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Early on the rainy, Wednesday evening of December 30, 2009, I was hiking several blocks west of downtown Tijuana on Av. 5 de Mayo when I spotted Emiliano's Tacos, with a neon sign above the name of the restaurant sporting a slogan that read "Al Carbon Estilo Jalisco." That slogan implies that the restaurant serves down-home, Mexican comfort food, in the variety found in the state of Jalisco. Although I was on a quest for hot dogs, the idea of grilled, Jalisco-style food was enough to convince me to walk through the wide open door, and place myself on a stool at the counter, and order two tacos de tripitas (tripe tacos) with all the trimmings. As with all restaurant reviews I publish, 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: Emiliano's Tacos appears to be warm and inviting, on this early Wednesday evening in late December. Like many small restaurants in Tijuana, and all over Mexico, Emiliano's is open to the street, even on this chilly December evening. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, as after sitting down at the bar, I looked around for a menu, and didn't see one. Emiliano's did have a hand-printed menu in the window facing the street, but since I was too lazy to get up, and the staff was so eager to be of service, I just asked what variety of tacos they serve: Tripita, tripas, chorizo, carne molitas and carne asada. In addition to tacos, they serve quesadillas; the menu is limited at best. You can order any variety of tortillas that your heart desires, as long as they're corn, which is OK with me, as corn tortillas are my favorite. This evening, Emiliano's Tacos was staffed by two friendly persons, Jose and Maria, who seemed to be interchangeable in their duties, as both were staffing the kitchen. The kitchen is arranged behind a counter, so you can sit on a bar stool at the counter, and chit-chat with the staff while they prepare your meal. Jose and Maria both speak a smattering of English, and Jose is quite familiar with California, as he was proud to point out to me that he has a brother who lives in Fresno. Both of them were quite interested in the fact that I was taking many photos, as I explained to them what I do with this Web Site, and I left a couple of business cards with them, as Jose told me he likes to email his brother from the Internet Cafe just down the street.
Photo: A fellow diner bellies up to the bar, Maria cooks a taco, and Jose gives me a hi-five, as I snap the photo. The staff was fascinated by my picture taking. Note the 20 gallon propane tank in the middle of the kitchen, and the fact that you can actually chat with the cooks, as you enjoy your delicious meal. This place is total class! Don't look for a menu inside the restaurant, as you won't find one, but there is a small hand-printed menu in the window to the sidewalk. Just ask Jose and Maria what they have, and they'll let you know. If you have something else in mind, just ask them, and if they have the ingredients on hand, they'll make it for you. If you speak Spanish, even just a little bit, it will work wonders for you, and the staff will love you for it.
Photo: Jose and Maria, cooking my tripe tacos, grin for my camera, as they're doing what they do best: Cooking delicious food, and engaging in friendly conversation. Maria placed the corn tortillas on the griddle, as Jose dug out a couple of pieces of trip from a container and placed them, next to the tortillas, on the griddle. It was quite an enjoyable experience to chit-chat with Jose and Maria, and savor the smell of fresh corn tortillas, and the sizzle of tripe cooking on the griddle. When tortillas were heated and starting to bubble, Maria removed them from the griddle and placed them on a plate; Jose asked me if I wanted beans on my tacos - that was a no-brainier - so after the tripe was finished and placed on the tacos, Jose scooped a couple of spoonfuls from a pot, simmering on the stove, and placed the beans on my tacos. At Emiliano's Tacos, garnishes are a serve yourself affair, as they're in a tray on the counter, and you just help yourself to whatever you want. Condiments include diced tomatoes, diced white onions, chopped cilantro, guacamole, radishes, sliced limes and red or green salsa. I loaded my tacos with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, guacamole, squeezed lime juice all over my tacos, and sat back to savor the masterpieces that I had just purchased.
Photo: Jose and Maria work the counter on this early Wednesday evening. Note the condiments on the counter. Your taco arrives with meat and tortilla, so you get to dress your tacos with the condiments of your choice. Oh yes! These tacos were great! In the style of tripitas, the tripe was cooked crispy on the outside, yet chewy and tender on the inside, just the way I like it. The tortillas were fresh, moist, and cooked perfectly on the griddle. Most taquerias utilize two tortillas per taco, but at Emiliano's Tacos, they only used two tortillas per taco, as each tortillas was quite large, and thick, and with Maria's tender touch, the tortillas didn't crumble when you took your first bite into the taco. After loading my tacos up with condiments, and taking my first bite, juice from the tripe and the condiments just sort of oooozed out, which made for simply amazing tacos! Between bites of the delicious tacos, I kept up a running conversation with Jose and Maria, and I gave them many compliments on their delicious creations. Oh yes, the price of admission to taco nirvana was only MEX $20.00, but due to their friendly, wonderful service, and the quality of the product they delivered, I left each of them a MEX $10.00 tip. Why not? I'm a firm believer in rewards for a quality job.
Photo: My two tripe tacos, complete with beans, diced tomatoes, diced onions, cilantro and guacamole. You add it all up and it amounts to DELICIOUS!! Each taco contained a generous amount of marinated tripe, grilled on the griddle until it was slightly crisp on the outside, and chewy tender on the inside, just the way it's supposed to be. The tripe - or tripas - was placed on a medium sized, toasted corn tortilla, which was toasted perfectly so it stayed together when you held your taco, and when you bit into it, the tortilla didn't fall apart. For condiments, I added pot beans, creamy guacamole, diced onion, diced tomato, along with diced cilantro. Amazing tacos! I can't say enough great things about Emiliano's Tacos... do yourself a favor and pay them a visit, and you'll be transported into taco nirvana, Jalisco style! Emiliano's Tacos Copyright(c) 2009 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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