So more like this?
I guess with Northern NV’s Basque heritage I was just thinking of the enormous “soup to nuts” meals. We had them a couple of times some years ago and it was just too much food.
Thanks for sharing this.
These seem to be all country style kind of communal meals. We spent a couple weeks in Basque, Cantabria, Asturias countryside this year and were ordering off the menu like any other restaurant. I’m not sure what the history is of the style of Basque here but it’s definitely old school, country
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Done.
Old article but seems right.
I posted that Friday. The only thing that might have changed since Gold wrote it is that some of the places might have closed, modernized their menus slightly, or dropped the boardinghouse part of the business.
When I first discovered Basque restaurants in SF in the 70s, one or two of the remaining three or four still had boarders upstairs. They had communal tables so luck of the draw you might get seated with some old shepherds. They’re all gone now, the only sort of old-school place (which opened in 1982) is run by the Basque Cultural Center in South SF.
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I’ll be driving north on 99 this weekend and thought it might be helpful cross-linking this other thread about an Eater article regarding that stretch of freeway. Additionally, here’s the mapped version of that article.
I recently tried to eat at Loncheria Otro Rollo as recommended earlier in this thread but unfortunately they weren’t there on the Friday afternoon I stopped by. Instead, I drove on to Taqueria Los Toritos in Selma from the eater list.
They were out of al pastor, unfortunately, but I did try their cabeza, chorizo and and chile verde. I wouldn’t go out of the way to eat here but it’s tasty enough, conveniently located right off the freeway and open late, which is really handy if you’re trying to avoid traffic.
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Made a quick trip to Sac and back so I decided to hit a bunch of places from the Eater list of Mexican restaurants along 99. Pictures aren’t great because we were driving but hopefully they can at least provide some idea of size.
First stop was Tacos La Villa in Bakersfield for a California burrito and a Hot Cheetos California burrito.
Burrito was a good size and broader than a lot of California burritos I’ve had.
Interior of California burrito. It came with choice of meat (carne asada in this case), cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole and fries
Interior of Hot Cheeto California burrito. Same ingredients plus Hot Cheetos. It was about 50/50 cheetos to fries, not a wholesale replacement.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by how good the burritos were. For some reason it’s really difficult to get a decent California burrito in LA- they exist but tend to be mediocre. I’d certainly swing by again even though fries were a little too crisp (almost hard) and the cheetos were fine but didn’t make a noticeable difference. Of the three salsas (green, spicy red, smoky red) the reds were pleasingly flavorful. The spicy red was a bit too much for me but had a decent garlic flavor kind of like La Vic’s in San Jose or Cotixan in San Diego. The smoky red salsa reminded me of what comes with Super Tortas DF sandwiches.
Second stop the next day was La Taqueria in Turlock. This one is the Turlock location of the SF outfit that won 538’s burrito bracket a few years ago.
Just got one quick picture while driving to show size. It has a decent heft, probably due in part to the fact that there’s no rice in it. Standard burrito here comes with choice of meat, beans, and pico de gallo. I got the carnitas and added cheese, sour cream and guacamole to bring it as close to the “super burrito” I grew up with. It was definitely a good burrito with really meaty, porky carnitas that was still a little bit on the dry side of crispy. Overall I wouldn’t call it worthy of the best burrito in America but it’s a solid specimen. Also, while the tortilla was decent enough I read you can get it “dorado” where they griddle it a little but to crisp it up. Probably worth trying in the future.
Lastly, we just made it in time to get a takeout order at El Burrito House in Kingsburg.
Again, we were on the road so there wasn’t really a good opportunity for a picture. I think this might have been the biggest burrito of all, which is impressive considering they make their own flour tortillas. Ingredients were choice of meat (adobada in this case), rice, beans, onion and cilantro. I didn’t see an option to add sour cream, cheese and guacamole so I got it as is but would probably ask for that in the future. The insides were pretty decent and I definitely can recommend the tortilla. It was tender and pliable without being too gummy or heavy with lard. I would compare it to La Azteca Tortilleria but a bit more tender. I will say, the owner was enormously kind (especially considering I came in literally two minutes before closing). When she found out it was my first time there she rushed into the kitchen and gave me two extra tortillas HOT off the grill to take home.
Overall, I would give La Villa another try for their Cali burritos and salsas, probably pass on La Taqueria except to maybe try their burritos “dorado” and I’ll definitely swing by El Burrito House again. Even though Burrito House’s hours are a bit difficult (closing at 3PM daily) I’ll make a special effort to try them again because of the tortillas, the owner and this awesome sounding Azteca burrito that I only saw too late to order.
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538 burrito bracket: garbage in, garbage out.
That might be a subset of it being difficult to get good fries in general.
Yeah, I thought that burrito bracket was pretty silly at the time. I’ve eaten at a few of the contenders just in passing but never sought them out because of 538. I should mention that we also got a shrimp quesadilla and strawberry agua fresca at La Taqueria and those were pretty awesome. So I guess I should revise my opinion to say I wouldn’t go out of my way to get a burrito there specifically but it’s not bad in a pinch.
Regarding California burritos in LA, fries are definitely part of the problem. Like I said, Tacos La Villa had over done fries verging on hard. That said, I like the balance of other ingredients which I find to be part of the problem with the few LA California burritos available. A lot of times they seem both dry and soggy at the same time with overcooked meat and floppy fries and a gummy tortilla that gets stuck in the crevasses of your teeth. Bleah.
I used to go to the northernmost outpost of Alberto’s in Van Nuys but that’s closed now. Tops Burgers in Pasadena (not Original Tops or Tops Jr.) has an okay version but I’d sooner skip it and get a pastrami burger if I’m there. George’s Burger Stand also had a passable one but consistency can be a little lacking.
Stopped at one more of the places mentioned in Gustavo Arellano’s article about Mexican food off 99 about a year and a half ago.
La Casita in Merced is just off 99 and only open until 5:30PM, so a little hard to drop in off the cuff if you’re coming to or going from the bay area, Sacramento or LA. It’s definitely pick up only with orders taken at a counter a few feet from the door and most of the limited space taken up with groceries and drinks.
Unfortunately, I think I communicated the wrong thing to the person taking orders because I asked if they could add sour cream, cheese and guacamole to a burrito (trying to emulate super burritos I grew up with as in a previous entry). As it turned out they gave me ONLY meat with sour cream, cheese and guacamole. Again, photos taken while driving so not much to see but size.
Having said that, the burrito was pretty good. As with La Taqueria in Turlock, the burrito was hefty but not bloated with rice and beans. The homemade flour tortilla was very good- nice browning from the griddle and flaky rather than chewy and lard-heavy. The guacamole was unusually very heavy on the garlic but pleasantly so rather than the astringent burn you’d get if a bunch of raw cloves were dumped in.
I was particularly glad to try the carnitas which you could tell was going to be good because the whole place smells of pork like a decent carniceria when you walk in. The meat was a touch dry in parts but not to the point it was fibrous and the flavor was deeply porky. I’ll be back again to try it as a real super burrito for sure.
Mrs. Wiremonkey got a chile verde quesadilla that probably highlighted the flaky fresh tortilla even better and was served with a hefty sluice of the garlic forward guacamole and sour cream.
Interestingly, I noticed they sell packages of large tortillas on the side (along with a lot of other items like chips, pork rind style chicharron, etc.). That in itself was not unusual but the tortillas looked to be the size and texture of tlayuda tortillas but made of flour instead of corn. They obviously could have been selling them as burrito tortillas or just large tortillas but given the short shelf life of fresh flour tortillas like that it seemed odd. That and the fact that they really strongly reminded me of the packages of tortillas you see sold at Oaxacan markets made me curious as to the origin of this restaurant that’s been around since the 60s. Something to ask about next time, I guess.
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Anyone know an great Armenian spot in Fresno? It’s a huge community
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Very curious to hear if you find one! Wasn’t aware that the community existed, would love to check it out.
Yes the first wave settlers after genocide were in fact the farmers in Fresno. They remained
fitting for the topic is the sound of my people
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Interesting. Bunch of places on Yelp.
There’s a big Armenian community around Oakland but no restaurant or bakery.
We’re driving up to Yosemite soon. Recs appreciated, especially for Fresno.
This site has some options we’re considering. 12 Must-Try Fresno Restaurants In CA - Updated 2022 | Trip101. The Annex Kitchen looks the most promising. Then, Diana’s (for the poster above asking about Armenian).
(We’ve already been to Punjabi Dhaba in Bakersfield, BTW. We liked it, but we’ll have guests so it’s out of the question.)
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Stopped at Ararat Market in Clovis last time through that way, picked up a couple pretty nice wraps - shish and lula. Looked like a good selection of pantry stuff and a meat case, but didn’t inspect too closely since we were on the way home. Not mind blowing, but very solid, and I’d like to try more and maybe explore some of their marinated meats for the grill - might be nice if you’re staying at housekeeping/camp 4 or someplace with a kitchen.
ARARAT MARKET AND GRILL
497 N Clovis Ave #205, Clovis, CA 93611
(559) 324-9999
https://goo.gl/maps/bZi1efRh8rvsRjWP7
Thanks, I appreciate it. That is a good idea.
Noriega’s in Bakersfield closed and has now reopened in a new location with new owners.
Is this new version of Noriega’s still worth a stop? If not Noreiga, any other suggestions for Bakersfield?
And, I was looking at the menus at some of the other Basque restaurants in Bakersfield.
But, other than tongue dishes, what exactly is Basque in those menus? I’m seeing dishes like garlic spaghetti, new york steak, fried chicken, etc…
Traditional Basque is family-style. You pick your entree (often there’s a special for every day of the week) and the rest (the “set-up”) is the same for everyone. Some places have modernized to a greater or lesser extent, the set-up might be optional, or they might have an a la carte menu in addition to the traditional family-style. Some have dropped family-style entirely.
I can’t find a menu for the new Noriega’s, but reportedly they’re still serving family-style.
I love the Wool Growers in Los Baños. Haven’t been to the one in Bakersfield, or any of the Basque places there.
http://woolgrowers.net/menu/
Chalet Basque:
http://www.basquerestaurantbakersfield.com/menu/
Can’t find a web menu for Pyrenees, which is probably a good sign.
So, if I went to restaurants in the Basque region in Europe, they’d be serving it with this family style set-up? Or, is this family style set-up an Basque-American thing that arose in America from these boarding hotels serving their boarders?
So, are they still serving Basque dishes but the menu description doesn’t convey that?
And, even if the restaurants still continue to serve it family-style, are they still a Basque restaurant if their dishes aren’t really Basque dishes anymore? Would a Chinese restaurant still be a Chinese restaurant if it served its food family-style but the dishes were garlic spaghetti, fish n’ chips, shrimp scampi, etc…