Food & Drink RESTAURANT REVIEW Tongue and Cheek Going beyond carne asada at Escondido’s renowned taco haven, Mi Rancho Market
BY TROY JOHNSON PHOTOS BY JAMES TRAN
The Perfect Order LENGUA & CABEZA TACOS MENUDO COSTILLAS DE PUERCO
et the tongue. The most stunning design element of this taco shop is the line of humans that winds through the middle of it. Much more lively and interesting than a plant wall or an ostrich lamp, the line has predictable surges during meal hours, but will also just randomly appear at 10 a.m. or 3 p.m. A crushing little wave of people will materialize with a boom , corporealizing to appreciate what this family— chef Jose L. Garcia, his wife Victoria Perez, sometimes their kids helping out—can do with tortillas, meat, G
spices, cheese, chiles, and generational recipes (the birria is made according to abuela’s method). Tacos are $1.99 each. They are small, simple, excellent things. You won’t get a farmers market on a tortilla here, nor cremas seasoned with bourbon and rare Indonesian herbs. Just deliciously marinated meat of your choice (carne asada, adobada, carnitas, al pastor, suadero, cabeza, lengua… you get it), onions, cilantro, and three salsa options from that little buffet cart over by the Takis snack chips, to the left of the toilet paper, near the three Virgin Mary statuettes.
28 MAY 2023
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