Tacos Tuluca

One of my favorite little hole-in-the-wall eateries is Tacos Tuluca. Located on Lopez Street, just down from the Mercado San Juan, this tacqueria offers some of the tastiest chow on the streets. As you can see from the photo, production is organized and efficient. Notice the french fries. Yes, they are part of every taco combination Tuluca offers.

Uniquely, this is the only spot that I've found that serves up the green chorizo. Delicious! Add to that a little guacamole, salsa, and those french fries, and you have a nice snack or meal. For just a little over $1US, have two or three.

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Outside Mexico City, in any direction, are wonderful weekend getaways. Guanajuato is one such destination just 5 hours by bus north. Check out the photos of this lovely colonial city posted by a British couple who describe themselves as digital nomads.

Guanajuato

 

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Taco or Torta?

On nearly any street in Mexico City, one can find lunch or just a snack. Tacos aren't the only fast food to choose from when looking for something to eat. Here at "Pepe's", tortas or sandwiches are the specialty. Ham, cheese, sausage, or some combination of ingredients can be put together for an inexpensive and relatively healthy lunch. $15MEX is just a bit over $1US. You can't find that at McDonald's! For me, let's go with the spicy chorizo and the queso blanco!

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When in Mexico City, an absolute must on your to-do list has to be trying a taco al pastor. You'll easily find them as you walk the city streets. There's no better way to take the edge off a ravenous appetite than to down a quick taco or two.

Tacos al Pastor

 

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A Trip To The Mercado de Jamaica

Flowers By The Dozens

Although not all that commonly visited by tourists in DF with limited time, a trip to the Flower Market is well worth the effort. Centrally located, metro station Jamaica, it's a quick ride where you get off right at the market. Plan on spending a couple of hours wandering through the flower stalls and watching flower merchants prepare dazzling arrangements for customers.

Arrangements For Any Occasion

You'll be overwhelmed by the pure volume and diversity of flowers available on a daily basis most any time of the year.

A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose

Also plan to have lunch at one of the numerous eateries located within the market. The day I was there, I indulged in a couple of delicious tacos de lengua (tongue tacos) along with a tall glass of tepache (a fermented pineapple drink).

Blogger Enjoying A Taco de Lengua At Mercado de Jamaica

 

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An interesting article about an unsuspecting group of American illegals in Mexico. I guess the problem goes both ways.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-17098719

 

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Esquites & Elote: Street Food Treats

Esquites at The Mercado de Jamaica

On my wanderings through the unforgettable flower market in the Mercado de Jamaica, I treated myself to a cup of esquites to satisfy my hunger until lunchtime. This simple corn dish prepared with a hint of peppers and spices was perfect for taking the edge off a growling stomach (it had been a couple of hours since an early morning breakfast at Cafe El Popular). Esquites as well as elote, Mexican-style corn-on-the-cob, are common snacks found on street corners, markets, and parks. Elote seems a bit more popular. When positioned on a popsicle stick, this corn lathered in mayonnaise or crema mexicana, crumbled queso fresco, and chili pepper, is a most transportable snack. Kids and adults alike love this very available corn treat. Often cooked on small coal grills set up almost anywhere a crowd is, elote should also be part of your Mexican experience.

Elote Fresh from Casa Willy

 

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Scenes From The Street 2

Just off Plaza Santo Domingo, these ladies are preparing some of the best quesadillas in the city. Although you can find street food nearly everywhere, one indication of its quality can simply be figured out by counting the number of people waiting in line to get it. At this spot, I treated myself to a killer mushroom and cheese quesadilla along with a refresco (a soda). Eating it right there, standing on the sidewalk, is a great way to start up a conversation with locals or other travelers. This particular food stand is always busy. A friendlier group of ladies loving what they do won't be found elsewhere. ¡Buen provecho!

 

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Ice Cream, Ice Cream, Who Wants Some Ice Cream?

San Jacinto Plaza

One of the wonderful things about visitings the parks and plazas is the rich array of things to eat. Who doesn't love ice cream? This vendor is selling a variety of flavors, all handmade. Vanilla and lime are familiar enough flavors, but queso (cheese) or Angel's Kiss. Be adventurous, get a scoop of two different ones you've never tried before. I'm a sucker for anything mango! But, tuna (not what you think) is also a killer flavor. More on that one later.

 

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A Day At The Office

Hungry?

On a typical Saturday on Plaza San Jacinto, this vendor of chips expects a busy day. One can get a nice size bag of chips for about $10MX or less than $1US. As you can see from the top of the cart, most Chilangos (what Mexico City residents call themselves) doctor up their snack with lime and salsa picante. My preference? Just plain old chips.

 

 

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Tacos, Tacos and More Tacos (Part 3)

By far the tastiest taco I've found this week is the tripe taco. Interestingly, the tripe is triple cooked (it probably has to be). First, it is boiled. Second, it is slow cooked on one of the large grills (as you can see in the photo) giving it both color and intensifying the flavors. Finally, and I've only found it done at this one favorite spot by the hotel, the tripe is grilled after being chopped up and put on a couple of tortillas. Sixty seconds or so later, it's on a plate heading for the customer.

The Tripe Taco Assembly Line

The tacqueria I've come to favor only has eight stools and is truly one of those hole-in-the wall places. But, for only $10MX (less than 80 cents), this spot is busy all day long. It's not unusual to see a crowd standing on the sidewalk eating a plateful of tacos.

The "Perfect" Tripe Taco

As I've become fond of saying, ¡Buen Provecho! Can't you just hear Julia Child saying this after showing you how to make a tripe taco in her fancy French kitchen?

 

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Now, This Is A Hole-In-The-Wall Joint

Just a block off the Zocalo, the central plaza, I stumbled upon Tacos de Canasta El Flaco. By every sense of the term, this is a 10 X 5 hole-in-the-wall place serving up some tasty tacos canasta. These are also know as sweaty tacos or basket tacos since they are steamed. About six varieties are offered along with soft drinks. As these are made in advance, a large crowd can be served in no time at all.

Tacos de Canasta El Flaco

When researching this type of taco, I found a great article in Street Food LA that gives a great review of El Flaco along with more photos. Since that article was published three years ago, I see that the price of tacos canasta has only changed 1 peso. They're now 8 cents more expensive.

I had a mashed potato or "papas" taco tonight along with lots of spicy pickled carrots. Check out the sweaty tacos in the Street Food LA link above. Judging by the size of the crowd eating these on the street tonight, this is one heck of a popular place. For just 50 cents, who can't find room for one more taco.

 

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Street Food Worth The Wait

Walking about the city today around lunchtime, I was wondering what I should have to eat. Well, my answer came to me when I saw a long line of people waiting for hauraches. An even larger number of people were sitting on a nearby wall eating them. Rule #1 regarding street food: if the stand is busy, it's probably a good, safe choice. Rule #2: if it looks good, eat there!

As you can see from the photos, a haurache is an oblong shaped, 2-layered corn tortilla with refried beans between the layers. I ordered one with steak that was also topped with a cilantro infused salsa verde, fresh onions, and queso fresco.

For just $2US, I'll be more than stuffed until sometime this evening. ¡Buen provecho!

 

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Tacos, Tacos and More Tacos (Part 2)

Never judge a book by its cover! I've become a real believer in those hole-in-the-wall joints that offer some of the tastiest treats to be found anywhere.

Tacos de Cabeza Los Gueros

So, let me help you out and teach you some Spanish. Cabeza means head. And in this case, it was the taco filling of choice at this tacqueria. When I asked about their specialty, all he said was "cabeza". I was sold immediately! What kind of head you ask (not that it really matters), but tonight it was beef. On other occasions, it's likely to be sheep.

Grillin' Up The Goodies!

All the taco joints do it roughly the same way. Meat is both slow cooked and grilled on the same skillet that one sees where ever tacos are sold. However, not all tacos are created even. At Los Gueros, they have perfected the head taco all for under $1.

Doesn't It Make You Want to Order A Second One?

If you didn't know this came out of the cow's head, you'd swear you were just eating pot roast. So, as Andrew Zimmeren loves to say, "If it looks good, eat it!"

 

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Tacos, Tacos, and More Tacos (Part I)

One of my true delights in DF has been my search for the perfect taco. My Thursday night taco crawl took me over to Lopez Street, just a few blocks from my hotel. In addition to being the neighborhood of the excellent San Juan Market, it also supports more taco joints per block than maybe any other single street in the city. Thanks to my trusted guidebook Good Eats in Mexico City, I was able to identify a half dozen tacquerias that made it to my must visit/eat there list.

Chorizo Verde

Heading off, I knew my first stop was to be Ricos Tacos Toluca to try their green chorizo taco. The green is due to the use of pignole nuts. As some chorizo can be quite spicy, this wasn't at all. The raw sausage is chopped, grilled, and served with grilled onions and french fries. To top an almost perfect taco off, one can add fresh home-made guacamole and a killer salsa that even a gringo can eat (in moderation).

Grilling the Chorizo to Perfection

Of course, the taste of the pudding is in its eating. So, I decided to eat two since the first one was so good. Sitting on a stool on the sidewalk with half a dozen others, we all enjoyed one of the best and more unique tacos to be found in the city.

 

They Were So Good That This Is My Second One

Don't let looks fool you. This was delicious. ¡Buen provecho!

 

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