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Late in the afternoon on Sunday, March 11, 2007, I was wandering the streets of downtown Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, and I was in the mood for Chinese food, which is very plentiful in Mexicali, due to the large population of folks who came to Mexicali from China, many years ago. I passed a couple of restaurants, but the parking lots were full, and I don't like to dine at a crowded restaurant, especially when I'm dining along. As I approached the corner of Calle Mexico and Av. Reforma, in the "Primera" section of Mexicali, I spotted smoke! Not just any smoke, but smoke pouring from a grill, erected on the sidewalk. The thought of Chinese food vanished when I spotted/smelled the smoke, as I knew that something good was cooking on the streets of downtown Mexicali. As I approached the operation, I could see one guy cooking meat on a grill, on the sidewalk, and another guy cutting vegetables inside a food service cart, complete with workstation, covered awning, and condiment dispensor. I knew that I'd found my meal for the evening.
Photo: : An overview of their operation, clearly showing the chef cooking the chicken and the tripe, on the sidewalk, near the street, and the vegetable guy working the stand, against the fence. I'd say the zoning differs slightly in Mexicali than what is found north of the border.
Photo: Our veggie guy is joined by another guy on the trailer. Note the propane-fired burner which keeps the pot of beans hot, and the condiments displayed in bowls, placed on the shelf to the right of the tralier. I also note graffiti painted on the trailer in both photos. The meat is cooked near the sidewalk, but the tacos are assembled on the trailer. I couldn't see a name painted on the grill, the taco trailer, or the van that was parked on the street that they seemed to be working out of. I asked the guy who was grilling meat what the name of their operation was, and he shrugged his shoulders and replied, "No tienemos un nombre," which means that they don't have a name. After further questioning from me as to why they don't have a name, he replied, "Nosotros no necesitamos un nombre como todos saben acerca de nosotros," which simply means that everybody knows about them, so they don't really need a name. Well, that makes sense to me in Mexicali. I asked the guy what he was cooking, and he replied "Tripas," and I told him that I'll take one. I can't resist a Mexican taco de tripa. Never. Nunca. Ever... NoName Cafe operates at the corner of Calle Mexico and Av. Reforma, a few blocks south of the international border in downtown Mexicali. It's a two-man operation, as one guy cooks meat and in-house made tortillas on the propane-fired grill on the sidewalk, and the other guy operates from a taco cart, or taco trailer, depending upon which part of Texas you are from. The guy in the trailer chops veggies, makes salsa, makes tortillas, and keeps the place clean. Between the two of them, they're two very busy guys. They've been serving fine tacos in the same location for eight years. NoName Cafe is my kind of place...
Photo: The chef is cooking chicken, over a propane-fired grill on the streets of downtown Mexicali.
Photo: Close-up photo of cooking chicken. He sprinkles water on the cooking chicken to add moisture. As in the case of most small street vendors, dining conditions are quite rustic, but NoName has a couple of plastic tables complete with chairs placed on the sidewalk near the taco cart, so you can sit down and enjoy your meal. I asked the guy cutting up vegetables what varieties of tacos they were serving, and he told me that they were serving tacos de tripas and tacos de pollo. Upon further questioning, as per the limited choice, he told me that they serve whatever they have on hand. That really doesn't surprise me, as that seems to be the way it is with small Mexican street food vendors. Naturally, I ordered a taco de tripas, which consisted of a cd-sized corn tortilla, with the grilled tripa placed on top of the tortilla. In Mexico, "tripas" aren't tripe, as they're small intestines from hogs, goats or cattle, that are, before cooking, around an inch in diameter, and are normally around a foot or so in length. The customary way to cook tripas in Mexico is to smoke them, or grill them, but the idea is to leave the grilled tripas just a little bit "chewy," as that's what makes a good taco de tripas.
Photo: Close-up shot of the bowl of condiments to place on your taco. Oh boy!
Photo: My taco de tripas, loaded with many of the condiments offered from the many bowl of freshly made condiments and salsas. For the small price of MEX $10.00, I dined on fine taco de tripas, and was able to choose from the following condiments to garnish my fine taco: Salsa verde, salsa de chipotle, salsa cruda, guacamole, diced onions, and radishes, all served from the taco cart located on the other side of the sidewalk. As per the prevailing protocol from street vendors in Mexico, you get your meat on the tortilla, and then you place your choice of condiments on the taco, sit down at the table, and enjoy a slice of pure heaven, priced at way below a U.S. dollar. This is my kind of "fast food!" NoName taco stand is highly recommended by the author. Check it out! NoName Tacos Copyright(c) 2014 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., custon photography for any occasion...
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