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Friends Jerry, Dick and I had spent the last hour or so wandering the streets of downtown Cd. Miguel Alemán, admiring the sights, enjoying the culture, and experience new things... but exploring can make three grown men hungry, and as we hiked back toward the town plaza, where we'd parked, we noticed Gorditas Aracely, strategically located in front of a pawn shop, and when the word "gordita" registered, we made a beeline for the restaurant.
Photo: Gorditas Aracely operates on the street, and on the sidewalk, in front of a florist. Note the dining facilities, next to the kitchen, on the street. It's late in the afternoon - almost time for dinner - on Wednesday, October 04, 2006, and we're hungry, and ready to enjoy some of the best cusine Cd. Aleman has to offer. Calling Gorditas Aracely a restaurant may be a bit far-fetched, as the restaurant is actually a small trailer, and an auxiliary stand that serves as the kitchen. Aracely is located on Av. E. Zapata on the east side of the street, between C. Cuarta and C. Quinta, in the street and on the sidewalk in front of a store with a name of "Joyeria," which advertises that they buy and sell jewelry. The restaurant is staffed by two women and one gentleman, outfitted in red aprons, who are very friendly, and customer-focused. They don't have a printed menu, but they offer gorditas, nopalitos, chichirrónes, picadillo, deschebrada, hot dogs, hamburgers, and other delights. The cooking is performed in the "kitchen," which is actually a small table set near the curb at the edge of the street, next to the trailer, and the trailer seems to serve the purpose of a refrigerator, storage shed, and a condiment stand. On the sidewalk, in front of the flower store, is a large folding table that serves as a prep station, and a place to stack paper plates, plastic utensils, stacks of tortillas, and other restaurant items. The operation is completely portable, and heat is provided by propane, stored in a large tank, set between the cart and the "kitchen."
Photo: Another view of the dining facilities that Gorditas Aracely has to offer. The shelves to the right of the photo belong to the flower shop. They were about ready to close for the day when we wandered by. Gorditas Aracely is a sit-down restaurant, as they have a couple of red plastic tables, with matching plastic chairs, so you don't have to stand as you attempt to eat your meal. I haven't mastered the art of standing when I eat, like so many Mexicans have, so I always appreciate a restaurant that offers seating. In the case of Aracely, the tables and chairs were clean, which made the idea of enjoying a gordita or two more appealing.
Photo: Everybody seems to enjoy having their photo taken; I didn't even have to say "Cheese" to get smiles from everybody in the photo.
Photo: Tortillas are cooked in oil, in a wok. Note the puffed tortilla that has been removed from the oil. The tortillas will be sliced open, and filled with picadillo, or other fillings. Believe it or not, I really wasn't in the mood for a gordita, as I had hot dog on the brain, but when I asked the lady for a hot dog or two, she told me that they were out of hot dogs and all they were serving was gorditas, as they were about ready to close for the day. In chatting with her, I learned that Gorditas Aracely is open for breakfast and lunch only, and they're open for business six days a week, at the same location. When its closing time, they pack up the operation and store it in a business across the street; I never really got the connection between the two businesses... So I asked her what was available, and she replied "gorditas," so I said that I'd be interested in two of them, and a Pepsi. She was a bit on the apologetic side because they weren't serving anything else, due to the fact that it was nearly 2 in the afternoon, and almost closing time.
Photo: Cooked tortillas are being removed from the wok. Picadillo, and other fillings for the gorditas, are warming in pots, to the lady's right. Heat is supplied by propane bottles, located on the street. No worries about propane bottles in Mexico.
Photo: My order of gorditas is sitting on the plate, in the foreground of the photo, and the lady is almost ready to hand them to me. I had never seen a gordita prepared on the streets of a Mexican city, nor had I ever had the pleasure to enjoy a street-cooked gordita, prior to visiting Aracely, so I paid close attention to the lady doing the cooking, as she prepared my gorditas. Anyway, she grabbed a couple of balls of masa dough from a stock pot, and using both hands, quickly formed each one into the shape of a cd-sized tortilla, about a quarter of an inch thick. Then, she placed them into a wok-like pan of hot oil that was sizzling over high heat, and stirred them a bit with a large spatula. After the tortillas were removed from the wok they were puffed up, so she placed them on a cutting board and inserted a knife, and cut an opening in each tortilla, and hollowed out the inside to make a pita-like sandwich. She certainly held my attention...
Photo: my order of gorditas, with extra cabbage on the side. The plate is re-used, and plastic is thrown away, for sanitary reasons, after use. It would be difficult, to say the least, to properly wash dishes on the downtown street. Next, she placed the tortillas on a paper plate, lined with plastic, and spooned cooked, spiced ground beef, locally known as picadillo, into each gordita, and stuffed garnishes of diced onions, cilantro shredded cabbage inside the gorditas. The ground beef, and other condiments, were kept in warming pots, built in to the "kitchen," next to the wok. She placed additional diced onions and shredded cabbage on the plate, and with a smile, handed me my delicious lunch. The gorditas were simply wonderful! The ground beef filling was very flavorful, but not at all spicy, and the garnishes complimented the filling, and the crispy, but not greasy tortillas. The lady doing the cooking must have read my mind, as by the time I finished my gorditas, she had a couple more ready for me. I protested that I didn't want any more, but with a smile, she put them on the plate in front of me. What was I to do besides enjoy a couple more?
Photo: Your author and webmaster, Eric Rench, to the left, enjoys a gordita, as friend Dick Gall looks on. When I was finished, I handed her a MEX $50.00 to pay for my meal, but before taking my money, she asked me if I'd like any more. I thanked her, and told her that I was full, and that the gorditas were truly delicious. I wasn't saying that just to give her a "feel-good moment," or to flatter her, as the gorditas were truly delicious. Imagine my surprise when she gave me MEX $30.00 in change! We're talking about only MEX $20.00 for four gorditas and a Pepsi! When I attempted to give her the rest of the change, she wouldn't take it. Wow, I couldn't believe what was happening, as I'd never been treated to such an enjoyable meal, at such an inexpensive price. I attempted again to give her the rest of the money, but she cheerfully refused. I didn't want to offend her, but I managed to slip a dollar bill under a bottle of picante sauce for a tip.
Photo: The crew of Gorditas Aracely pose for the camera, shortly before closing the store for the day. Gorditas Aracely serves delicious gorditas, and the staff members, especially the lady doing the cooking, are among the friendliest that I've every had the pleasure to meet. I love this place, and I'll be sure to visit them again, during my next visit to Cd. Alemán. Gorditas Aracely Copyright(c) 2006 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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