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Our friend Rodolfo told us that if we wanted to sample the cuisine of the local area, there were two places to go: The central market, or the park at the town square. We were lucky, as Cd. Mante has a central market, located at the corner of Av. Guerro and Calle Zaragoza, where you can purchase practically anything, but shopping is hungry work, so there are many restaurants located in the central market, to satisfy the hunger of the shoppers. On this Saturday morning, September 30, 2006, Rodolfo and I were in the market for a hot bowl of menudo, so he suggested that we take a trip over to the central market, as surely there would many restaurants serving menudo, which is a popular breakfast dish in this part of the country. Photo: Comedor Juanita is located in the central market, in downtown Cd. Mante. Note the musician who is serenading these happy breakfast diners. The central market in Cd. Mante is quite large, as it occupies an entire city block, and it offers one-stop shopping, as everything, including restaurants, are under one roof. In the northwest corner of the building, the market features a sort of Mante version of a food court, as there are a dozen or so restaurants that face an open area, and tables and chairs are set up in the open area and shared by diners patronizing the restaurants. Since Rodolfo and I were in the mood for menudo, we homed in on Comedor Juanita, which Rodolfo told me served an outstanding bowl of menudo. Photo: Jerry photographs three out of the four women working in the restaurant today, behind the order counter. Comedor Juanita is a very large operation, and it occupies a space within the market that would normally be used for two or three restaurants. It's staffed by four women, with Juanita herself in charge of the operation, two daughters, a granddaughter, who shouldn't be working in the restaurant, as she belongs on the cover of Cosmopolitan Magazine (en Espaņol), and another, very young granddaughter that was just tagging along for the ride. They don't post a menu, but a sign above the order counter advertises that they serve mole, caldos, barbacoa, menudo, picadillo, chuletas, enchiladas, tamales, and of course, tacos. The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch, during market hours, and they occasionally will stay open later, if business warrants it. They also serve soft drinks and jugos, made by hand. Photo: A look inside the kitchen at Comedor Juanita shows everybody busy at work. To place your order, you just walk up to the counter and place your order. The kitchen is immediately behind the counter, and open, so you can see exactly what goes on. The kitchen could best be described as "functional," as it's cluttered, messy, and it needs a new coat of paint, everywhere. Sanitation seems to be an afterthought, as grease and kitchen drippings seem to be everywhere, especially on the wall behind the stove, griddle, and the appliances themselves. Don't even think about U.S. sanitary customs like hair nets and latex gloves, as food is prepared at Juanita's the old fashioned way... by hand. If one of the members of the U.S. "Restaurant Police" decided to enjoy breakfast at Comedor Juanita, they'd probably drop dead, or at least have to be wheeled away from the restaurant on a gurney. Ditto for any member of O.S.H.A. as well... As for me, I leave all of that crazy protocol north of the border, and I enjoy food the way it's prepared in Mexico, por mano! Photo: Chile puree and seasonings are poured into a large stock pot, along with cooked tripe and hominy to make a wonderful pot of menudo. Menudo is a very popular breakfast dish in northern Mexico. Rodolfo and I each ordered a bowl of menudo with all of the fixin's, including a stack of corn tortillas, diced cilantro, diced white onions, and key lime halves... all for the low price of MEX $30.00 per bowl! Cheap! Cheap! Cheap! Jerry is not a connoisseur of menudo, so he went across the aisle to Comedor La Bajadita and ordered a breakfast of tacos de barbacoa. Neither Rodolfo nor I cared about the dubious sanitary conditions, as we had only one objective: Menudo! Photo: Julie, the model-quality girl working the restaurant, and Juanita, who I presume is her grandmother. I have always wondered why most restaurants make a big deal out of serving menudo, when there is already a pot of it simmering on a back burner, and all they have to do is ladle out a bowl of it and hand it to you. Such is the case at Juanita's, but it gave me ample opportunity to watch the girls in action, and truly anticipate the breakfast that I was about to enjoy. The model-quality girl - I later found out her name was Julie, placed a dozen or so corn tortillas on a griddle to toast them, as one of the other women ladled brick-red menudo from a large stock pot, into bowls. The garnishes were already on the table in front of us, and within minutes,, Rodolfo and I were enjoying a wonderful breakfast of menudo, toasted corn tortillas, and all of the garnishes. Photo: Large stock pots of menudo, beans, picadillo, caldo de pescado and more, cooking on one of the restaurant's kitchen ranges. Yes, the menudo was good in fact, it was outstanding! The girls didn't skimp on ingredients, as the stew was loaded with lots of juicy pieces of tripe, hominy, and everything else that goes into menudo. The broth was thick, and left a red coating on the spoon after you dip it into the bowl, which is just the way I like it. Rodolfo and I each got a stack of six corn tortillas, and they were toasted on the griddle to perfection, as they were just a little hard in places, yet soft, chewy and pliable, which important, so you can roll them up and dip them into your menudo. The bottom line is Comedor Juanita makes delicious menudo! Photo: Comedor Juanita offers dining in the "food court," under the roof of the central market of Cd. Mante. Rodolfo is in the center of the photo, chatting with a pretty girl. After breakfast, I noticed that Julie didn't seem to be very busy, so I walked over to the counter, with the pretence of placing my bowl and tortilla plate on the counter, so she wouldn't have to do it. I was rewarded with a beautiful smile, that practically melted me in my tracks, and I asked her if I could take her picture, and she graciously allowed me to do so. Naturally, I complimented her on her beauty, and she blushed and thanked me, but probably didn't take me too seriously, as I'm more than old enough to be her father. All flirtations aside, I asked her a few questions, and found out that the business family owned and operated, and the little girl wasn't her daughter, as she isn't married, and the little girl is her niece. Maybe I have a chance with her? Photo: Check out the pots, the griddle, and the walls of the restaurant! Grease... Sanitation seems to be quite lax, but I suppose it makes the food taste better. Julie told me that everything, including the tortillas, is made by hand, from local ingredients, in the restaurant. She said that they make everything fresh, because their customers like it that way, and they don't have an refrigerator, only an ice chest. She said it takes a lot of work and planning to order enough ingredients, so they don't run out, or so nothing goes to waste, but if they run out, it's a simple matter to run over to one of the other vendors in the market to purchase whatever they need. Photo: Juanita places Rodolfo's breakfast of menudo on the table in front of him, as he rolls a tortilla in preparation before dipping it into the menudo. I asked her about the menudo, as if you've ever made menudo from scratch, you know it's a long process... She told me that most of the work is done the day before, but they get to work a couple of hours before opening time to perform the final cooking, and to make sure the stew is heated and well blended before the restaurant opens, which is 7 O'clock every morning. She told me that the staff members rotate among the family, so nobody has to work 6 or 7 days a week, and depending on how busy things are, the place is normally staffed by 2 to 5 family members. I suppose they anticipated a busy day today, as there were four women working at this restaurant on this mid-Saturday morning. Photo: My breakfast of a large bowl of menudo, corn tortillas, and garnishes. Rodolfo is rolling a tortilla in the background. Photo: Rodolfo and I enjoy our delicious breakfast of menudo, and Mexican Pepsi to drink. In Mexico, coffee is available, but its not commonly served for breakfast, and refills are almost never offered. Rodolfo taught me how to roll up tortillas, using only one hand, and dip them in the menudo. If you're a lover of menudo, you're in for a treat when you visit Comedor Juanita. Highly recommended! Comedor Juanita Copyright(c) 2006 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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