Review of Rico's Elotes in Tijuana Zona Rio...

As soon as you emerge from the second turnstile, after crossing the border into Tijuana, you arrive on Av. Amistad, which is noted for its abundance of taxis and taco stands. Like a beacon in the wilderness, many folks head directly for the golden arches, which light the way to the Plaza de Tijuana, and the pedestrian route to downtown, but I'm not among the multitude, as I prefer to enjoy the local cuisine. No trip to Tijuana is complete without enjoying an elote, and Rico's Elotes is the first corn vendor that you'll see, as he's on the sidewalk directly in front of McDonald's Restaurant, on Av. Amistad.

Photo: Rico's Elotes is getting their sign touched up by a painter. The corn cart is staffed by two guys who make their living selling grilled corn, on busy Av. Amistad, in Tijuana's Zona Rio, near the U.S. border. I had the pleasure to visit them on Monday, December 28, 2009.

You owe it to yourself to stop at Rico's, if you're a fan of roasted corn. If you're not familiar with elotes, it's basically corn on the cob, Mexican style, and it's a very common snack sold by street vendors in cities all across Mexico. Rico offers elotes either grilled over charcoal or boiled, and the corn can be ordered on the cob, or scraped from the cob and eaten out of a styrafoam cup, with the garnishes mixed in with the corn. The going price for an elote is U.S. $1.00; when I offered a MEX $20.00 to the vendor at Rico's Elotes, the guy at the cart fumbled for change, so I finally acquiesced and gave him a dollar bill.

Photo: My elote is getting wrapped in foil, before he places the condiments on it. I should have asked him what the mustard is for, as mustard is not a usual condiment for grilled corn.

I ordered my corn on the cob, grilled. Several ears of corn were cooking on the grill, but there were other already cooked and waiting to be sold, so one of the corn guys grabbed an ear, and stuck a stick in the end of the ear, to use as a handle. Deftly, he tore off a sheet of aluminum foil and asked me what I wanted on my corn, and I replied "todo," as when I'm visiting Mexico, I want it all! All consisted of mayonnaise, picante sauce and powdered sugar, drizzled with fresh lime juice. Oh yes! After applying everything to my ear of grilled corn, he wrapped it up in aluminum foil, handed it to me, and in return, I gave him a dollar bill.

Photo: Here is my elote, ready to enjoy. I'm not a fan of sugar, but to get enjoy the total experience, I allowed the corn guy to coat my ear with powdered sugar.

Since Rico's Elotes is located next to the Plaza de Tijuana, there are plenty of places to sit down and enjoy your delicious elote. Mexicans are quite adept at eating while standing, but I prefer to sit when I eat, and it also makes it easier to take photos of my treat.

Rico's Elotes serves delicious grilled corn, and offers a great selection of condiments, at a very reasonable price. If you're a fan of elotes, after you cross the border, you can't go wrong by making a stop at Rico's.

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