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Early on the rainy, Wednesday evening of December 30, 2009, I was hiking several blocks west of downtown Tijuana on Av. 5 de Mayo when I spotted Emiliano's Tacos, with a neon sign above the name of the restaurant sporting a slogan that read "Al Carbon Estilo Jalisco." That slogan implies that the restaurant serves down-home, Mexican comfort food, in the variety found in the state of Jalisco. Although I was on a quest for hot dogs, the idea of grilled, Jalisco-style food was enough to convince me to walk through the wide open door, and place myself on a stool at the counter, and order two tacos de tripitas (tripe tacos) with all the trimmings.
Photo: Emiliano's Tacos appears to be warm and inviting, on this early Wednesday evening in late December... don't pay attention to the graffiti on the building, as graffiti seems to be a fixture in Tijuana culture. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, as after sitting down at the bar, I looked around for a menu, and didn't see one. Emiliano's did have a hand-printed menu in the window facing the street, but since I was too lazy to get up, and the staff was so eager to be of service, I just asked what variety of tacos they serve: Tripita, tripas, chorizo, carne molitas and carne asada. In addition to tacos, they serve quesadillas; the menu is limited at best. You can order any variety of tortillas that your heart desires, as long as they're corn, which is OK with me, as corn tortillas are my favorite. This evening, Emiliano's Tacos was staffed by two friendly persons, Jose and Maria, who seemed to be interchangeable in their duties, as both were staffing the kitchen. The kitchen is arranged behind a counter, so you can sit on a bar stool at the counter, and chit-chat with the staff while they prepare your meal. Jose and Maria both speak a smattering of English, and Jose is quite familiar with California, as he was proud to point out to me that he has a brother who lives in Fresno. Both of them were quite interested in the fact that I was taking many photos, as I explained to them what I do with this Web Site, and I left a couple of business cards with them, as Jose told me he likes to email his brother from the Internet Cafe just down the street.
Photo: A fellow diner bellies up to the bar, Maria cooks a taco, and Jose gives me a hi-five, as I snap the photo. The staff was fascinated by my picture taking. Note the 20 gallon propane tank in the middle of the kitchen, and the fact that you can actually chat with the cooks, as you enjoy your delicious meal. This place is total class!
Photo: Jose and Maria, cooking my tripe tacos, grin for my camera, as they're doing what they do best: Cooking delicious food, and engaging in friendly conversation. Maria placed the corn tortillas on the griddle, as Jose dug out a couple of pieces of trip from a container and placed them, next to the tortillas, on the griddle. It was quite an enjoyable experience to chit-chat with Jose and Maria, and savor the smell of fresh corn tortillas, and the sizzle of tripe cooking on the griddle. When tortillas were heated and starting to bubble, Maria removed them from the griddle and placed them on a plate; Jose asked me if I wanted beans on my tacos - that was a no-brainer - so after the tripe was finished and placed on the tacos, Jose scooped a couple of spoonfuls from a pot, simmering on the stove, and placed the beans on my tacos. At Emiliano's Tacos, garnishes are a serve yourself affair, as they're in a tray on the counter, and you just help yourself to whatever you want. Condiments include diced tomatoes, diced white onions, chopped cilantro, guacamole, radishes, sliced limes and red or green salsa. I loaded my tacos with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, guacamole, squeezed lime juice all over my tacos, and sat back to savor the masterpieces that I had just purchased. Oh yes! These tacos were great! In the style of tripitas, the tripe was cooked crispy on the outside, yet chewy and tender on the inside, just the way I like it. The tortillas were fresh, moist, and cooked perfectly on the griddle. Most taquerias utilize two tortillas per taco, but at Emiliano's Tacos, they only used two tortillas per taco, as each tortillas was quite large, and thick, and with Maria's tender touch, the tortillas didn't crumble when you took your first bite into the taco. After loading my tacos up with condiments, and taking my first bite, juice from the tripe and the condiments just sort of oooozed out, and instantly transported me taco nirvana. Between bites of the delicious tacos, I kept up a running conversation with Jose and Maria, and I gave them many compliments on their delicious creations. Oh yes, the price of admission to taco nirvana was only MEX $20.00, but due to their friendly, wonderful service, and the quality of the product they delivered, I left each of them a MEX $10.00 tip. Why not? I'm a firm believer in rewards for a quality job.
Photo: My two tripe tacos, complete with beans, diced tomatoes, diced onions, cilantro and guacamole. You add it all up and it amounts to DELICIOS! I can't say enough great things about Emiliano's Tacos... do yourself a favor and pay them a visit, and you'll be transported into taco nirvana, Jalisco style! Emiliano's
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