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Menudo... Is the word menudo legendary or magical? Is menudo the true breakfast of champions, and the one and only cure for the dreaded hangover? Do you have to be a "homeboy" to truly enjoy menudo? Balderdash! Menudo is for everybody, and when you're in San Vicente, Baja California, Mexico, it's an everyday treat, especially when you visit Menuderia La Mejor, located on the east side of Highway 1, about 100 yards south of the only stop light in town.
Photo: Menuderia La Mejor, located on the east side of Highway 1, south of the only traffic light in town, is easy to find. I'll make no bones about it, I search for menudo wherever I travel, and my quest for menudo intensifies when I'm in northern Mexico. You either love or hate menudo, as there's no middle ground, but I'm in the "love-it" camp, as I've been a lover of menudo all of my life. I'm always looking out for menudo, and as I was passing through the small town of San Vicente, my radar went green when I saw Menuderia La Mejor, as the name implies that they serve menudo, and my heartbeat flat-lined when I actually talked to friendly Consuela, the friendly lady who runs the place, as I placed my order for a bowl of menudo, corn tortillas, complete with all of the trimmings.
Photo: Menuderia La Mejor features outdoor dining, as do most of the small, family-owned restaurants in San Vicente. Menuderia La Mejor is easy to find, as are all of the eateries in San Vicente, as its located next to previously-visited Birriera San Vicente, which is located on the east side of Highway 1, about 100 yards south of the only stop light in town. Friendly Consuelo greets customers, takes orders, and makes change, and a shy woman who wouldn't speak to me works in the kitchen, preparing the menudo. Menuderia La Mejor only serves menudo is open for breakfast and lunch only, and as their name implies, they specialize in menudo. Menudo is served every day, along with such Mexican breakfast favorites as fried eggs, chorizo, beans and tortillas, but menudo is the signature dish of the restaurant. According to Consuela, the restaurant opens about 0700, give or take depending on the season, and closes when the menudo runs out, which typically happens anytime between late morning and early afternoon. For your information: Menudo is a favored breakfast dish in northern Mexico. Work at Menuderia La Mejor starts very early in the morning, typically around 0300, as good menudo requires a lot of labor, and takes a long time to prepare. Everything at Menuderia La Mejor is made in-house, including the delicious corn tortillas, which are made by hand. It's low-tech, labor-intensive, but that is the only way to produce superior menudo.
Photo: Friendly Consuela places a bowl of condiments on the table next to my bowl of menudo. She didn't mind posing for my camera. At the time of my visit, at about 1100 on September 23, 2008, the restaurant had long since finished serving breakfast, but they still had a large pot of menudo simmering on the back burner of the stove, and when Consuelo suggested that I might like to order menudo, it was not a problem for me. For the small price of MEX $50.00 (about $4.75 U.S. dollars at the time this article was written) I received a gigantic bowl of some of the best menudo available on the planet, garnishes which include diced white onions, sliced limones, cilantro, oregano, delicious homemade salsa, and an unlimited supply of fresh, made-before-your-eyes corn tortillas. In fact I had to tell Consuela to stop bringing me more tortillas, as I was quite filled up after the first half-dozen. Or was it eight tortillas? Whatever the count, the delicious homemade corn tortillas are unlimited.
Photo: All of this delicious food for less than $5.00 U.S. dollars! Not to mention all of the in-house made corn tortillas that you can eat. While enjoying my delicious meal of menudo and corn tortillas, it was interesting to sit outside, and observe the goings-on of small-town Mexico, on a Tuesday morning, and to watch what everyday people do on a day-to-day basie. Up-close-and-personal was Consuela's daughter, who repeatedly drove up to the restaurant, in her Ford van, along with her three children, to "borrow" money from mom, in order, I suppose, to make ends meet. I knew the lady in the van was Consuela's daughter, as the resemblance was very striking. Menudo heaven is found at Menuderia La Mejor, and as their name implies, as they serve the best menudo that can be found East of Eden. Highly recommended for all lovers of menudo. Copyright(c) 2008 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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