El Compadre, Hollywood California

After an exciting morning at Engelbert Humperdinck’s mansion in Bel Air my group of traveling companions and I were famished. As we made our way back to Playa del Rey we drove through Hollywood and we stopped for lunch at El Compadre, a reasonably priced Mexican restaurant.

Ian, Stephanie, and I grabbed a booth in the very dimly lit, windowless, dining room and began to scarf down our chips and salsa. The chips were thick and crisp and not too salty. The salsa was smooth and flavorful but I felt it could have used a little more heat. Our server came by and got our drink order and then didn’t return for a long time. When she finally did we were able to order our entrees. I ordered huevos con chorizo, Ian ordered something known as “El Grande”, and Stephanie ordered the beef tacos.

When our entrees arrived I was pleased with the look and smell but I was not served the warm corn tortillas I needed in order to eat my entrée. Ian seemed pleased with El Grande if not somewhat intimidiated and Steph enjoyed her tacos a lot. When my tortillas arrived I dug into my lunch. Smoky spicy chorizo paired with rich scrambled eggs on warm corn tortillas topped with the house-made salsa and a few drops of hot sauce and I was in heaven! I have an affinity for all things pork but especially chorizo. This version was long on spice, with just the right amount of heat, and it had a touch of clove and black pepper that made it really well balanced. Also this sausage wasn’t too greasy as some chorizo has a tendency to be (see Mexi-Hole.) Stephanie ate her tacos with a smile, and then we come to Ian. El Grande bested my friend. Just as I was defeated the day before by Fogo de Chao, this huge plate of Mexican food destroyed Ian. He enjoyed the taste but the sheer quantity of the food was too much.

The service here was pretty subpar. We waited for the drinks, we waited for the entrees, we waited for the check, and we waited for the credit card slip to sign. In short, we waited. The dining room was maybe a third full and we were there during a slow part of the day after the lunch rush if there was any. The service staff had no reason not to be on their game. I enjoyed my meal and I enjoyed watching Ian eat himself into pain. I am enjoying my vacation. Viva chorizo! Seven out of ten.

Arturo's Tacos

Arturo’s Tacos
WOW! This was my favorite meal of the whole Chicago trip. Arturo’s Tacos is a twenty-four hour restaurant that serves up authentic, reasonably priced, Mexican and Latin American cuisine with fast, efficient, service. The portions are huge and everything meets or exceeds expectation. I was surprised to see tacos filled with brains, tripe, and tongue, as these are typical of the American view of Mexican food. I ordered the chorizo torta, a dish that is masterfully handled by Dayton’s own Mex-a-Hole so they had big shoes to will. In addition to this huge sandwich I ordered a taco langua (tongue.)

The torta was filled to the max with wonderful house-made chorizo that was really strong on clove. Steve informed me that this was the case prior to eating it and to be honest I was weary. Clove is not a spice I ordinarily enjoy especially when used in savory dishes. The clove was definitely the main flavor in this sausage but it was in complimented the fattiness and the spiciness of the meat. The bread used to make a torta is a rich, eggy, brioche, like bread. Shredded lettuce, diced tomato, and sour cream served as the garnish on the sandwich and helped to cool the heat of the chorizo.

The taco langua was fantastic. The texture of tongue is often stringy and chewy but not this version. The meat was braised well and was so soft it fell apart in your mouth. The taste of tongue is similar to regular beef only much more intense. When I was in culinary school I spent ten days eating nothing but organ meat and tongue was one of the offal products that I truly enjoy. These tender bites were topped with mild farmer’s cheese, fresh chopped cilantro, and diced onion for texture. Then everything was wrapped up in a house-made white corn tortilla.

My dining companions enjoyed carne asada, chorizo, and vegetable tacos in addition to cheese quesadillas. The service here was quick and pleasant. Everything was very laid back and our waitress did a great job. 10 out of 10!!!

Mex-a-Hole!

Dayton is host to an ever-growing community of Latin Americans. Which is great because it means we might actually begin to get some decent Latin cuisine in our little town. The way trends and tastes work in the U.S. is that they start on the coasts and slowly migrate to Dayton. Because of this we are usually about ten years behind the curve with food, sad I know. Just now we are seeing an influx of Asian food in the Miami Valley, again about ten years after Japanese was hip on the west coast. I digress…MEX-A-HOLE!
My friends and I have an affectionate little name for a new-ish Mexican restaurant deep in the heart of the red-neckery that is East Dayton. The restaurant’s name is Taqueria Mixteca or simply “Mex-a-Hole.” I had occasion to dine their today and can I say, “Wow!” I have been to this little hole-in-the-wall on several occasions and it is always so good. It is located in an old burger barn and half of that failed restaurant’s old signage is still in place and there is a defunked drive through as well as several weird put in a quarter and get a rubber sticky hand type machines. But the food, oh my God, the food! Their menu is of reasonable size and offers a good sampling of authentic Mexican food. The great thing about Mex-a-Hole is the size of the portions. I have never spent more than ten dollars at this place and I have always had more food than I could eat. My usual is to get their chorizo enchiladas as I have an affinity for all things pork. My cohort ordered the nachos Maya. When the plates were delivered by one of only two waitresses employed by Mex-a-Hole we were, as always, pleased. The chorizo here is fatty and flavorful without being too greasy or processed tasting. Also it is not overly spicy. If the guest desires heat several fantastic house-made salsas are placed at each table upon the guest’s arrival. The meat is folded into warm tortillas that are red in color and have a texture similar to flat bread. All this served with gooey white farmer’s cheese and rice and beans. As for the nachos they were full of flavor and the chicken was braised to perfection. The toppings on Nick’s mountain of food included guacamole, pickled jalapenos, onion, salsa (house-made), farmer’s cheese, and beans. Now I realize that we are talking authentic Mexican food and I defy you to find a restaurant in Mexico that serves nachos to anyone who isn’t some tourist gringo but these things are off the hook! Authenticity aside this is one hell of a plate of food for seven bucks, besides this is Ohio.
If you have not been to Mex-a-Hole and you live in Dayton you are doing yourself and your stomach a disservice. Get your ass down to East Third St. today!