Category Archives: Mexican food

Fantastic Tacos in Idaho Falls

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Jessica's dazzling smile is matched only by the sublime taco at Morenita's Mexican Restaurant in Idaho Falls

Jessica’s dazzling smile is matched only by the sublime taco at Morenita’s Mexican Restaurant in Idaho Falls

I walk into *Morenita’s Mexican Restaurant, in Idaho Falls, Idaho and look up at the board in some bewilderment. The server in the little window takes one look and hands me a menu in English.

“How do you know I don’t speak Spanish?”
“Just a wild guess.”

Lovely Jessica, whose mother, Bertha, started the business in 1991, then patiently explains all the things that make this much more than your typical taco joint. It’s a long list, starting with the fact that nearly everything’s made from scratch, including half a dozen salsas.

For example, the monstrous and ridiculously cheap ($4.50) tortas, or round Mexican sandwiches, use genuine telera bread; heck, Bertha once owned a Mexican bakery. There’s a melted jack cheese concoction called a mulita and a cheese-stuffed corn tortilla, called a pizope, which they invented.

So much to try, but I opt for my standard Mexican test—the simple taco. But even these have a twist, the chuche featuring a crisply grilled tortilla that can’t hide its hand-pressed freshness. The knockout winner, though, is a ranchero taco that includes whole beans, avocado, queso fresco and an outstanding lomo, or sauteed pork loin.

Fabulous ranchero taco with sautéed pork loin

Fabulous ranchero taco with sautéed pork loin

They’re so good, I go back for a third, nearly breaking the bank at $2.25 for this additional pocket of heaven. The verdict? Some of the best tacos I’ve eaten in the western U.S.

Morenita’s Mexican Restaurant
450 Whittier Street, Idaho Falls, Idaho
Monday to Thursday 10 am-9 pm, Friday-Saturday 9:30 am-9 pm, Sunday 9:30 am-8:30 pm
Morenita's Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Mexican Madness in Tacoma, Washington

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Fabulous red-chile pork tamales at Vuelva a la Vida in Tacoma, Washington

Fabulous red-chile pork tamales at Vuelva a la Vida in Tacoma, Washington

From a culinary perspective, Tacoma, Washington might conjure up the usual west-coast images of oysters, crab, salmon. But a mini-Mexican hotbed? Who’d have thunk it? Yet when you get east of the city centre, there are a few places that define Mexican authentic: streetfood, casual, inexpensive, friendly. My kind of joints.

Leading the way is Vuelve a la Vida, which translates as “come back to life.” Here, that means returning to Mexican roots, with no Americanized chips and salsa. My asada (steak) taco, served on a corn tortilla with whole beans, is very good. But the standout is the smoking hot tamales, the masa dough enveloping a rich filling of red chile pork. Seriously, you only need two of these bad boys for a filling, $5 lunch.

None of that Americanized chips and salsa at Vuelva a la Vida

None of that Americanized chips and salsa at Vuelva a la Vida

But my server, Juana, is not done with me, bringing over complimentary samples of Mexican drinks—horchata and jamaica—along with a little plate of shrimp ceviche. Any minute, I’m expecting to be introduced to the family.

Vuelve a la Vida
5310 Pacific Way, Tacoma
Weekdays 10:30 am-10 pm, weekends 10 am-10 pm
Vuelve a la Vida on Urbanspoon

About a mile away, Taqueria La Fondita is a food truck that pulls into a gravel parking lot every morning, with smoke soon belching from the tiny kitchen. A steady stream of neighbourhood youth saunters up to the window, ordering junior burritos to go.

The Taqueria La Fondita truck in a Tacoma parking lot

The Taqueria La Fondita truck in a Tacoma parking lot

I choose a more substantial torta, handing the included Sprite to a surprised kid. The bread isn’t as substantial as some tortas I’ve had, but the tender chicken filling melds nicely with slices of avocado to create a fine, gooey mess, kicked up a notch with some flavourful green chile sauce.

It's all gooey goodness in this chicken torts

It’s all gooey goodness in this chicken torta

Taqueria La Fondita
3737 South G Street, Tacoma
Daily 11 am-10 pm
La Fondita Taco Truck on Urbanspoon

Dilly Dallying in Delightful Dillon, Montana

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The lovely, broad valley near Dillon, Montana

The lovely, broad valley near Dillon, Montana

Dillon, Montana is one of my favourite western U.S. towns,  a perfect stop after a day of driving south on the I-15 from the Canadian border. There’s the setting: a broad, verdant valley dotted with Angus cows, flanked by low mountains and bisected by the meandering, trout-rich Beaverhead River. There’s the fine historic buildings and the oddly named University of Montana Western, to complement the ranching/hunting side of things. And for outdoorspeople, there’s the enduring lure of the Patagonia outlet store (Bonus: no sales tax in Montana). The only problem with Dillon is getting back on the road to resume the journey.

On our latest visit, for example, there’s no exiting the Patagonia store in under an hour, especially with an inveterate shopper/bargain hunter or two in tow. Then it’s off to the Fiesta Mexicana bus (510 North Montana Street, daily 9 am-10 pm) for an excellent lunch of made-to-order, bountiful burritos, enchiladas and chiles rellenos, eaten along an inside bench sheltered from the raw spring wind.

The magic Fiesta Mexicana bus in a Dillon parking lot

Inside the magic Fiesta Mexicana bus in a Dillon parking lot

It’s great to see this family-run Mexican joint embraced by the local community and travellers alike. But the regulars aren’t very helpful when asked what to order:  “Everything.”

There's a monster burrito verde lurking beneath all that greenery at Fiesta Mexicana

There’s a monster burrito verde lurking beneath all that greenery at Fiesta Mexicana

To avoid falling into a mid-afternoon coma, we set out for Sweetwater Coffee (“Proudly serving kindness with a side of coffee”) for a fine java jolt, chased with a great chocolate icing cookie, in a cozy, artsy setting. The diverse food menu includes a most interesting choice: a breakfast French toast sandwich.

Sweetwater Coffee, with its artsy period furniture, is a great place to hang out with a java and snack

Sweetwater Coffee, with its artsy period furniture, is a great place to hang out with a java and cookie

Then it’s around the corner to the state liquor store where, to my dismay, they don’t carry beer (What the hell? In Utah, if you want anything stronger than the “three-two” beer, like the excellent line of Epic Brewing ales, you have to go to a state liquor store). The day is saved by a trip to a Town Pump gas station (633 North Montana Street), where the limited selection of microbrews includes my favourite Montana beer—the Scottish-style Cold Smoke ale from Kettle House Brewing.

It's hard to come by the great Cold Smoke ale outside Kettle House Brewing's Missoula hometown. When I saw it in a Dillon gas station, I grabbed a dozen 16-ounce cans

It’s hard to come by the great Cold Smoke ale outside Kettle House Brewing’s Missoula hometown. When I see it in a Dillon gas station, I grab a dozen 16-ounce cans

Only the threat of snow on the drive north through Montana finally snaps us out of our Dillon reverie. But there’s always next time through.

International Cuisine is A-OK in Okotoks, Alberta

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Bistro Provence, with its 1880s' pressed-tin siding, has perhaps the best historic location of any Alberta restaurant

Bistro Provence, with its 1880s’ pressed-tin siding, has perhaps the best historic location of any Alberta restaurant

A short commute south of Calgary, Okotoks has a history stretching back to the last ice age, when the nearby Big Rock, North America’s largest glacial erratic, was deposited. Today, much of that history is overwhelmed by the development of an exploding Calgary bedroom community. Yet it’s possible to find fine eats here, both new and old, representing two international cuisines a continent removed.

I don’t expect to find authentic Mexican food in Okotoks. And yet here in a prototypical strip mall, *Las Maracas is serving up excellent, Mexico City-style fare. What this means, for example, is a number of inexpensive tacos that focus my taste buds squarely on the slow-cooked pork or beef ribs that co-owner Beatriz Ramirez is cooking for me and piling on small tortillas. None of this sliced cabbage topping or other distracting fillers. Just the meats, which I can bolster, if I choose, with spoonfuls of mild or kick-ass, house-made sauces.

My pork and beef-rib tacos at Las Maracas focus squarely on the slow-cooked meats

My pork and beef-rib tacos at Las Maracas focus squarely on the slow-cooked meats

My dining experience is enhanced by a scattering, around the restaurant, of fantastic alebrije, or papier-mâché figurines. That and the server setting down on my table a couple of maracas, or gourd-shaped rattles. “Shake them if you want something, and I will come,” she says. I’d love to shake them for some enchiladas with mole poblano, but it will just have to await another visit.

Fantastic papier-mache figurines lend an authentic Mexican touch to Las Maracas

Fantastic papier-mache figurines lend an authentic Mexican touch to Las Maracas

Las Maracas
153, 71 Riverside Drive, Okotoks
Tuesday-Wednesday 11 am-9 pm, Thursday to Saturday 11 am-11 pm, Sunday 11 am-8 pm
Las Maracas on Urbanspoon

Bistro Provence has arguably the best historic location of any restaurant in Alberta. It’s housed inside a 1880s’ post office building, with pressed-tin siding designed to look like stone. It’s the perfect venue for one of the province’s top traditional French restaurants. Through one name change and three owners, it’s maintained a commitment to old-world excellence in food and service.

Beautifully presented and executed pumpkin soup with local sourdough bread at Bistro Provence

Beautifully presented and executed pumpkin soup with local sourdough bread at Bistro Provence

At lunch, for example, owner Ed Povhe is my waiter, delivering scalding hot pumpkin soup and a nice prosciutto and pesto panini prepared by his wife, Marcella (the executive chef is from France, of course). There are nice local touches such as the pungent goat cheese from Fort Macleod and the dense multigrain sourdough bread. It’s French, so it’s not cheap, but still good value for this level of dining.

A lovely prosciutto and pesto panini at Bistro Provence

A lovely prosciutto and pesto panini at Bistro Provence

Bistro Provence
52 North Railway Street, Okotoks
Tuesday to Saturday lunch 11 am-2 pm, dinner 5:30 pm-closing. Closed Sunday and Monday
Bistro Provence on Urbanspoon