CHANFLES!

I was sidetracked last week but I’m back on the hunt for Tortas de Camaron, the availability of these is quickly slipping away! Today’s outing was at Villa Restaurant (3300 N. Broadway 323.225.8806) right near Lincoln High, site of the famous 1968 Walkouts, though I didn’t see anybody skipping school for today’s walkouts, maybe I was a bit late. If I had seen some kids I’d have told them it’s probably a good idea to skip school anytime they want a decent lunch, because the Tortitas at Villa are an indication that they care about food. The cook corrected me when I asked for tortas de camaron, she calls them ‘Tortitas’, since they specialize in Guadalajara style ‘Tortas Ahogadas’ they need to make a distinction. Whatever you call them, make sure you call them lunch.

I’m running out of descriptions to use that will explain the uniqueness of each weekly entry, after all, it is the same basic plate! Well this one is a bit different, in the very least that they diced the nopalitos, I think I prefer them that way. Maybe the small size, which means you can eat both nopales and tortita at the same time, accentuates the sponginess of the tortita and makes for a different texture and mouthfeel. Can that make a difference? It’s irrelevant really because something in this plates’ totality makes it thoroughly fullfilling, and the savory red sauce ties it all in like a nice little package. The little bow on top would have to be the tortillas de maiz hechas a mano, freshly made and a perfect complement. That makes a huge difference. I get bent out of shape thinking about the crap that passes for tortillas de maiz (Guerrero, Mission, etc.) at most grocery stores and restaurants; imagine if you went to Angelique Cafe and instead of a baguette they served you Wonder Bread? That would be the equivalent. Lucky for you, that miserable fate can be avoided here.
This was my first foray into Villa and I’m sure i will be going back. Dale gas Amigo, se acaban las Tortas! EL CHAVO!

Oh Pete’s Patio, how we miss you. When it got sold, the great and popular 2 dollar breakfast was gone, the quality of the food did not survive the transition, and I stopped going. Now it’s become DJ’s which I’ve yet to sample but I make it a personal code to never, ever, never (again) eat at a place that sells burritos AND teriyaki. Case closed. Done and done. It’s not a crowd pleaser like peanut butter and chocolate, nor is it intriguing like chinese food and donuts, and it’s a far cry from the perfection of fruit with chile y limon. If those two good-on-their-own foods get near each other, watch the fuck out! I once ordered a regular burrito (back in my non-veggie days a long time ago) and unbenownst to me, they ‘spiced’ it up with some teriyaki concoction. What was it like? It was a trainwreck in my mouth, injured taste buds gasping for life while the dead ones cluttered the senses and made rescue impossible. A side of dirt might have worked wonders but restaurants are slow to catch on. The fact that DJ’s has not one, not two, not three, but FOUR signs for Teriyaki has me quite convinced I’ll be avoiding this eatery for some time. Maybe I’ll even walk on the other side of the street.

I had to get to La Llamarada (2622 Pasadena Ave. 323.221.2259) early today to make sure I was able to sample their version of Tortas de Camaron, last week they ran out! That’s not surprising as this popular restaurant often runs out of Chiles Rellenos (which they also only make on Fridays) usually by 2pm. Better to be safe, I’ll have it for breakfast. Turns out other people had the same idea at 9am since i noticed at least 2 other people having the same meal. Maybe it was a bit too early as it turned out I didn’t even get close to finishing this hefty plate, though it wasn’t for lack of will.

As you can see from the picture, this dish was loaded with nopalitos, so much that you can barely make out the tortitas. But they’re in there, and they are something else. As for the nopales, they are decent but forgettable. You’ve tasted these before: it’s the familiar taste you get when you crack open that jar of nopales hiding in your cupboard on some lazy Sunday you just don’t feel like dealing with the prickly spines. Nothing exciting and they do in a pinch, so let’s move on. I was quite surprised by the tasty sauce that covered this platillo, it was interesting in as much that it was unexpected. Llamarada is known for doing some very basic dishes as their business is based on moving people in and out, therefore an interesting tomato/chile sauce on ANYTHING is going to get some points. No need to break down this culinary rarity, let’s just say it’s good. Entendido? The most worthwhile aspect of Llamarada’s tortas are the actual tortas, a nicely formed medallion with a spongy and thick consistency, a perfect vehicle to soak up all that good sauce.

At around 6 bucks, it’s pricier than I expected. It tastes just like a plate you would expect from Llamarada; basic but decent food at a (usually) cheap price. If you want to give it a go, get there early! EL CHAVO!