Someone suggested a place in Monrovia for Mexican food but after learning of the location I was pretty sure I had already been there. Then I looked it up and it turns out I went to the place next door! I even did an HR review of their red-carded plate. Hmm, maybe I’ll let Monrovia redeem itself. Fuck it, let’s go!
Unlike the place next door, they didn’t mention “crispy” but few places do. We shall roll the dice.
Hmm, doesn’t look bad. Not bad at all. The scoop of rice wasn’t the usual Mexican style, it was more like a basmati, stiffer with maybe some garlic and cilantro? It was good. Beans were also tasty, nice and smooth with a lil’ bit of queso to mix in. I was mostly impressed that they didn’t put cheese on the HR’s, nor avocado, nor sour cream, not even a layer of beans that seems to be the trend. Beans go on the side! The absolute frugality of this dish was actually thrilling, just your eggs and ranchero sauce over tortilla. Sadly, I have to report the tortilla was not crispy as is required, just your standard warm tortilla de maiz. Que lástima! For if they had taken that extra step, this would be a top-notch dish. The salsa was spicy, even from the very first taste. Lots of tomatoes and chiles, they way I would do it. The eggs were perfectly cooked and they give you 3 for some reason. How odd! I think that’s a bit of roasted poblano or bell pepper on top, I couldn’t tell. It seemed more like a decorative flourish. But this is absolutely the way you want your HR’s to look, just plain eggs with a simple yet tasty sauce. Someone tell them to put a tostada underneath to make it my favorite!
A server came by with a cart offering fresh pan dulce. The concha de chocolate was perfect for dunking in my coffee.
We went early (I had a bunch of Premier League games to see) but by the time we were leaving the restaurant was getting quite packed. I was surprised to see mostly Latinos in the place, not something I would have expected from suburban Monrovia.
Sometimes people will go quite a ways for good food.
Café de Olla 626.238.6300
423 S Myrtle Ave.
Monrovia, CA 91016
https://www.cafedeollarestaurant.com
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yay another HR review – good read on christmas eve.
Top notch review