GOING FULL NATIVE
Originally Published the Week of Sept. 7, 2024 in Western Outdoor Publications
Several decades ago, we started doing “Street Taco Tours” with our fishing guests who came to visit us for fishing down here in La Paz.
It got pretty popular!
Sometimes, we’d be doing it 3 or 4 times a week with sometimes several dozen guests a night. It got to the point where folks would have to reserve space well in advance.
They were fun. Informative. And most of all delicious.
It was a chance to visit places most tourists would never find or venture to try. These were all mom-and-pop places that you would never find on Google, Yelp or Trip Advisor.
Often, they would be down neighborhood streets or alleys or some corner far away from the tourist areas.
But as I often tell our guests, eating in Mexico is a lot like eating in the states. If you see 3 burger stands in a row and 2 of them are empty and one of them has a line around it, it’s not hard to figure where to go eat.
And, that’s the way these taquerias are.
You’re headed down a dark neighborhood street lit only by a few street lights and see maybe the occasional dog sleeping off the sidewalk. You turn a corner and you’re greeted by the lights and whole neighborhood chowing down!
Plastic chairs and tables with beer logos on them…maybe a string of white lights…and all kinds of sizzling aromatic meats coming of a flaming grill or flatiron . Maybe a portable radio or CD player with some great banda music. A table full of temping salsas and pretty much everyone smiling and enjoying the eatery, but also kind of a community central!
You’ve arrived. Join in!
Now, most of these places all have the usual tacos that gringos know…mostly carne asada. Essentially grilled beef.
Packed into a warm tortilla and slathered with salsas and other condiments…A great choice. Can’t miss. Like ordering a cheeseburger at your favorite fast food or a ribeye at your favorite steak house.
But, if you want to step outside the safety zone and go full native Mexicano, here’s some other tasty options. Some are familiar to some tourists while others require “full immersion!”
Al Pastor – Marinated pork in mild spices and pineapple flame-cooked on a vertical rotisserie like shwarma and thin sliced portions right into the tortilla and handed to you.
Carnitas – A big favorite. It’s slow roasted pulled-pork cut into tender chunks into your tortilla. Often combined with some of the other items on this list.
Chicarrones – Deep fried crunchy pork skin. Chopped into the tortilla if it’s soft. Or if really crunchy, packed into a tortilla with other meats like carnitas much the way you’d put a lot of bacon bits on things back home. Minced onions and cilantro are a plus!
Costilla – Not terribly adventurous because it’s beef rib meat! Not many places have it, but when you find it, jump on it. Hard to go astray with the meat from beef ribs!
Often served with a cup of consommé which is basically the beef drippings and broth. Dip your rib taco into it like a beef dip sandwich and take a bite!
Chorizo – Spicy Mexican pork sausage. Chopped, shredded and grilled. There are many different versions. Some sweet. Some more spicy. Restaurants will mix it with eggs. And perfect for burritos. But at a street stand, straight into your tortilla to be covered with salsa.
Tripa – OK. Now were veering outside the box! This is Tripe! Chewy tender chopped grilled or slow-cooked lining of the cow’s stomach. The texture is a bit chewy and has a delicious mild beef flavor. Often found in menudo.
Lengua – A big favorite. This is cow tongue. It’s braised with onions and garlic. I’ve heard it described as a heartier and beefier flavor than flank steak or even surpassing filet mignon. Chopped small into a tortilla with salsa and hit it with a quick squeeze of lime to make the flavor explode!
Seso – Cow brain. There. I said it. Yes, cow brain. It’s firm. It’s moist. It has a strong beef flavor and very tender.
Ojos – Yup…cow eyeballs. I kinda thought they were very mild…but FYI…they were kinda crunchy. Didn’t taste bad at all. They were so mild, the salsa really made them tasty. Just had trouble with the “crunch” once my friend told me what they were!
Cachete – Basically cow cheeks. They can be tough and stringy so that’s why it’s slow cooked and it comes out quite tender and tasting very much like beef rib meat. It’s rich and very marbled which really enhances the flavor.
In total honesty, yes, I’ve eaten all of these. But again, full discloser and transparency, a few of them I ate without knowing what I was eating.
I was told AFTER-THE-FACT!
I think it was to watch my expression. All of them were good in their own way and many of my local friends crave these different meats. But if you really want to live large…give them a try and come to your own culinary conclusions!
That’s my story!
Jonathan
Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
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Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
Website:
www.tailhunter-international.com
Mexico Office: Tailhunter International, 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
U.S. Mailing Address: Tailhunter International, 8030 La Mesa Blvd. #178, La Mesa CA 91942
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
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Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report: http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/
Tailhunter YouTube Video Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBLvdHL_p4-OAu3HfiVzW0g
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”
That's My Story 
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