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Today, I was checking my calendar, and I noted that it's been way to long since I've enjoyed a fine bowl of brick-red menudo. In western Placer County, Mexican restaurants that serve menudo on weekdays are very few and far between... However, Taqueria La Herradura, located in Auburn, serves menudo seven days a week. On this Monday morning, I had business to attend to in Auburn, so I penciled in a visit to Herradura on today's calendar. As with all of my reviews, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: Taqueria La Herradura - which means "Horseshoe Taqueria" in Spanish - is located in historic downtown Auburn, which is the county seat of beautiful Placer County. No, the photo isn't crooked, as the street is hilly, as Auburn is located in California's Gold Country, in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Photo: View of the dining room, and the order counter in the rear of the restaurant, as you enter the restaurant. The dining room is much larger than you'd think, as you view the restaurant from the street. I thought this would be a "hole in the wall" but I was surprised. The dining room is clean, comfortable, and pleasantly decorated. It's 9:30 in the morning on Monday, June 27, 2016, and I timed my arrival in hopes the restaurant would be sparsly seated, which is better for photography. Taqueria La Herradura opens every morning at 8:00, and, of course, they serve breakfast.
Photo: La Herradura is like most taquerias, in that you walk up to the counter, make your choice from the menu posted above the counter, pay for your order, seat yourself at the table of your choice, and wait until the staff brings your order to you. The bright light to the right of the beverage cooler is the entrance to the kitchen, and the daily specials are posted on a board to the right.
Photo: Taqueria La Herradura features three varities of IPA on tap, with a colorul parot painting in the background, courtesy of Corona beer. Theis would be a great place to enjoy if you're a "Parrothead," but I didn't hear any Buffet music playing, as the background music was mostly traditional Mexican ranchero music. The restaurant features a great selection of Mexican, and domestic beer, and the beer is reasonably priced. Today, I just had to go with a bottled Pacifico beer, which is my favorite Mexican beer.
Photo: With each food order, you get an all-you-can-eat tortilla chips and salsa bar. The chips are kept warm under a heat lamp, and there are little cardboard trays to put your chips in, and bring them back to your table. You are allowed to take home a reasonable amount in a bag, if you desire. When you're finished, be careful not to misplace the tongs!
Photo: Before and after I placed my order, the friendly counter gal, Cintia, was busy tending to the salsa bar, making sure everything was spotlessly clean, and cutting up jalapiņo peppers. She, and the other staff do great work as this is one of the best-stoked and kept salsa bars that I've seen in any taqueria in Placer County! Every bin is labled, so you know exactly what you're getting, and in many cases, the degree of "heat" is listed, for those, like me, with "gringo" taste buds. From left to right, the front trays are pico de gallo, guacamole, medium salsa, hot salsa habanero salsa, and jalapiņo. The back row has cut radishes, cactus pico, fresh limes, grilled jalapiņos and spicy onions. Talk about a varity! I went with the guacamole and the medium salsa, and both were fresh and delicious, and by the look of the well-tended salsa bar, I would assume "ditto" on everything else.
Photo: As I waited for my order of menudo to arrived, I munched on tortilla chips, dipped in guacamole and medium salsa, and sipped an icy-cold Pacifico beer. Life is good!
Photo: My friendly hostess, Cintia, brings my bowl of menudo to my table. Since the bowl of menudo was so BIG, she had to make a second trip to bring my corn tortillas. Cintia kept herself busy, as she worked the register, taking orders, spent time tending the salsa bar, and bussing tables. She was very gracious with my photos, and my many questions. Although not expected, I placed a generous tip in the tip jar, and received a warm "thank you" from her. I complimented her, and the kitchen staff for a great meal, and a great dining experience.
Photo: At my request, Cintia snapped my photo as I prepare to enjoy a wonderful breakfast of menudo.
Photo: Taqueria La Herradura is one of only a handful of taquerias in Placer County that serves menudo every day of the week. This bowl of menudo is HUGE, it comes with all the trimmings, including your choice of corn, or flour tortillas. The menudo is made in-house, from scratch. Like all menudo, the cooking time takes many hours, and there's a lot of work that goes into producing good menudo. Menudo isn't "fast food," but it's a "comfort food" of northern Mexico, and it just happens to be one of my favorite Mexican standards. The menudo made at Taqueria La Herradura is fantastic! The tripe is so tender that it practically melts in your mouth. The delicious broth is very flavorful, has just the right amount of "kick," and is not overly salty. The only "nit" that I could possibly pick with it is that it doesn't include hominy, but hominy is a "hit or miss" ingredient both in the United States, and in Mexico. I absolutely loved this menudo! Not only is the menudo delicious, but it's available every day of the week! Taqueria La Herradura is the only Mexican restaurant that serves menudo every day of the week, and it's one of the only Mexican restaurants in Placer County that serves menudo every day. The menudo is delicious, the salsa bar is amazing, the price is right, and the staff is very friendly. You can't go wrong with a visit to Taqueria La Herradura. Taqueria La Herradura Copyright(c) 2016 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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