Taco Tonayense, Tijuana-style tacos served in Roseville, CA...

How close is Roseville, CA, located 20 miles northeast of Sacramento, to the Mexican border? After driving to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico many times, I find it's about 525 miles and about 9 hours driving time, depending on the sometimes horrendous traffic conditions that are encountered as you drive through the greater Los Angeles area, and the metro area of San Diego. Despite all of the pitfalls, the drive is worth it, after you check in to your motel and walk across the border into the fabulous city of Tijuana, to enjoy Mexican cuisine that you won't find north or the border. But I'm not talking about five-star dining establishments, as I avoid them like the plague... I'm talking about food purchased from street vendors in Tijuana, or any other Mexican city. North of the border, the closest facsimiles are the numerous taco trucks, that ply business parks, construction sites and shopping malls.

Photo: Located across Church Street from Denio's east entrance, Taco Tonayenese does a brisk business on weekends. Note that Tonayense offers a shaded dining table, to protect customers from the hot, Roseville, sun.

If you're a resident of Roseville, and you savor the taste of authentic Mexican street food, you don't have to drive much further than the intersection of Atkinson Street and Church Street, across from Denio's east parking lot. Taco Tonayense parks their truck on a vacant lot, just across Church Street from the entrance to Denio's east parking lot, and serves delicious tacos, tortas, burritos, and other wonderful authentic Mexican dishes from their mobile catering truck. Weekdays, they roam the various business parks in Roseville, but on Saturdays and Sundays, they park their truck at a vacat lot, on the north side of Church Street, about 200 feet north of the intersection of Atkinson Street and Church Street, directly across the street from the entrance of Denio's east parking lot. If you're a railroad buff, you can hear the sweet sound of U.P.'s locomotives idling in the maintence yard, just east of Tonayense's taco truck, as Roseville features the largest railroad yard west of the Mississippi River. That's basically, well... trivia.

Photo: I love beautiful women! María has just taken my order of a taco de lengua, and a taco de tripa. I love my job, as I get to photograh the most beautiful women on the planet, and I get paid to do it!

Taco Tonayense has their menu printed on the side of their truck, and an order window, and a pick-up window, as per the protocol dictated by most taco trucks. and a separate take-out window. Besides tacos, I noted that their menu offers burritos, quesadillas and tortas, but since it was about 9 A.M., I was in the mood for a taco. Taco Tonayense offers tacos in the following flavors: Asada, pastor, lengua, cabeza, pollo and tripas. How could I resist not ordering a taco de lengua, and a taco de tripas, con todo? Especially at the frugal price of only $1.50 a taco.

I placed my order with María, the beautiful and friendly girl who greeted me at the order window, located on the right side of the catering truck. With a smile she took my order of one taco de lengua and a taco de tripas, and no, it wasn't para llavar, as I wanted to enjoy my meal on their picnic table, shaded by a portable awning, that they errect to cater to their guests. When I whipped out my camera and started taking photos, she asked, as many of my clients do, "Why are you taking photos?" I keep business cards on hand, as I told her that she was about to be published on the world wide web. Wow!

At Taco Tonayense, you can keep use your English, as all of the staff is fluent in English, but if you greet them in Spanish, they'll give you a smile, and a little more meat in your taco. You place your order with friendly María, and you receive your food on a paper plate at a window, just to the left of where María smiles at you.

Photo: María checks my order. Note their menu is posted at the left side of the photo, with Spanish orders, priced in U.S. dollars. Geeee....

For the small price of $3.25, which included Placer County sales tax, I received a taco de lengua, and a taco de tripa, garnished with "con todo," which I had requested. The tacos are served using two CD-size corn tortillas, which are grilled to perfection, as they're not soggy, yet they feature attractive grill marks, and the meat is piled onto the tortillas. Fresh, in-house made salsa verde tops the meat, along with chopped cilantro and white onions. For the small price of $1.50 per taco, this is quite a meal deal!

So if you long for the tase of authentic Tijuana street cusine, you don't have to make the 9-hour drive to the border, as all you have to do is to wait unitil 8:00 A.M. on Saturday and Sunday mornings, when Taco Tonayense sets up shop, directly across from the east entrance into Denio's parking lot. Tonayense serves authentic Tijuana-style tacos, at prices that Roseville residents can afford. Why drive to Tijuana when you can enjoy authentic Tijuana-style tacos, served on weekends in beautiful Roseville?

Photo: The rubber meets the road in these tacos, prepared by Taco Topnayense. Note that the tacos include two CD-sized tortillas, and a generous portion of meat, and the condiments are piled on, as "para todo." These tacos represent good food, at low prices...

Taco Tonayense is the sort of place that I frequent, and I highly recommend that you pay them a vist, as you shop at Denio's Flea Market. For authentic Tijuana-style cuisine in Roseville, Taco Tonayenese is highly recommended!