Drive bys - July 26, 2009

All news of Mexican restaurants this time:

*Ramon's is Back! For fans of the old Ramon's in north Lansing, there's a sign on a big red house on West Saginaw that says they are back (and you can see that they have a bbq outside too). The house is a block or two west of Pine St, or a couple of blocks east of the Lansing El Azteco. (Between Butler and Sycamore, but on the north side of the street.)

*Famous Taco has returned to the location right next to the South Precinct of the Lansing Police Department in South Cedar St. This was great location for us before, and I am looking forward to it.

*Sadly, one of our readers has confirmed that Tacqueria Del Rey closed its doors just yesterday. It was probably hard to compete with El Oasis so close by. We will miss this. (Same reader says there could be a middle eastern place moving in soon. The east side has the Jerusalem Bakery and the grocery/deli that moved into the old Lopez Bakery - but I think there is room for something more. We'll see if this location is really cursed or not.)

This is the time of year when our favorite little places suffer. The MSU audience is out of town. Many people go on vacation. Be sure to give some business your favorite small restaurant. Keep them in business!

Tacqueria Del Rey

Editor's Note: Alas, it appears that Tacqueria Del Rey has gone out of business. I think they were probably just too close to El Oasis. If you'll note in the comments below, a reader believes that a middle eastern place may move into the location.


Tacqueria Del Rey has opened up on Michigan Avenue, where Mexico To Go used to be. While they don't have a lot of variety yet, they have that real tacqueria taste.

They tell me that this is their first restaurant, and the menu is still evolving. This means they didn't have a take out menu for me the last two times I stopped in, so I can only tell you about what I remember.

Good juicy carne guisada, which sometimes can be had as "lonches" - or a Mexican sub sandwich. (You can have any filling on that that you can have in a taco, but I recommend the guisada, because the juiciness goes with bread best.) I enjoy the pulled chicken, and I usually get a tostada. It supposedly comes with ground beef, but the beef they've put on it for me is seared and chopped - yum.

Sometimes they have Pan Dulce in the bakery counter as well. These big, lightly sweetened rolls have a colorful outer layer of a sweeter topping - still bread but more sugary. Pan dulce come in different shapes, but here they are mainly snail shell shaped.

Also, to go with your meal, don't forget the Jarritos, Mexican pop. I particularly recommend the tamarindo flavor to relieve your mouth if you go too heavy on the hot sauce.

Tacqueria Del Rey, 1825 East Michigan Avenue. (517) 977-0148.

El Azteco - The Great Old Standby

This blog has gone far too long without a mention of El Azteco. "El Az" as it is often called, has been in East Lansing for almost as long as I can remember (and I won't give away my age by telling you how long that is). And although this restaurant has moved and expanded, it has not changed. The food is still messy and a little inconsistent, but tasty as all get out and very filling for a reasonable price.

The tortillas and chips are fresh, and salsa only comes in hot. If you want something a little milder (or even if you don't) order up a bowl of their cheese dip, which is a light, creamy combo of sour cream, cottage cheese, regular chees and green onions.

My favorite meal is a la carte: a Guacamole Tostada, Chicken Taco and Rice. The Guac Tostada is a fried tortilla platter, slathered with hot beans and melted cheese, then covered with guacamole, lettuce and tomatoes. It's messy and difficult to eat, but OHHHH it's good. The chicken taco is made with pulled chicken meat, stewed in a medium colorado sauce. (Watch out, it's hand made, and sometimes you might find a bone in it.) Soft corn tortilla, lettuce and tomato.

The rice is really good, but vegetarians should watch out -- it's made with chicken broth. Otherwise, non-meat items are suitable for ovo-lacto vegetarians. (Vegans would be better off heading for Altus.)

El Azteco is also famous for its enchiladas, which come in many varieties. My favorite is the Enchiladas de Jocoque -- which are filled with a creamy cheese mixture much like the cheese dip, and soaked in spicy red sauce. Other's prefer the Blue Corn Enchiladas, which I think come with their Chili Verde. (A Chili Verde Burrito is also a special item here.)

Other special dishes are the Botana, which is something like a cross between nachos and a guacamole tostada - a plate of chips slathered with hot beans and cheese, then piled high with guacamole, lettuce and tomato. And then there is the Topopo Salad, which has all of the above plus chicken and peas and other things. This one tends to be piled so high, it's like a hay stack.

The East Lansing location has a rooftop patio which is open in good weather, and there is a second location downtown, which has more of a local working class bar atmosphere.

(And to all those who hit my blog from Google searches on "el az taco" or "elaz taco" those are local slang names for the place. This is the restauant you are looking for: The Aztec, El Azteco.)

El Azteco, 225 Ann Street, East Lansing. (517) 351-9111 El Azteco, 1016 W Saginaw St., Lansing. (517) 485-4589

Fiesta Charra - Fresh Food, Fun Decor

When you enter Fiesta Charra on Grand River, east of East Lansing, the first thing you will notice is the colorfully painted chairs. The whole place is decorated with such colorful scenes. It promises a bright, flavorful experience, and Fiesta Charra delivers.

They have a full Mexican menu, but I have to admit I keep ordering the fajitas. They are too good to pass up. You can get beef, chicken or shrimp, or a combination of all three. You see the combo version here, which was good, but I have to say I liked the beef best -- thinly sliced shreds, seared on a fajita iron with onions, tomatoes, and peppers and a wedge of lime. The chicken is good, but a little plain for me, and the shrimp is great, but shrimp seared on the grill just doesn't highlight the flavors to best effect for me. (This is a personal preference, not a comment on Fiesta Charra.) There are more shrimp dishes on the menu that look good, if I ever get past the fajitas.

I can't remember the name of another dish we fully enjoyed -- I think it was something as simple as "Chili Verde". It was pulled pork served in a flavorful green chili sauce, and it made a nice counterpoint to the fajitas.

Both dishes are served with beans and rice, and your choice of homemade tortillas. (I prefer the corn, but if you can't make up your mind, they will serve them half and half.) Also, a platter of lettuce, sour cream, picante sauce and guacamole for you to dress your own meal.

The chips are fresh and tasty, and they come with not only the usual salsa, but a cool sour cream salsa -- maybe Ranchero style? It's a little sweet and very creamy, and it makes for an interesting break from the usual.

Fiesta Charra is in the same strip with Oriental Mart, just east of Coral Gables at 2800 E Grand River Ave, in East Lansing, MI 48823. (517) 333-6768.

Drive-bys, December 5, 2008

• Peking Express is under new management, but their food is still good and authentic. We recently had a duck feast there, and the only difference I observed was that the mandarin pancakes are no longer the kind made with boiling water dough -- but they are still thin, lovely and steamed, and about the best in town. They have added some Korean dishes to the menu.
• Tres Amigos is no longer a "Tacqueria" but merely an "Express". They have simplified their menu to more ordinary dishes. Fans of their main restaurants will probably like it, but those of us who miss the variety of authentic flavors will have to go to the taco stand at Francis and Michigan Ave - El Oasis.
• Spartan Gyro is not only gone, but the restaurant that took its place is gone. Sigh. East Lansing is a tough place for great little restaurants.
• Watch for upcoming reviews of Ai-Fusion, a sushi place which satisfies our itch for the kind of flavorful rolls that Midori used to make, and Fiesta Charra, which has great fajitas and will satisfy those who like Aldacos. (Also more about the Sichuan food at the former Hong Kong.)

Los Tres Amigos Taqueria

Okay, this is really good. A wide range of very authentic flavors. The menu is very different than their main place out by Lansing Mall, which has more familiar dishes. (The East Side is now officaly swimming in great Mexican food.)

The core of the menu here are the tacos, burritos and tortas (sandwiches) with a variety of fillings. But they also have various authentic soups, and antojitos (literally "little cravings" -- taquitos, enchiladas tostadas, etc.) and Mariscos, which are seafood dinners -- mainly choices of tilapia and shrimp.

We had Tacos for our first visit. And our second. My favorite is the al Pastor, which has spicey barbequed pork with onions and cilantro, athough I sure liked the Carnitas, which is another variety of pulled pork with pico de gallo. (Both pictured above.) And then there is the fish taco (Tacos de Pescado) which is a fried whitefish filet, broken up and served with cabbage, pico and a drizzle of a creamy dressing that's like a Mexican tartar sauce. (Fish taco pictured below.)



The tacos themselves are small -- tiny corn tortillas served double for each taco or a regular sized flour tortilla -- but they are stuffed full and worth the $2 price. They have fine chips, and a good mild salsa (hot sauce both on the table and at a little dressings bar by the cash register), and good guacamole.

(Note: since this time, we've tried a few more flavors. The chicken tacos come in two varieties, grilled or shredded. The grilled is served with pico de gallo, and is very flavorful, and will probably become my regular request, along with the Pastor, but the shredded -- which were served with lettuce and cheese, gringo style, had a surprising hit of black pepper, and a great salty Mexican cheese. My friend reports that the shrimp tacos were really good and will probably become her regular order.)

They also serve juices from big glass barrels of ice and sugar. The pineapple is a little too sweet, but the Tamarindo is just about perfect.

They are located just north of Frandor, on North Clippert, in the same shopping strip as Baskin Robbins and Medawar Jewelers.

Los Tres Amigos Taqueria, 730 North Clippert St, Lansing, 48912. 324-9600.
***
Recommended links:
The Great Taco Hunt is one man's journey to find the best taco stand in Los Angeles.

Recommended Reading:
Gringo's Guide to Authentic Mexican Cooking (Cookbooks and Restaurant Guides)

Drive-Bys, October 16 2007

*El Oasis is open again, relocated a few doors down, right next to Lam's Sweeper Service. This is on Michigan Avenue between Kipling and Frances Streets, west of Frandor and the highway.

*Los Tres Amigos is opening up new locations on the Eastside, and in East Lansing. One location near Frandor is already open. A friend says they have a unique menu (different than their other location, last she saw). Fish Tacos, and various grilled meets. It's located in the old Linsing place at 730 N. Clippert St., near the Baskin Robbins. (Between Saginaw and GrandRiver/Oakland.)

El Oasis, the little taco stand that could

(Note: After a temporary closure, this location is back open again, now moved just a few doors down, right next to Lam's Sweeper Service.)

It's just a little taco stand on wheels, like they have in Los Angeles. Except at El Oasis people will stand in line sometimes even in the middle of a snowstorm. They're in a parking lot at the corner of Michigan Avenue and North Francis Street (just east of the light at Foster Street, a few blocks west of Frandor).

Very authentic Mexican food here. You won't find food quite like this anywhere else in Lansing. The tacos - which come with a wide choice of meats, from chicken, shredded beef or pastor (pork) to the more exotic tongue or tripe - are served on a corn tortilla with cilantro and onions and a wedge of lime. I love the shredded chicken myself, and it's good with just the lime, but the salsas are too good to pass up. The mild sauce is a green tomatillo-based sauce that I particularly like on the tacos. The hot sauce is a tangy red sauce, with a milkiness that I can't identify, but hot and tasty. I can't make up my mind, so I ask for both whenever I visit.

Another of my favorites is the tostada, which come with the usual beans, lettuce, tomato, but also with sour cream and a fresh cheese that's crumbly and yummy. They put a little touch of avocado on top, and next time I might ask for more. The tostadas are offered with any of the meats, but I just get a plain bean tostada.

Tacos are $1.50 (2.00 for some of the more exotic meats), and the tostadas are $3.00 with meat, or $2.00 for just the bean version. Other prices are pretty much in that range.

It used to be that you could only get food from El Oasis at festivals, where the lines would be an hour long sometimes. Now that they have a permanent location the lines are shorter, and they get the hand made food to you fast. Give them a try.

Mexico To Go

1825 East Michigan Avenue. 203-4071

A friend of mine who loves authentic Mexican food has been bugging me to try this place. I did and I was pleased. Mexico To Go is cheap, tasty, quick. Makes me hungry just recalling the meal.

They had a three tacos for 2.75 special going on at the time. I had them give me one of each type of filling -- ground beef, chicken and carne asada (stewed beef). They gave me a basket of chips and a squeeze bottle of salsa to go with. (CORRECTION: I meant carne guisada -- which is moist and stewed. They also have excellent carne asada -- roasted chunks of meat, like fajita style. This costs more. But it's also really good.)

The salsa here is kind of mellow -- yes it has a little zip, but it isn't saturated in cumin and sharp flavors. While usually I like all the flavor I can get, I found that this more subtle flavor really brought out the flavor of the other ingredients -- and the other ingredients are choice.

The chicken and carne asada in particular have a great stewed flavor and texture. (The ground beef was okay, but not all that exciting.) The tortillas were fluffy corn tortillas which they had thrown on the grill to heat for me. (If they don't ask if you want the tortillas grilled or heated, be sure to ask, it brings out the flavor and texture.) The chips reminded me a lot of what you get at El Azteco.

I didn't ask for any extras. I went with what the waitress suggested for my first test drive. They may have a hotter sauce if you ask for it, and you could certainly ask for jalapenos if you need more bite.

They are located at 1825 East Michigan Avenue, a couple blocks east of Marshall. (The location on Trowbridge has closed down.)

Aldaco's

We stopped by for Aldaco's friday fajita buffet on a way to a movie at Celebration Cinema, and discovered that they had added shrimp fajitas for lent, AND a really tasty shrimp salad -- lime, cilantro, fresh tomato, peppers and onions tossed with tender shrimp. Really, really tasty.

If you've never been there, Aldaco's features handmade flour tortillas and a variety of fillings and toppings on their buffet. (I've never got past the buffet to try the regular menu -- which I'm told is good.) Usually I prefer corn tortillas in enchiladas, but theirs are made with these house flour tortillas, and a gooey and delicious. And their fresh salsa is just as tasty as the shrimp salad, if a whole lot spicier.

Aldaco's is at 6527 South Cedar St. in south Lansing.