|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly people are priceless, and are truly a gift from God, and in Tijuana, you won't friend any friendlier folks than the ladies that work at Loncherķa Las Rosas, in Tijuana's Zona Centro. Sunday morning, October 17, 2010, I had the pleasure of enjoying a large bowl of some of the best menudo in Tijuana at Las Rosas, and getting the opportunity to know Olivia and Melissa, the friendly staff who run the restaurant. 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: Loncherķa Las Rosas is located in a tiny, hole-in-the-wall store, with a front to the sidewalk of maybe 12 feet wide. It's located on Av. Negrete, just a few doors south of Calle Articulo 123, which is the route that most American tourists take when they walk from the border to downtown Tijuana to party. I doubt that many gringos even notice Loncherķa Las Rosas, must less stop in. Loncherķa Las Rosas has a slogan painted on their sign which reads, "Comida Corrida y A La Carta," which translates to "fast food and a la carte." Like many small diners in Tijuana, and in Mexico, Loncheria Las Rosas is open to the street, for your dining pleasure. The gentleman sitting on the stool is a super-friendly regular customer named Carlos, and I had the pleasure to spend some time with him, and to get to know him.
Photo: Olivia, who manages the restaurant, is busy in the open kitchen. It's Sunday morning, and the well-dressed gentleman is on his way to church, and he's enjoying a breakfast of bacon, eggs, beans and corn tortillas. Like your typical diner north of the border, Loncherķa Las Rosas is open only for breakfast and lunch. You can get an idea of the size of this compact restaurant.
Photo: Olivia and her helper Melissa in the kitchen. Olivia is in the process of spooning menudo from the big pot, simmering on the back burner, into a bowl for my breakfast. Note the well-used, antique range, and the two chickens crowded into the small pot. Olivia and Melissa were very friendly and very talkative, and seemed amused that I was taking photos. As usual, Melissa asked me why I was taking photos, and I told her that I love to take photos of beautiful women - yeah, I really do! - and both she and Olivia giggled when I gave her that line. I then clarified that I'm a free-lance writer, and that I was doing an article for my web site about their restaurant, and both women seemed to understand what the Internet is all about.
Photo: This shot was taken at the extreme rear of the diner, and gives a good idea of the compact size of the restaurant. I'd guess the inside measurements of the restaurant are about 12 by 35 feet.
Photo: Loncherķa Las Rosas makes orange juice the old fashioned way - by hand, using a manual orange press, from fresh oranges, hanging from a basket. Melissa gives my camera a very coy look as she operates the hand press.
Photo: Like most small diners in Tijuana, the range is fed with bottled propane, and in this case, the range seems to be very busy. The pot of menudo is simmering on the left rear burger, and the big pot, with the rock on top, contains tamales. Note the pot on the right with the two whole chickens cooking. I asked Olivia what the chicken was for, and she said she's starting the chicken going, which will be used in chicken tamales tomorrow. Works in my direction...
Photo: Melissa makes room on the griddle to toast my tortillas. Toasted corn tortillas work well with a delicious bowl of menudo, and Melissa has the toasting technique down to a fine science.
Photo: Olivia cooks chorizo for Carlos, a local who stopped by and sat on the stool next to me and started chatting to me about the weather. Like friendly Carlos, Olivia and Melissa seemed to know everybody, as most people walking by on the sidewalk would say "hola," and then the women would answer by saying something like "Buenas dķas, Paco," as they seemed to know everybody by name.
Photo: Olivia poses with my breakfast of a bowl of some of the best menudo that I've enjoyed in a long time. Olivia asked me where I was from, and I told her, and like most Mexicans, she had no idea where Sacramento is, but when I told her it was a couple hundred clicks north east of San Francisco, she get the general idea of where I was from. Loncherķa Las Rosas does not have a posted menu, and they serve typical Mexican diner fare of menudo, pozole, beans, eggs, bacon chorizo, tacos, and Olivia was quick to point out to me that she'll be happy to prepare for me anything that I want. Next trip, I plan to stop by and enjoy a plate of bacon, beans, eggs and corn tortillas, which is one of my favorite breakfasts.
Photo: Olivia was kind enough to snap a photo of me, as I was about ready to enjoy my breakfast of menudo. Behind me, on the wall, is the nearest that Loncherķa Las Rosas has to a printed menu, as it lists the daily specials. I love this little diner, I love the friendly service, and I absolutely love menudo. Loncherķa Las Rosas is exactly the kind of restaurant that I love to patronize in my travels to Mexico. Speaking of menu... like most small loncherias in Mexico, there is no printed menu. If you something in mind, just ask the friendly staff. If they have the ingredients on hand - which is most likely - they'll cheerfully fill your order. Another thing to consider... you're in Mexico, and you'll enoy your visit a lot more if you speak at least a little Spanish, and the staff will treat you like family when you speak the language of Mexico.
Photo: My breakfast of a huge bowl of menudo, with all of the garnishes, and a stack of corn tortillas, which I paid MEX $48.00 for, which is slightly over US $4.00; quite a bargain. Loncherķa Las Rosas does not make the tortillas in-house, but the tortillas are purchased fresh from a nearby tortilla. Olivia told me that she sends Melissa over to the torterilla several times a day when they start running low on tortillas. The menudo came from a big pot that was simmering on the stove, and Olivia told me that she had made the menudo earlier in the day. It has been a long time since I had enjoyed a breakfast of delicious menudo, and the menudo served at Loncherķa Las Rosas is some of the best that I've ever tasted. Both ladies smiled and thanked me when I told them how delicious the menudo was. They were so friendly and nice that I left a 5 dollar bill as a tip.
Photo: A bowl of some of the best menudo that you'll find in Tijuana, from Loncheria Las Rosas. I've already added onion, chili pepper, cilantro and lime juice to enhance this amazing bowl of menudo. Olivia keeps a big pot of menudo simmering on the back burner of their range, and she starts the day very early in the morning to get the menudo going. Her efforts is worth it, as this menudo features savory, brick-red broth, lots of tripe, and lots of hominy, which make for a great bowl of menudo. Add to the t.l.c. and charm that Olivia adds, and you have an academy award-winning bowl of menudo.
Photo: The gentleman to the left, Carlos, who sat on a stool next to me, ordered a breakfast of chorizo, eggs, rice and beans, and alternated between eating, talking, and reading the paper. He was more than happy to talk to the ladies working the restaurant, anybody who passed by on the sidewalk, and to me, as I'm a friendly person. The gentleman standing had just sold Olivia several bunches of fresh cilantro. Loncherķa Las Rosas seems to be a local hang-out on this Sunday morning in mid October. Loncheria Las Rosas is as good as it gets, as the staff is amazingly friendly, the food is delicious, the price is beyond reasonable, and the diner is a neighborhood "hang-out" for all the locals, who enjoy great conversation and great food. When you're in the mood for amazing Mexican diner cuisine, pay a visit to Loncheria Las Rosas, in Tijuana's Zona Centro. Loncherķa Las Rosas Copyright(c) 2011 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
|
