version in 1942 ) In the book, a little country house is overcome by the urban sprawl until it is surrounded by giant buildings.

Business at Mexican Fiesta is brisk and busy.

You order at one window, pay, and are handed a number. When your number is called, you pick up your order at the next window. When I ordered, I was number 68, as I moved out of the way number 49 was called! As you can tell, there is no dining room or eating area, all orders are to go. Though, if you need to use the "facilities" those are provided for across the street.

And though these looked a bit out of place, the porta-potties were doing almost as brisk a business(no pun intended) as Mexican Fiesta!

The customers at Mexican Fiesta was a diverse group, a slice of almost every demographic, income level, and social standing. Even though I had to wait for almost 20 customers before me, my order was ready in a relatively short amount of time. And, since I had found primo parking, I had lunch in my car parked on the side of India Street.

For some variety, I thought I'd start with a Carne Asada Taco($1.99):

To be honest, I wasn't very hungry, and only ordered two tacos. I didn't know what to expect, but my little brown paper bag was very heavy. Well, these sure weren't those little street tacos, it was quite large. The Carne Asada was decent, very soft, but dry, with a very mild flavor. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of iceberg lettuce and shredded cheese on my tacos. On a side note, the Salsa Roja was good, a balance of heat and sour, with a just a hint of sweetness.

Just when I thought that perhaps I'd made a mistake, I opened up my Al Pastor Taco($1.99):

Now this was another pretty large taco. Though I consider this to be more Adobada than Al Pastor, meaning that it doesn't look spit roasted and lacks a good amount of carmelization, the pork itself was good, probably the softest Adobada I can remember, and very juicy to boot. The seasoning of the pork had a deceptive amount of heat, and an overall good flavor. I'd have these again. If anything, I'd have wished for more onions and cilantro, and the tortilla didn't hold up too well, I almost had the pork in my lap, but that was because the pork was so moist.

Sure seems like you get your money's worth here. One day soon, I'll probably stop by for that Machaca Burrito. It's good to see this small little stand doing so well. From what I could see Mexican Fiesta opens at 8am, Greg also notes that the hours are very limited during the weekends.

Mexican Fiesta
1460 India St
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 231-9851

Thanks for the recommendation Greg, that Al Pastor was very good!

At last! Clayfu’s…ummm, La Princesita Taco Truck

April 16, 2007 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

Several months back, my good blogging "buddy", Clayfu, sent me an email telling me about a Taco Truck located in the parking lot of Joe's 99 Cent Store on Linda Vista. Now understanding Clayfu's, ummm, how shall I say it, rather "frugal" ways, when he described this Taco Truck as being really good, well I had to check it out! I did find the Taco Truck to be pretty good, though sometimes a bit inconsistent. I had a few meals, and took a few photos, and decided to wait until Clayfu did a post on the Taco Truck, since it felt like the right thing to do……and waited, and waited, and waited. Until finally Clayfu did his post on Friday the 13th of all things. You can read his post here. Now I won't pretend to be like the His Royal Highness of Taco Trucks, Bandini, but I did develop a fondness for Taco Truck cuisine during my little road trip to Yuma, thanks mostly to the one and only, Ed from Yuma.

Recently, the old Taco Truck has been replaced with a updated version. But luckily the food is the same.

Few things beat the smell of Carne Asada grilling at sunset! The drill is you walk up to the window and place your order. In addition to tacos, the truck also makes burritos. Once you get your tacos, you load up with Pico De Gallo, Salsa Roja, Salsa Verde, Lime, among other things……

This Guy is always very nice, and cracks me up!

On this night, the Missus and I were after a snack, and ordered Cabeza(beef head/cheek), Lengua(beef tongue), and Al Pastor(marinated, and in this case grilled, pork – all tacos $1.50). Lest you think this may be a bit expensive for Taco Truck fare, the tacos are loaded with meat.

The photo to the right is kinda odd, I guess I was focusing on the last taco in line, so it came out bright and clear, and the rest blurred…oh well, back to the tacos. On this night, the Lengua was numero uno! Very moist, with a nice beefy punch, and a mild gamey aftertaste. The Cabeza, was very moist and fatty with nice bits of gelatin, but lacked the condensed beef flavor of really good cabeza. The Al Pastor had a nice bit of caramelization, and was on the chewy side, with only a mild chili flavor. What you'll notice with these tacos, are that there's a lack of saltiness, so the true flavor of the meat comes through.

Here's a photo from way back when. On this evening, they were out of Cabeza and Lengua, so I settled for 2 Carne Asada and 2 Al Pastor.

I brought these home with me, with all the various garnishes and salsas in little sandwich size bags which are sometimes available. I started dressing my tacos, than remembered to take a photo, after these two photos, I was too hungry, so I just said the heck with it, finished loading up my tacos and ate them.

The Carne Asada was decent, fairly moist, with a nice salty, slightly citrus flavor. The Al Pastor on this evening was on the very chewy side, but had a really nice chili flavor.

So if you're in the Linda Vista area during the evening, and want some better than most Taco Shop tacos…just follow your nose!

La Princesita Taco Truck(well trailer actually)

In the Parking lot of Joe's 99 Cent Store
6882 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92111
Clayfu has told me that the hours are from 6pm to 11pm daily, but I've seen the trailer there from as early as 5pm…as to when they close, hey at my age, I'm usually done for by 11pm!

Thanks again for the recommendation Clayfu!

(Rail) Road Trip – Two Landmarks; Philippe the Original & Cielito Lindo- Los Angeles

January 10, 2007 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Mexican Restaurants, Road Trip, Sandwiches

On the final day of my LA Railroad trip, we headed off to find some sustenance for the long and grueling train ride back to San Diego…..a two hour trip on an empty stomach can be pure hell! On this day, Captain Jack and I had decided to walk on over to the one and only Philippe The Original….say that quickly and dramatically "Philippe THE Orrr-iginal", and suddenly pictures of tumblers, clowns, and other circus performers dance in your head…..

Which sometimes ain’t too far from the truth…..it gets pretty crowded at Philippe’s, even at 830 am on a Sunday morning, the line is a good 6 deep. You may need a Ringmaster to maneuver around the 3 ring circus breakfast rush.

Some of Philippe’s fame is based on the claim that Philippe Mathieu(the original Philippe) created the French Dip sandwich by accident in 1918. You can read it all here. In the original "you got peanut butter on my chocolate" moment Philippe apparently came up with a bad case of fumble-itis when making a sandwich, dropping the roll into a roasting pan full of juice (let’s all say it together, ahhhh-jus!), and the rest so they say is history. But as with many of these type of claims, it is not without some controversy…..right up the street resides Cole’s Pacific Electric Buffet, who claim to have invented the French Dip sandwich in 1908!

Philippe04_1 Most of the customers on this morning were having breakfast. But, I wasn’t standing in line on the sawdust lined floors at Philippe’s for breakfast. Though I must say, watching a petite Asian girl wolf down a huge ham steak, easy over eggs, biscuits, cole slaw, and potato salad, is quite a sight to behold.

Not knowing the next time I’d be in the area, I went for my favorite sandwich at Philippe’s…the Double Dipped Lamb Sandwich. ($5.95) Ahhh Lamb, it’s not just for breakfast anymore……. A leg of lamb was removed from one of the heating drawers, the meat cut off, the whole sandwich dipped, twice in jus. Oh, and of course a cup o’ Joe…believe it or not, coffee at Philippe’s is still 10 cents a cup.

And though the lamb was a bit tougher and not as rich as the version I had on my previous visit , the jus was oh so good. In fact I remember telling Captain Jack, that if Philippe’s sold rolls in jus, I’d be tempted to order that. I know I could have gotten the Classic French Dip, but I’d found it to be on the salty side……

Still Philippe’s is quite the landmark…in business since 1908, that says something about a place.

Philippe the Original
1001 N Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Open Daily 6am – 10pm

And of course breakfast is just not complete without something from that special food group, taquitos. We made it a point to stop by Cielito Lindo on DietChiliCheeseFries recommendation. According to DCCF, the taquitos at Cielito Lindo was a must eat item.

Much like Philippe’s, Cielito Lindo has a long and interesting history, and has been around and selling taquitos since 1934! That’s alot of taquitos…….

So of course we had to stop by and order some Burritos! Hah, just kidding, I ordered 3 taquitos($3.60). The taquitos arrived, and were very tasty, the "shell" had a nice corn flavor, though I thought the really tightly packed meat to be somewhat tough and flavorless. The avocado sauce, was like a runny guacamole, or maybe a thicker salsa verde? Kind of on the bland side.

Still these taquitos had that "something special", and were about a perfect a taquito as one could come across.

As we ate, we watched taquitos being cooked, and noticed that the taquitos weren’t deep fried in the conventional sense, but fried up in a pan that looked sort of like a wok, without a ton of oil.

As we watched the taquitos cook, I nudged Captain Jack….I had found the ingredient that made these taquitos so good….it was the special, thick, white liquid being poured into the pans from the "coffee pots" lining the stove area! Yes, that magical elixir…Lard! No wonder they tasted so good!

Cielito Lindo
23 Olvera St # E
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Open Sun – Thurs 9am – 11pm
Fri – Sat 9am – Midnight

A Lamb Dip Sandwich, with a taquito chaser…….now that’s a breakfast!

Ranas.com Mexico City Cuisine

January 4, 2007 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

**** Ranas has closed

My good Buddy Ed from Yuma has been mentioning Ranas.com in Spring Valley for several years. Having been assured that the food at Ranas are worthy of several "delici-yoso dances", and finally having some time off over this past Christmas weekend, the Missus and I made the drive to Spring Valley to find Ranas.com. We got off the 94 Freeway at Kenwood, took a left, and drove into the parking lot of a nearby strip mall. We didn't see a sign for Ranas, but the address looked correct.

We still weren't quite sure that we'd arrived at the right place, until we saw the sign in the parking lot…so this must be the place, right?

We entered the very colorful dining area, and were immediately greeted by a very friendly Young Man who told us that we could have a seat anywhere.

The Young Man, actually, I should say Gentleman, since he was so gracious, named Jose(I'm hoping I remembered his name correctly), asked us if we'd been to Ranas before, to which we answered in the negative. At this point, he smiled and asked us if we'd like to try some samples of the specials of the day….are you kidding!!! Within a minute, four little paper cups arrived:

Man, this was really good stuff! Jose took the time to explain each dish, and though I'd come here to try the Pollo en salsa de Cacahuate, the Peanut Butter Chicken that Ed always mentions, I suddenly changed course……

As we were famished we started with the Huarache Azteca($5.50), a "sandal"(Huarache) sized thick tortilla, topped with beans, potato, and nopal:

We were pretty unimpressed with this popular antojito(appetizer), the whole thing was a soggy mess, there was too much beans, and the flavor of the potato was completely obscured. It was a far cry from the versions we had at the two El Comals.

But have no fear…..our entrees were on the way! We shared all the entrees, trading plates when one of us exclaimed "switch"! So what did we get?

The Chicken in Green Pumpkin Seed Mole(Pollo en Mole Verde de Pepita – $6.99):

Talk about good! This rich, but not heavy Mole, had a nice, complex flavor, with hints of nuttiness and a slight spicy-smokey finish. Moping up the sauce with the corn tortillas provided is a must. The chicken was surprisingly moist, but this was about the mole. The rice was okay, and the beans bland. But man that mole!!!!

The Pork in Tomatillo Sauce (Puerco en Tomatillo Salsa – $6.99):

Chunks of tender pork in a tangy, slightly spicy, tomatillo sauce. Wow, we obviously went two for two on entrees. This sauce/stew was studded with potatoes and nopal, and was quite refreshing in it's own way….really good stuff!

We finished almost all of our tortillas mopping up the sauces. One thing we noticed about the corn tortillas provided, they arrived warm and tender but got very hard as they cooled…all the more reason to scarf everything up ASAP.

The Missus desired something sweet to finish up the meal, so She ordered the Kahlua Plantanos:

Not bad.

So…one good turn deserves another, right? So there we were three days later…at guess where? Yep, and Jose greeted us with a smile, and a warm, "welcome back".

And of course those wonderful samples……..of today's specials:

So this time, we ordered the Entomatado Pork (Pork in a spicy tomato sauce – $6.99):

Another winner, a nice, medium spicy, pork dish full of flavor. The pork was spoon tender, without being falling apart soft. Today, the beans had much more flavor as well. The Missus loved this.

The Cochinita Pibil($6.99) the classic slow roasted Yucatan Pork Dish:

This version was more stew-like and creamy than versions of this dish I've had before. Again rich, without being heavy is the signature here, and a nice slightly sweet finish to boot! Talk about finish, that's what we did to our corn tortillas. This was my favorite on this visit.

Instead of an appetizer or dessert, I finally ordered the Peanut Butter Chicken (Pollo en salsa de Cacahuate – $6.99), which Ed from Yuma always mentions:

Moist chunks of chicken in a sauce with a mild peanut flavor, think mildly spiced watery peanut butter. After having the two pork dishes, this tasted on the bland side. Not my cup of tea.

During our visit, Jose, who, it turns out is the Owner's son(it's a real Mom and Pop restaurant), explained that these were the dishes that he grew up eating. Which explains why the dishes were so good, like all good home cooking, the "specials" at Ranas had that unique ingredient, a combination of love, care, and pride, which makes everything taste so much better. The service we had at Ranas reflects that as well. As you can tell…we'll be back! Take some time away from the tacos and enchiladas, and check out those specials.

Ranas.com
9683 Campo Rd Ste A
Spring Valley, CA 91977

(619) 589-1792

Thanks for the recommendation Ed! We finally made it…and it was well worth it…..

Lolita’s-Don’t say they did not warn you

November 19, 2006 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is NOT on vacation. Kirk is taking a day off from blogging, and Cathy has found-surprise- another Taco Shop to talk about…and she has an add on..

You have driven on Clairmont Mesa Boulevard, I know it. 99Ranch is right across the street, and Teri Cafe and Pho T Cali is right in this mall. You’ve seen this place, it used to be a Souplantation, which moved down the street to an area with less parking but apparently more table space. ( I do so like planning ahead).

As you walk in, on the wall to the left it’s written: "Patience is the essence of fine Mexican food"

That’s your clue…its not really fast food. Its still a taco shop. You walk in, order, pay and wait…look at the receipt: Its written there, too..

So, here is the main menu, and there are some handwritten specials also.

You can see the full menu here ..you know, while you are waiting… (look at the site-Under the "Lolita’s Taco Shop" logo…there it is..that darn talk about patience)…so load up on the salsa bar..it has radishes,scallions, jalapeños and limes! You can eat those while you wait…

AND FINALLY your number is called…

The carne asada torta (beans, carne asada, guacamole on a fresh, toasted telera roll) was excellent, as was the mashed potato taco.

This is one of the breakfast burritos: Eggs, cheese, potato and bacon.

This is the unrolled breakfast burrito, so you can see more of the filling. The potatoes were sliced and crispy-sauteed..nice.

So, yes you will wait, and yes, its worth it. Its a nicer atmosphere and a better quality of food.

Lolita’s Taco Shop 7350 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92123 (858) 874-7860

And now, a little diversion…

I tend to write about cooking at home, Taco Shops and Mediterranean style foods…and just wanted to let you know, I do frequent fast food places…for a reason. On Halloween, I decorate…oh, sure not like my neighbor does-

But I save my fast food bags, throughout the year, and line the driveway, making interesting luminaria:

When its dark, it looks more like this photo from last year-

..and I didn’t take a photo of it in the dark this year…

because Oct 31, 2006 at 5:50 a.m…well, I was walking up at the top of the hill in my backyard: (that is Nutmeg, by the way) the hill is higher up that these stairs indicate-there is a deck, two more stairs up and one step down..oh, it doesn’t matter…gravity, displacement, Colle’s fracture of the distal radius…

This was at about 11 hours after it happened. On November 15, because the healing wasn’t quite right, I was casted twice:

You might notice the palm of my hand is 90° in a different position than in the other photo. This is the 4th cast, in 15 days…and as a side note, my elbow is immobilized, so the cast goes to my shoulder….

Oh, I drive a manual transmissioned car…and I worked for the Registrar of Voters, as a "Troubleshooter", manning 4 driving locations, on November 7 (as did The Mister). I am not complaining. Its just I am now realizing how much, even though I am ambidexterous, how much we use two hands a day….dental floss anyone?? Kirk knows of the plans I had for Thanksgiving that are now on hold, and how upset I was, especially with the latest cast. I appreciate all of your kind notes hoping for a speedy recovery. It probably won’t be, but hopefully I won’t need surgery.

So, that’s it, mystery over…and in summary, go with the fall, don’t try to stop yourself with one hand…it doesn’t work.

Episode 18/week 3- The End and a couple of taco joints

October 18, 2006 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Stuff, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is on vacation. The part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy in the interim.

Hi. Yes, I know you have been wondering when Kirk will be back…He is back and he is ready to tell all of you what He did on his Autumn Vacation.

I want to summarize some stuff and thank all of you for your support these past few weeks. It has been my first time blogging and sharing my opinions about foods and places to eat in San Diego. I have learned a lot from you and hope I have informed you of things. I suppose the main point I hoped to get across is to not be afraid to just stop and walk in to any particular place.

Sure, this looks like an oversized Fotomat booth and you could miss it if you drove over the speed limit or only cared about the Liquor Store….but it has been there in Santee forever and is always busy.

There are all of three booths, three tables (two of them are outside) and Bertha’s makes this:

Carne asada nachos. I like to call it "a pound of nachos" , although I have never weighed it. Fresh chips, great refried beans, carne asada, chunky guacamole, sour cream and cheese. $4.25. But if you don’t stop and go inside, or drive through, you won’t know what you are missing.

Its the same with all of these places:

In general, if you see the words "Cocina, Taqueria, Panderia and/or Tortilleria" written on the outside, GO inside. They are cooking up some of the most wonderful foods inside. Realize that they used no imagination in naming the place, but move past that.

Same thing here. If the place has been there forever and the patrons are of the ethnicity of the signage that you are having difficulty reading, its good. (also, when you do go in to order and the person taking your order says "you no want that", trust them and order something different).

If the windows of the store have interesting food items written on them, items that are usually seen on a menu and not as items you buy in a grocery store…go inside. (Oh, and that small "Taqueria" sign is a clue).

Then again, if the signage shows both Mexican and Greek foods…well, you just have to stop in and see…

If a place is open 24 hours, shares a parking lot with a 24 hour Landromat and *always* has cars in the drive through lane, stop and see why…

I had never stopped here at Bueños Dias before and was on one of my "no meat today because it is Friday" days and I was just going to get a quesadilla, but looked at the menu…mashed potato taquitos….hmmmm…. Mexican Food combined with mashed potatoes, my next favorite food group… and all of it fried in a taco shell, topped with lettuce sour cream and cheese ($1.50)…oh, yeah…now I wait for Fridays. Its kind of not a sacrifice…

Bueños Dias makes the best salads, perfect for those on a no-carb kick…a lettuce spring mix, carrots, cabbage and cheese which melts onto the freshly grilled chicken breast for only $3.50. This is also one of those "one pound" salads, again, I haven’t really weighed it, but it is substantial. In the top of the photo there are the 3 rolled tacos with guacamole ($3). Made (and not pre-made)with fresh corn tortillas.

The carne asada tostada ($2.80) made with beans, carne asada, lettuce and cheese comes with an extra fried tostada shell…either because they know the first one will get soft, or that all the stuff will fall off of the first one and you will just need more corn tortilla shell…. and that quesadilla ($2.50)- huge and wonderfully melted and oily cheese!…and Bueños Dias gives you a mild green sauce as well as a very nice hot red sauce. Oh- and those are the marinated carrots on the bottom there…thinly cut strips and a jalapeño. Nice and hot!

So, that’s it. I think you have figured out that its kind of fun to stop and explore and not be afraid to try anyplace…and look for those parked Mail Trucks out front…those people know what is good on their routes. (Thanks, Trent!)

Bertha’s Mexican Food 8667 Fanita Drive Santee 92071 (619) 562-0143

Mon-Sat 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Bueños Dias 5100 Jackson Drive La Mesa 91942 (at Glen) 24/7

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Oooooh…and you don’t know this, but I am definitely *not* a chocolate person at all. BUT…go to Trader Joe’s and pick up a box of these little gems for $2.99

these teensy, tiny little peanut butter cups pack some powerful flavor and are just a perfect sweet and salty snack…

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Again, I am so happy I could help Kirk keep up the interest in his blog while he and his Missus took a well deserved vacation. I am happy that so many of you thought enough to write in and comment, and that you did like what I talked about and my style of writing.

If we don’t "talk" again, have a good Halloween and please don’t forget to VOTE on November 7. (Or earlier at the Registrar’s office…and if you are there, go West on Clairmont Mesa and turn south at that next light (Overland) and then take a right, into the parking lot…there is this new Indian place there…next to the 7-11….)

Now, this blog is formally back in Kirk’s hands. Bye!

-Cathy