Recently in Baldwin Park Category

I love Mexican food and I love shrimp. Now, one wouldn't consider Taco Bell to have authentic Mexican food, and I agree, but it sure does the trick when all you have time for is the drive-thru, or it's all that's nearby on a late night.

So when the taco chain announced their new Pacific Shrimp taco offerings, I had to try. Their site describes them as: "A warm, soft flour tortilla filled with six succulent shrimp marinated in a mix of spices, then topped with crisp shredded lettuce, Fiesta Salsa, and Avocado Ranch Sauce."

They were the size of any other soft tacos but still not much filling. There were six shrimp (I had to check), decent size, not huge but also not cup o'noodles-soup-size either.

The sauce absorbed the spices, probably from the shrimp, and it did have a little kick. All in all, it was a tasty shrimp taco, tasted as fresh as possible, considering it was from Taco Bell.

At 180 calories, these tacos aren't bad, but I don't know if I would have priced them at $2.49 each, (you can get a combo of two shrimp tacos with a very large drink for $5.99). I mean it is Taco Bell. But seafood isn't the cheapest thing on any other menu either.

I would get the tacos again, whenever I'm craving shrimp and don't have much time for a sit-down seafood joint. Or I could make a stop to Baja Fresh for their Diablo Shrimp Burrito - spicy and filling.  

By Claudia S. Palma

I've passed by Tortas Sinaloa plenty of times as I drive through Baldwin Park and it always catches my eye, mainly because of the name.

My mom and many of my family are from Sinaloa, Mexico. Even though I lived there for a few years when I was younger, I don't recall much about the city, especially its food.

I visited Los Mochis, Sinaloa, for a few days a few years ago but mainly ate at my uncle's house and at the neighbors'. It was neat to see how many households set up little shops selling various types of small food plates - such as tacos, rice and beans, tortas and more - right from their front door. No license or grading from any governing body needed.

But tortas as I thought I knew them were not the same in Sinaloa.

It all depends on the ingredients. Tortas are usually made using a telera bread, which is thinner and wider than a bolillo, another Mexican bread. 

In Los Mochis, my aunt would make me a sandwich using a telera and fill it with beans and maybe sprinkle some queso fresco, a crumbly, mild, unaged white cheese. This sandwich was called huaraches or sandals. Before that visit, I would have just thought it was a torta with beans and cheese.

I was very curious to see what served as tortas at Tortas Sinaloa.

The restaurant, situated in a little strip of shops in the Home Depot lot right off the 10 Freeway, had a simple yet roomy interior.

The tabletops are embelisshed with a colorful fruit design and the walls are decorated with beautiful murals.

The counter to the right was lined with a row of large plastic containers filled with agua fresca, freshly made water-based fruit beverages.

The tortas menu had several choices, from the simple ones with meat and avocado or meat and cheese to combos and specialties, each with its own special name.

The Cancun torta ($4.99) was a chicken milanesa (thinly sliced and breaded) with ham, cheese, avocado and a slice of tomato. The Hawaii ($3.99) comes with ham, pineapple, cheese, avocado, tomato, onion and lettuce.

I decided to go all out and try the Sinaloa Especial ($5.99), which came with ham, milanesa, salchicha (sliced and grilled hot dog wiener), shredded chicken, cheese, avocado and tomato.

The soft, grilled telera bread was thin enough not to take over the sandwich and thick enough to hold everything in. 

I loved the combination of meats inside, though the grilled greasy taste of the milanesa and the salchicha overpowered the chicken and the ham.

Next time I think I will try one of the more simpler tortas like the pastor con aguacate, which is marinated pork meat and avocado with lettuce, tomato and onion for $4.75.

I also had to try one of the aguas frescas, sitting there all nice and cold. I had a choice of lemon, horchata, watermelon, a fruit blend, melon, jamaica and tamarind. I went with the refreshing melon or cantaloupe melon. Kid's size is 99 cents, medium $1.99 and large for $2.35. It totally hit the spot on a hot day.

Tortas Sinaloa also offers tacos, burritos, quesadillas, chimichangas, and other side offerings like the molletes I ordered for $2.99.  

Why they are called molletes I don't know, but they are half slices of telera bread grilled and topped with beans, chorizo or sausage and cheese.

There is also sweet molletes, which my brothers and I used to make as kids even though we didn't know what they were called at the time. We would just get some teleras or bolillos, slice them, grill them, smear some butter and sprinkle sugar on top - delish and cheap!

They also offer smoothies, mixed juice drinks and other desserts like flan and banana split.

Tortas Sinaloa has two locations in Corona, another in Fontana and one in Tijuana, Mexico, if you ever travel that way. 

I don't know when I'll make it to Los Mochis again but now I have another point of reference for tortas.

Tortas Sinaloa is at 14510 Towne Center Dr., S-C, in Baldwin Park. For information and to-go orders, call (626) 338-9555.

By Claudia Palma

Always looking for something new to try, I decided to give the new Mexican restaurant near our office a chance.

Casita Taco Mexican Grill added to its family with a new location in Irwindale, or Baldwin Park depending on which map you use (It's on the border of both.) Surrounded by a Vietnamese and a sushi restaurant, it was a welcome sight for those needing fresh-tasting Mexican food.

The menu consists of typical Mexican fare, such as tacos, burritos, tortas and combination plates, among other items.

I ignored the daily specials of arroz con pollo, or chicken with rice, and three-taco plate tempting me at the entrance window and at the counter. Instead, I went for the taco and enchilada combo plate for $5.99.

The combo consists of one soft taco with your choice of charbroiled steak, chicken, pork or carnitas (braised or roasted pork), one cheese enchilada topped with a mild tomatillo salsa and sour cream (which I forgot to ask to be left out), and rice, beans and a small serving of green salad. 

I added a small serving of guacamole on the side for 79 cents more.

The carnitas were perfectly tender and so warm and juicy that by the time I got back to the office the tortillas couldn't hold themselves together anymore. But, like Carl's Jr. said, "if it doesn't get all over the place, it doesn't belong in your face."

After taking off as much sour cream as I could, I was able to enjoy the generously filled Monterey Jack cheese enchilada that I topped with guacamole and spicy salsa verde.

The Spanish rice and beans, as well as the chunky guacamole, definitely tasted homemade. I washed everything all down with a non-alcoholic Senorial sangria beverage (I think it's better than the alcoholic version).

The plate was definitely worth the price since I had plenty left over for a small dinner.

Casita offers something for everyone. For vegetarians and salad lovers, there's the vegetarian lover's burrito or tostada and a Caesar salad. 

Casita also offers shrimp and fish tacos, as well as quesadillas, nachos and popular Mexican beverages such as horchata, jamaica or tamarindo.

Catering is available.

Casita Taco in Irwindale is located at 15646 Arrow Hwy., (626) 856-5670. Other locations include Burbank, North Hollywood, Los Angeles and Studio City.

By Emma Gallegos, Staff Writer

It's not even fair - some restaurants have me right out of the gate. When I walked into Senor Baja, I could immediately smell the grease. It was the smell of so many flaky fish fillets being freshly but lightly batter-fried to a golden brown.

The sign out front still says El Taco Nazo, which is a familiar chain throughout Southern California.

I haven't eaten at any of the other locations, but in Baldwin Park it is blissfully apparent that no one ever asked a focus group for their opinion. There is a shelf of model cars, gigantic close-ups of shrimp cocktails framed on the walls and a picture of Mexican Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata. The specials are hand-written on those pre-printed cardboard signs you see at garage sales or used car lots.

From the smell of grease to the eclectic decor, the message here is clear: it's all about the food. Who needs to worry about the subconscious signals you're sending with decor, when you can lure people - especially in this economy - with the thrill of 99-cent tacos every Monday and Wednesday? (And if the economy has really got you down, on any day of the week there's a well-stocked refrigerator of cold beer - domestic and Mexican - behind the counter for $3.75 each.)

The only hint of a focus group on the horizon is the name change in the works. The sign on the outside still says El Taco Nazo, but the eatery's Web site said the name will be changed to Senor Baja, so that people will more readily associate their restaurant with Baja California. The Web site also notes that they will be remodeling their stores and going through a "re-imaging" process. We'll see if Zapata - who isn't from Baja - will survive the focus group.

There are few things about the restaurant I'd like to see changed. The whole restaurants hums with energy and efficiency. Waiters sailed around the corner to music that sounded like ABBA from warmer climes. A few waiters sang along. A sign on the sneeze guard suggests kindly that you take only what you're going to eat. And by the time I got my utensils, a straw and napkins, they called my number. I've waited longer for Happy Meals.

I opted for the fish taco combo, which came with beans and rice and a drink ($6.49). I splurged with some flan for dessert ($2.31), but even with all that, I only broke $10 by two pennies because they tacked on an extra 50 cents for using my debit card.

Fish tacos are their specialty and they hit it out of the park. The fish was hot, fresh, golden and not that greasy. The cabbage was crunchy, the tomatoes ripe, the cilantro fragrant and there was just enough sour cream to keep the taco from being dry. The flan wasn't made on site, but it was creamy and had absorbed the not-too-sweet caramel sauce. The only true disappointments were the rice and beans, which were probably made en masse early on in the day and were cold and bland by the time I got there.

It's best to forgo the combo. Opt for a few 99-cent fish tacos on Mondays and Wednesdays, you might even be able to get a beer without breaking $10.

Senor Baja is at 14343 Ramona Blvd., Baldwin Park, and can be reached at (626) 338-6420.

www.senorbajarestaurant.com 

While the dining experience was pretty much what you'd expect from sitting on a corner in Baldwin Park (I had a woman try to sell me Chicklets while I was eating and a pigeon got a little too friendly), it was enjoyable nonetheless.

The hotdog, which came loaded with onions and mustard, was clearly of the footlong variety as it had outgrown the bun.

The hamburger came medium well (I wasn't given an option) and was tender and juicy. Thousand island dressing and shredded lettuce came standard on this one.

Both were satisfying, and I cleared my plastic basket from the table feeling heavy in the stomach and light in the wallet.

Stars Burgers is located at 14351 Ramona Blvd. in Baldwin Park. For information call (626) 337-7777.

daniel.fritz@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2201

Dining on a budget:

Craving a fresh lunch one day, I decided to go Super.

Super Bionicos in Baldwin Park is a little shop along a small strip mall on Ramona Boulevard that offers a variety of fresh fruit items, smoothies, sandwiches and, of course, bionicos.

Bionicos are a Mexican specialty dessert that features a mix of fresh cut fruits topped with a sweetened condensed milk and cream mixture, shredded coconut, granola and raisins.

They are made to order if you prefer just one type of fruit, and if you would like cottage cheese or yogurt instead of the cream mixture.

First of all, I must admit, I am one of those people that can get influenced by commercials to try new things.
So when I saw the commercials for the new Hot Wings at Kentucky Fried Chicken, my love for hot wings and the clever idea of a sauceless hot wing, drove me to the nearest KFC in Baldwin Park for lunch today.
I went ahead and ordered the meal that came with 6 pieces of hot wings, potato wedges and a drink for $5 and change after taxes.
The wing pieces were the usual size as hot wings sold elsewhere and they were crispy. But, as I mentioned before - I am a big fan of hot wings and with these wings, I was not feeling the heat.
If you've been to Popeye's and ordered the spicy chicken, then you'll know what I'm talking about next.
KFC put the spicy sauce inside the wings, between the chicken and the skin, making it 'sauceless' but the spices were not very hot.
And in my opinion, the Popeye's spicy chicken is so much better than KFC's, just as their mashed potatoes should not be in the same category as KFC's version.
I should have gotten the hint that they weren't so hot with the dozens of hot sauce packets thrown in my take-out bag.
So, now I need to fulfill my hot wings craving. Sounds like a trip to Hooters or Denny's this weekend :-p

On my way back to the office today, it was getting close to lunch time and I was coming up on the nearest Del Taco at the edge of Baldwin Park, off of Ramona Boulevard.
I decided to stop in and grab some lunch while I was there.
I forwent my usual Big Fat chicken tacos to satisfy my curiosity - Del Taco's new tostadas at only 89 cents each.
Tostadas as I know them are beans, maybe some type of meat, lettuce, tomato, and cheese all on top of a round, hard (usually fried), corn tortilla. Salsa, sour cream and avocado is optional of course, depending on your preference.
Well, I went ahead and ordered the 'New Tostada' meal which came with one tostada, two regular beef crispy tacos, the crinkly-cut fries (one of my favorite kind of fries), and a drink for under $5.
Of course I should have known that at only 89 cents each, there wouldn't be much to these "tostadas". But I let the menu picture fool me.
First, this tostada version was the size of a taco-truck tortilla, alot smaller than tostadas as I know them. It did have refried beans, but my lettuce was more white than green, and the cheese, all melted now, was the size of a quarter on one side of my tostada.
And where's the diced tomato?! I would've been happy with at least some white (preferably red of course, but see above) pieces of tomato.
Needless to say I was not too happy with my tostada.
I should know better and stick to my Big Fat chicken!

- Claudia