Taste of Brasil, Colorado Springs, CO

It was a cool Saturday evening and my wife and I were up for something different.  It was on a whim that I fell back on a popular foodie app that rhymes with whelp and came upon a new Brazilian place in town.  I was in the mood for meat and good cooking so my wife and I hopped into the car and made our way down to Taste of Brasil.

Now the outside may be a bit underwhelming, but I was happy to see a large sign out front that could easily be seen from the street making this not that hard to find.  Placed between a liquor store and a bar I expected the Brazilian equivalent of a late night Mexican taco shop, but upon entering I was pleasantly surprised.  The interior was clean and well lit.  There was a small amount of chotsky on the walls but mainly there were photos of Brazil and the occasional image of a noted sports figure.  As soon as you enter you see the kitchen with the chef moving back and forth preparing food.  Just one as the place is not that big, maybe 10 tables max, but that just makes it feel more homey.  I was happy to see the shine of clean steel as he worked, and hear the soft but steady clatter of food being prepared.  It instantly put me at ease, and confirmed that the food really was prepared on site.

We were greeted at the door by our server/host who told us to grab a table anywhere.  I want to make it clear that he was one of the nicest servers I've ever spoken to, and that he went out of his way to make sure you felt comfortable, like family some would say.  Unfortunately he had little to no training as a server.  Right after we had sat down he brought us our water and immediately asked us what we wanted to order.  This being the first time my wife and I had gone there we had not had very long to look at the menu so we asked for a few minutes to look it over.  Okay, that was a little thing, and just showed his enthusiasm, that's fine.  As the meal progressed there were more little mistakes, like forgetting to refill our water glass, speaking too softly or too quickly, and not clearing dishes promptly.  I just want to make it clear though that these are training issues.  The young man who served had the most important attribute that is needed for a server, he was incredibly upbeat, polite, and you knew he cared about your experience, which is something that cannot be learned.  You either have it as a server or you don't.

Moving on to the food.  We started with and appetizer called Coxinha, three deep fried balls of dough in a tear drop shape stuffed with shredded chicken.  Okay, I thought, that sounds pretty good.  The first thing I noticed upon taking a bit though was that the chicken was cold in the middle.  Then I continued to chew my wife pointed out that they might have added mashed potato as well.  Not having eaten much Brazilian food I double checked the menu that had been left with us and there was no mention of a potato filling in these appetizers.  After a few experimental bites we realized that there was a layer of uncooked dough surrounding the chicken.  We were so hungry though that we just ate them as is.  Okay, so not a great start, but outside of being not fried through I will admit that there was great flavor to in the little balls of dough, and the chicken had been seasoned well.

 Moving on the main course my wife ordered something they described as a Brazilian style pancake, filled with shredded chicken and covered in a type of red sauce that came with a side of rice.  My first look at it had me thinking they'd brought the Brazilian equivalent of a tamale.  My wife took a bit of it and smiled, and then offered a piece to me.  I took a bite and was happily surprised by a burst of flavor.  The chicken inside of the pancake was cooked perfectly and the sauce was flavorful without being spicy.  Given the chance I'd order the same thing in an instant.

My dish came out the same time.  I had ordered a Prato Feito or Pre-fixed plate.  It was a meat, in my case I paid more for steak, but they also offered a chicken and two pork options that sounded just as good, along with rice, beans, fried yuca fries, and a some type of potato salad.  There was also a little thing of what looked like pico de gallo that had a great flavor to it.  I took a bite of the rice first.  It was perfectly steamed white rice and had a subtle flavor all its own.  Then I moved on to the beans, they were excellent, not overly sweet like you would find at a BBQ joint, these had a subtle flavor and there were bits of what I am pretty sure were pork in there as well.  I took a bit of a yuca fry, and it was also great.  You would never mistake it for a french fry and I mean that in a good way.  Then there was the potato salad... I would have gladly paid for another serving of it.  It was silky and tasty and delicious.  My wife, who normally hates potato salad, loved it.  She said it was because it didn't have that pickle briney taste that most people associate with it.  Finally I moved on to the steak and...

salt, too much salt.  Now I know salt can make every dish from fries to a salad and most definitely steak even better, but it was just too much.  I tried eating it with the rice, with the beans, even with the potato salad but with every bite the saltiness of the steak just overrode the other flavors.  I don't know if that is how Brazilian steak is supposed to be made, but I do know steak in general should not 

 have that much salt on it.

By the end of the meal I found that I was still a bit hungry so my wife and I each ordered a dessert.  I know, I know I was taking a chance after the last two items we'd tried but, well maybe it was our server but I really wanted to give this place a chance.  My wife ordered something called Romeo and Juliet, which was guava paste, white cheese, my wife though it was some type of goat cheese, and a dash of dulce du leche.  I stole a bite and had to admit it was good.  My wife enjoyed it, liking how the overly sweet guava paste mixed with the savory white cheese and topped with a dash of dulce de leche produced a great flavor.

I ended up ordering a desert called Brigaderos, which our server described as a type of truffle and the menu said had the consistency of a dense fudge.  A small plate with three little tuffle looking items arrived at my table.  Not taking a chance I opted to start with the chocolate one.  As I took a bite out of it I had a rush of chocolate, one of my most favorite things in the world, but with a smoother consistency than fudge.  The flavor was smooth and I found myself enjoying the smoother texture more than I would have a regular truffle.  Moving on to the brightly colored Brigadero I took a bite and was happy to find a vanillaish flavor mixed with pieces of coconut.  It too was a pleasant surprise.  Then I moved on to the last piece, a Brigadero covered in white dots and was surprised to find there was some type of filling or fruit in the middle.  Biting down through it I was astounded that I couldn't instantly tell what it was, but what I could tell was that I liked it.  It was just difficult to place, at first I thought maybe a lemon filling based on the color, but it wasn't as tart as a lemon.  Our server came back and I asked him what was in the final Brigadero and he said it was a white grape.

Took a bite out of the chocolate one, as you can see, and it was delicious.

After paying we made our way to the exit only to stop and look at a few shelves that appeared to be stacked with Brazilian ingredients.  I recognized tapioca, and a large bottle of some kind of soda I had never tried before.  Our server saw us looking at the items and explained that they were from Brazil and that he was fluent in Portuguese so that if we had any question about what was there he was more than happy to translate.  Then he indicated a small package of coffee and told us that it was from a plantation back in Brazil and that it had been shipped directly to America.  He seemed very proud of the items on display and was especially proud of the coffee.  We thanked him and made our exit as he moved away to help a new customer.

So in the end maybe not the experience I was expecting, but strangely enough I want to go back.  The little restaurant had a certain feel to it, a feeling of potential.  It really was a nice comforting meal, and the people there were very friendly.  Did I mention that the chef came out to check with some of the tables on how they were enjoying their meal.  Not our table, but some of the other ones.  I think I'll give them some time and then return to a Taste of Brasil, but this time maybe I'll order the tenderloin instead of the steak.

Taste of Brasil
773 Garden of the Gods Rd
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
(719) 394-4194
https://www.facebook.com/tastebrasilcoloradosprings/

Trinity Brewing, Colorado Springs CO

Again forgot to grab a pic on the way out, this is from Yelp:  http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/trinity-brewing-company-colorado-springs?select=TQP8Osw830Gue5VNYygMxw

I swear I don't only eat at breweries.  I've been to quite a few good places in Colorado.  It just seems that I only remember to take pictures at breweries.  I think beer makes me picture happy.  So my wife and I were wondering how to spend our pre-Valentine's day and I remembered that she had been telling me about a nice littler brewery on the west side of town that some co-workers had taken her to earlier in the year.  As it is Lent, and I've given up, well most of the things I really enjoy eating and drinking I thought I would give this a try.  Because when you give up drinking almost every beverage outside of water and fruit juice you get a strong desire for beverages with flavor, which is how I found myself at Trinity Brewing.

Located in what appeared to be a warehouse district turned strip mall, which makes sense as most of the little breweries around here started off in a warehouse, the place has been spruced up nicely.  A large outdoor sitting area was already filled, as it was a warm winter day an all people in the Springs will flock to any outdoor seating in the winter when the sun is out.  Large windows opened up into a busy indoor area, where my wife and I found a cool spot not too far from the kitchen.

After less than five minutes a server showed up and handed over some menus, of which the first five pages were filled with different types of beer, but also showing a decent sized food section.  As this was our first time here we had to order a beer, maybe two.  We finally settled on getting a flight of the breweries finest, 8 of their beers, and a small thing of cheese, not a bad deal for $20.  I ordered a Tuscan Chicken Melt, with a salad as I'd also given up french fries for the next 40 days, and my wife ordered a Brie BLT, also with a salad to show her solidarity for my suffering.  For an appetizer we got an order of Country Fried Bacon, not that we needed it, but I don't pass up bacon appetizers.

The beer came out first and we spent a fair amount of time deciding on our favorites.  My wife and I have similar taste in beer, light and fruity.  Our favorite was the Sunna, a Belgian Wit.  Our least favorite with the two IPA's and one double IPA's, which is why I was thrown out of San Diego. j/k  Out of the eight beers provided I like five of them, my second favorite being the Farmhouse Walloon, a Harvest Saison, whatever that means.  All I know is that I liked it.  Strangely enough I also really enjoyed the Awaken, a coffee flavored stout.  Strange because I can't stand coffee, but I like the taste of it in beer.  I had mixed feelings about Saison Man, as it started off good but finished up with a bit of a funky aftertaste.  Besides that everything, even the IPA's were pretty good.

After getting nice and inebriated the appetizer came out.  Five thick slices of bacon, "double dipped in buttermilk and seasoned flour, fried to a golden brown."  They were quite good, and I found myself dipping them in both the spicy blue, even though I'm not a big fan of blue cheese, and blueberry maple dipping sauce.  They even made the IPAs taste better.

As we were finishing up the flight our food came out.  Even tipsy as I was it wasn't the most amazing food ever, but it was damn good.  Definitely up there when compared to the overly greasy fare that is served at most breweries.  My chicken melt was the usual roasted chicken, cooked just right, crispy bacon, roasted tomatoes and melty smoked fontina cheese on a toasted rosemary-garlic bread and mixed greens.  I enjoyed it, and finished it off pretty quickly.  The side salad was also pretty good.  I stole a bit of my wife's Brie BLT, and found it good as well, though not quite as good as my food chicken.

I think the favorite part of my time at Trinity was the people.  Easy going and nice, the servers were able to answer any and all questions about the beer served.  There was no hint of beer snob in their tone, then again it wasn't like I asked them for a Miller Light, no telling how they would have responded to that.  It was my favorite type of beer drinking atmosphere, cool and relaxed.

I stumbled out of there with a smile on my face and a renewed appreciation for beer.  I'd definitely come back to Trinity, maybe on a busy Friday night, or after Lent to try the Golden Belgian Fries which my wife says is amazing, and maybe another order of Country Fried Bacon.

Trinity Brewing
1466 Garden of the Gods Road
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
(719) 634-0029
http://www.trinitybrew.com/

Taste of Korea, Colorado Springs, CO

Taken from a Yelp review as I forgot to take a pciture os the place on the place on the  way out: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/taste-of-korea-colorado-springs?select=0Qyl5Jq84OqxX0KQSyAotw

Though happily surprised by the variety and quality of food in Colorado Springs there have been a few let downs.  I will not discuss Mexican food because that is a subject sacred to all Californians, let's just say that when I find one I love I will write about it.  No, instead I shall touch upon the myriad of Asian delicacies that I have come upon in my new home.

It was after both highs (Ai Sushi) and lows (almost every Chinese restaurant I've been to here) that I happened upon a little Korean place on the East side of town named Taste of Korea.  Found within a strip mall a few doors down from what appeared to be a dive bar, on first appearance I did not have high hopes for the food there.  Walking in my expectations rose a little bit.  First off it was clean, and while I don't immediately equate cleanliness with good food (even McDonalds has to clean their bathrooms once in a while) it did give me a glint of hope.  There was nice lady behind a counter that directed us to any two seat table.  Unsure of where to sit we choose a table that had the least amount of blinding sunlight coming in from a covered window.

Slowly the experience got better and better.  After sitting down at the table the nice lady moved us to another table farther back out of the sunlight.  She quickly got us water and we ordered a plate of Yakimandu, which were your basic fried dumplings.  These came out rather quickly and I would rate them as your average fried dumplings.  They had good flavor to them, and were cooked nicely, but I felt I could have got them at almost any Asian themed restaurant in the city.  Still they were hot and fresh and our hostess (the only person we'd seen since entering the restaurant) delivered them with a smile.

After gobbling those up, we were both pretty hungry by then, we sat and waited for our orders to come out.  Thankfully the dumplings had filled me up enough to appreciate the fact that it was taking time for our orders to be completed.  I think I would have been a little worried if they had just shoved them out in the next five minutes.  It would have made me think that they were just warming up food they'd kept on had in the microwave (again see most of the Chinese restaurants here).  Honestly I would say it took about twenty minutes to get our food, which wasn't bad as while we sat there at least three people with very large to-go orders came in to pick up their order.

So the moment arrives and someone from the back, probably one of the two cooks, brings us out our food.  My wife's dish is by far the more complex looking of the two.  In addition to a large serving of Bulgogi (thin slices of marinated beef) served on a hot cast iron plate, she also got eight small bowels of additional food (not including a small bowl of rice), which included her most favorite dish (kimchi pancakes) and her least favorite dish (seaweed).  I, loving all things spicy, commandeered the bright red kimchi.

While not quite as impressive looking as my wife's dish I was instantly intrigued by my own food.  This was the first time I had ordered Bibimbap (rice mixed with vegetables and beef).  I was a bit put off by the fried egg, as it appeared slightly overcooked, but it didn't stop me from digging in.  I was a bit surprised by the vegetables, in a good way.  I am not normally one to enjoy beansprout, as I have had to push them aside in healthier dishes, but the seasoning and flavor of them when combined with the meat (agian Bulgogi), the egg, and the rice was the perfect balance of flavors.  My only complaints were that there should have been a bit more meat in the bowl.

My wife on other hand thoroughly enjoyed her meal but believed they had been mistaken and given her the "hot" Bulgogi.  After taking a few bites of her meat I had to agree, it was a bit spicy.  Thankfully that just made it easier to steal some of it and put it into my bowl.  So it all worked out in the end.

As we finished our meal the same cook from the back came out to see how we had enjoyed our food (the woman manning the front had since disappeared).  She looked surprised to see that I had eaten all of my food, even going so far as to pick out almost every grain of rice out of the bottom of the bowl.  This was done partly as I found myself still a bit hungry (a Bibimbap is not a whole lot of food but was probably the right amount for me) and partly because everything tasted so good.  She asked us how we'd found her and was surprised when I said Yelp.  I get the feeling Yelp isn't used a lot in Colorado Springs.

After boxing up my wife's left overs we left Taste of Korea with a mostly full stomach and a smile on our faces.  I am happy that at the very least really good Korean food can be found in Colorado Springs, and I'm looking forward to coming back.

Taste of Korea
1825 Peterson Rd.
Colorado Springs, CO
(719) 574-2060
http://tasteofkoreacs.com/

Nano 108, Colorado Springs, CO

I am not a big drinker, though I do appreciate good alcohol.  As with all people in my youth a certain percentage of my time was spent attempting to drink in order to get drunk.  While this resulted in numerous interesting stories (of which I shall not go into detail at this time as I wish to retain some semblance of dignity), it did not provide me with a wide expanse of knowledge concerning what I loving refer to as "Booze."  As I have gotten older though I have taken a liking to the enjoyment, yes the actual taste, of alcohol in its many forms.

My go to has always been whisky, preferably aged and of Irish descent, strait.  Following that I will enjoy a good mixed drink.  Give me a Dark and Stormy, or a 77 with a twist (my mother of all people got me into this drink) and I am content.  It wasn't until I was married that my wife, and my father-in-law, showed me the finer aspects of beer as a beverage.  It is from my wife that I have found a love of Hefeweizens, or wheat beers, and blonds.  From my father-in-law I have sampled a variety of darker Mexican beers that have grown on me over time.  Perhaps it was San Diego, for upon moving there people would come out of the wood work to speak of and offer different flavors of beer.  Many popular brands I found I disliked (I'm still looking for a decent IPA), and some supposedly low class beers I found to enjoy immensely (a cold Budwiser is amazing after a night of dancing).  After moving to Colorado I held little hope of rediscovering the love I'd found for beer in San Diego, then I happened upon a little brewery named Nano 108.

I chanced upon it while out on a run, marked the spot in my mind, and came back later with my wife.  Down a long road just off a main street/highway and stuck between a strip mall and an industrial area the first thing you notice before you even see the sign for the brewery is an old derelict truck out front with a large sign stating "BEER", which for some reason made me smile.  Moving toward the front of the establishment is a sign hanging above it with the name.  There is an outdoor patio area with simplistic wooden chairs and tables, and then a door into a metal faced wall.  Not very inviting at first glance, never the less my wife and I entered the brewery.

The inside of Nano 108 is small but warm and welcoming.  There are a few tables in front of the bar, and a few off to the side.  When we entered the side tables were packed but there was room up at the bar.  We were quickly met with an easy going and patient bartender whose name I cannot remember at this moment, much to my loss.  Between checking on a delivery, serving beer, and talking to regulars he was what I pictured the ideal bartender to be.  This being our first time there my wife and I got a small flight, just four beers to taste.  We settled on: an Orange Wheat beer, a Hefeweizen, a Dunkelnweizen (not sure I spelled that right, but it is a dark version of a Hefeweizen), and a stout that caught my eye as it had some agave in it, and I love that stuff.

Here are my own impressions of the beer, and keep in mind that I am not a Cicerone (the beer equivalent of a wine expert).  The Orange Wheat beer was great, almost as good as the Hefeweizen for me, it fell in the same fruity vein in which I like my beer.  The Hefeweizen was my base, and I have to say Nano 108 made a pretty good one.  I especially liked that while there were notes of fruit it didn't overpower the beer with it.  The stout with agave was good but a little too stiff for my taste, my wife liked that one.  My favorite was the Dunkelweizen, which had all the slight fruit taste of the Hefeweizen but paired with a headier flavor that reminded me slightly of the Mexican beers I love.

As we drank our flight the bartender chatted us up between other duties.  He told us a bit about the brewery, and the one thing that got me was the pride he took in the beer.  He spoke to us of the owner, and the beers.  He even mentioned that if a batch didn't come out right they would dump the whole thing (which thankfully had only happened once that year).  There is something about an establishment that takes pride in what they serve to people that just elevates it in my eyes.  I would have liked to stay a bit longer and have a glass of the Dunkelweizen but my wife and I had other things to do that day.  Still I plan on coming back to Nano 108 in the near future, if not for the beer (which is amazing), then for the atmosphere.

And that completes probably my one and only brewery review.  For those of you who came to this site for the food there are food trucks that are scheduled to appear throughout the entire week.  So come on down to Nano 108 for a bite to eat and brew, you will not be disappointing.

Nano 108
2402 Waynoka Rd
Colorado Springs, CO 80915
719-596-BEER
http://nano108brewing.com/

Crave Real Burgers, Colorado Springs, CO

The first thing I did upon learning I would be moving to Colorado Springs was research the food.  Well, that and how much sales tax would be (2.9% in case anybody is wondering).  In my first barrage of asking friends, relatives, random people at running events, and good ol' Google I came across a little burger joint know as Crave Real Burger.  A few minutes later I was searching for a website and what I found filled me with a warm feeling inside both my heart and my gut.  Images of large messy, and quite creative burgers.  It may sound strange but at that moment I knew that after moving to Colorado everything would be all right.

My wife and I finally managed to make it to Crave a few days after landing in Colorado Springs.  It was a sunny Saturday afternoon when we parked at the strip mall that Crave was located.  Walking in we were met by a pleasant server that quickly directed us to our seat.  After sitting down I took a look around.  The place had a nice feel to it, not upscale but also not fast food.  It leaned more the towards the diner experience.  Clean booths lined the walls, menus stacked against the wall at each booth, a la Islands.  We could see the kitchen off in the distance and hear the rattle and shake of cooks flipping burgers and preparing food.  The sound was actually quite soothing.

Our server appeared quickly and greeted us with a smile.  We ordered our drinks and took a long look at the menu.  The beauty of Crave is in the creation of the burgers.  Of course you can design your own burger, but I find the creations on the menu to be so alluring that it makes you want to try them.  For example there is one burger called the Popper, which I cam very close to getting.  It has beer battered cream cheese and jalapenos, lettuce, tomato, onion, chipotle may and avocado.  Something about the combination pushes beyond the whole novelty factor of "let's see what we can get people to eat" and enters the territory of a well thought out burger.    That is probably what attracted me to Crave in the first place, the burgers aren't aimed at the hipster, new sensation, experimental crowd but you can't call them the "average" burger.  They are not burgers a person dares to eat, they are burgers a person actually wants to eat.

After much consideration my wife settled on an Italian themed burger named the Wise Guy with a side order of Garlic Parmesan Fries (with roasted garlic mayo), and I ordered the Love Stinks with a side of Das Fries (beer cheese, cheddar, bacon and jalapenos).  Then we sat back and passed the time examining the list of milkshakes.  Some had a few interesting ingredients, such as cheesecake, and Reese's Pieces, but all of them sounded pretty good.  Then there was another section of "Adult Shakes" with various alcoholic additions, such as Kahlua and Vodka just to name a few.  These too sounded pretty tasty but today I was there for the burger.

Less than twenty minutes later our burgers showed up.  I looked down with glee upon the Love Stinks.  It contained pretty much everything I loved to put on a burger (garlic cream cheese, crispy onion strings, candied bacon, roasted red pepper, onion, garlic mayo and red pepper aioli).  To say the least it was delicious.  The flavors really melded well together, and the burger was cooked perfectly.  The only drawback was that it didn't feel, for lack of better words, "Stinky."  It felt like a burger with  bunch of ingredients that were designed to give bad breath.  I've had burgers before where you felt the onion and garlic as you ate it and you knew that your breath would fairly reek afterwards.  It just didn't get that feeling from this burger.  Not a bad burger at all, but not the intense flavor I was expecting.  The Das Fries on the other hand were exactly what I was expecting.  The beer cheese had tons of flavor and the bacon and jalapenos added just the right kick to the fries.  It was so good that I ended up stealing a few fries from my wife so that I could sop up some of the beer cheese sauce.

My wife did let me steal a few bites from her burger.  Now when my wife asked our server about the burger the server told her that it tasted very Italian.  In the first bite I knew exactly what she meant.  My wife's burger had crispy mozzarella (a flat chunk of it that managed to be both crispy and gooey), prosciutto, fresh basil, tomato and onion drizzled with balsamic, olive oil and pesto.  It was exquisitely Italian.  You could taste every ingredient in it and they all just worked together perfectly.  I've had Italian themed burgers before, usually brought about by adding deep fried mozzarella sticks and a heaping amount of red sauce, this was nothing like that.  This is what an Italian burger should taste like.  I also tried the Garlic Parmesan Fries.  At first I thought they were not bad, but then I dipped one into the roasted garlic mayo, and then the flavor hit me.  It was a great addition to the Italian burger.

Would I go back to Crave Real Burgers?  I'm already planning on going back there this weekend.  Not only that, I am aiming to try every burger they have on the menu, and not just because they give you a free T-Shirt when you have had one of each.  Everything on the menu looks delicious.  There is pretty much nothing I would not eat there.  A burger, maybe with an "Adult Shake", and I'm a happy man.

Big Bad Wolf Challange, Winners Board

Crave Real Burger
7465 N. Academy Blvd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
(719) 264-7919
http://craverealburgers.com/

Las Cuatro Milpas, Barrio Logan, San Diego, California

You will notice there is only one picture in this blog.  That is because there only needs to be one picture.  You are looking at five rolled tacos (okay I might have eaten one) covered in cheese, crema (not sour cream), filled with the best tasting pork you will ever eat (I added diced onions to mine).  This is not your average burnt piece of carnita, those have their place but not here.  These are more like steamed chunks of meat.  You can taste the hours that went into their production, though not for long.  These chunks of pork will last just long enough for you to cram them into your mouth.  The price for these, you ask, one dollar each, and that is a steal.

But I am jumping ahead.  A friend of mine was coming down to visit and suggested a certain Luchador themed restaurant that will not be named.  I noted that while the place certainly has flare it was lacking in flavor, and I was speaking specifically of their food.  Instead I remembered a happier time three years ago when my co-worker would get a nod from the boss to go out and bring back food from a place only spoken of in a whisper, Las Cuatros Milpas.  They would arrive back an hour later with some of the best pork I'd ever put into my mouth.  Ah, those were the days.

So we decided to meet up at Las Cuatros Milpas, and after searching around the area I snagged a parking spot a block away.  Barrio Logan is not the easiest place to park in general, but finding a parking spot in front of this place is nearly impossible.  The first thing you see is a line of people coming out the front door.  The people span the rainbow of skin colors and ethnicities, but what they do have in common is a love of great Mexican food.

Entering the front door you see two older Mexican ladies working behind the counter dropping rolled tacos into a big, wide bowl filled with oil.  At the same time they are shoveling in pieces of meat into small greasy corn tortillas.  The operation is simple:  grab food, quickly prep, drop on plate, and pay.  The whole operation takes a minute or so.  You can ask a question, but make it fast as there are a lot of hungry people behind you.  The best part, as far as I can tell there is only one type of meat, pork.  No confusion or questions, just let me have that.  There are other foods there.  The beans and rice are pretty good.  On Saturdays they have menudo.  But what people go there for is the pork, and most people go for the rolled tacos, lots of people, pretty much every day of the week (except Sunday, they are closed Sunday).

There is only one picture in this blog.  What you are not seeing are the women behind the counter hard at work putting a meal together.  What you do not see are the other women further on in the restaurant working with large industrial sized machines making all the food from scratch.  What you do not see are the smiling faces, full stomachs, and sighs of contentment from the people who have just finished their food, or their grimace as they realize they will have to get back in line to get more.  There is only one picture in this this blog, and it is the only picture you need to see.

Las Cuatros Milpas

1875 Loan Ave

San Diego, CA 92113

http://www.yelp.com/biz/las-cuatro-milpas-san-diego-2

The Huddle, Mission Hills, San Diego, California

When people say Mission Hills down here in San Diego, they think classy houses and rich people, but buried right off Washington is a little hole in the wall diner.  I actually discovered it by accident when I first made the long drive down to court my wife (wow that sounds old, like I had to offer her father a couple of oxen for her hand in marriage).  Here is my little review of one of the best little places to grab a quick bite in Mission Hills, the Huddle.

Never has the term hole in the wall been more apply applied.  Across the street from Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria , and a few doors down from Brooklyn Girl, is a small glass window next to a small door with a metal screen.  Surrounded by expensive eateries you had to wonder what this place was doing here, but once you taste the food you'll realize that every city needs a Huddle.

The first time we, my wife and I, had gone to the Huddle was when we were taking her ring back to be re-sized.  I had gotten up early for a long run and was starving at this point.  Not wanting to hunt down a fancy restaurant after dropping off the ring we stopped in my wife's old neighborhood, actually a few blocks down from it.  We considered grabbing some pizza but Lefty's wasn't going to open for at least an hour.  Instead we made our way into the Huddle.

Once inside we were greeted with a smile by a giant of a man who I believe was the owner, or at least the manager.  With a big smile he pointed us to a table.  We quickly met our server, and feeling the need to gorge I ordered a Chili Omelette with a side of hash browns and an English Muffin.  My wife got a cheese omelette, country potatoes, and wheat toast.  Then we sat back and examined the decor in more detail as we waited for our food.

Quaint would be a nice way of putting it.  The interior reminded me of the a home converted into a greasy spoon.  Wallpaper covered one wall, and behind the counter stood a large refrigerator that looked like it had been around since the early 50's.  To the right of it was a large flat grill where everything from flapjacks to burgers, to my omelette was produced.  Against the far wall was a single bathroom, and a good two feet away from that door was what appeared to be the pantry.

Our food arrived in less than 15 minutes, and this was on a busy Saturday morning.  The chili was placed in a small container to the left of my omelette which was a bit of a surprise but after distributing it evenly between my eggs and the hash browns I proceeded to wolf it down without a second thought.  Everything I had ordered was delicious and comforting in a way that only the best greasy spoon can deliver.  I even managed to snag a little of my wife's toast and gave their in-house perseveres a try, strawberry, apple, and marmalade.  They were so good that I bought a jar of the marmalade for my dad as he has a weakness for it.

Our waitress and the owner were polite and attentive.  The food was hot and fresh.  The environment was welcoming.  Overall I highly recommend giving this place a chance.  Also if you do go, and have a hankering for something sweet I'd ask for the Shake of the Month.  They made me one of the best chocolate and peanut butter milkshakes I've ever had.

The Huddle
4023 Goldfinch Street
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 291-5950