stay in the shallow end

I have a special place in my heart (and stomach) for hole-in-the-wall Mexican food. I don’t feel this way about any other cuisines, except maybe barbecue. A great example in Charlottesville is Aqui es Mexico. After reading this post on cVillain, there’s a new hole-in-the-wall king, and this one is almost actually a hole-in-the-wall.

At the corner of Market and Meade sits El Paso Grocery Store. It actually reminds me a lot of the Indian grocery stores I used to go to as a kid. They’re pretty dingy and dimly lit inside with unlabeled bags of food stacked up on the shelves. When you make your way to the back, you’ll find a small door tucked behind the left corner. Through the door, and you’re presented with a small kitchen with a window and this menu:

The man in the kitchen was immediately concerned when I took this picture. He doesn’t speak English, but I think he understood me when I told him it was for my friends. For lunch, I immediately was drawn to the carnitas due to my love of all things pork. When I ordered, the man conveyed that they did not have them today. I then ordered the barbacoa. He proceeds to very slowly and methodically make the burrito. First he takes an enormous tortilla and lays it out on the grill. Then he pulls a huge chunk of beef out of a pot stewing on the stove and shreds off enough for the burrito. The beans and rice are not your Qdoba/Chipotle fare. They were so well seasoned I could’ve easily paid for and eaten a plate of them and been satisfied. He then added a handful of cilantro and onion. The first half of the burrito was excellent, and I was loving every bite. The meat, beans, and rice all complimented each other perfectly. Unfortunately, as I got further into the burrito, the cilantro and onion started overpowering everything else. I wasn’t able to finish the burrito. Luckily this is an easy problem to resolve. Next time I’ll remember to ask for less cilantro and onion.

I’ve been trying to figure out the rest of the menu. For example, under Burritos, they list Regular, Super, and Platillos. Also, Papas sound intriguing, but I have no idea what they are. Finally, does anyone know what their Quesadillas are like?

Mmmmm, now I’m hungry. Maybe I’ll head over there right now.