So-Cal Tamal & Churro Co. has been one particular of the much better foodstuff vehicles in Bakersfield, generally at the corner of Ashe Highway and District Boulevard, specializing in fresh-fried churros and queso birria tacos as very well as other “L.A. Design and style Street Food” as their logo declares.
Back again in 2020, they briefly experienced a kiosk at Valley Plaza outside the house the foods courtroom with a limited menu, but the foods didn’t appear like it was ready on the place so it failed to last. Now they’ve opened a brick-and-mortar location in the vicinity of the Auto Mall with a massive kitchen area, a push-thru lane and a sizable menu with so many specialties not identified in most of our latest rapid-meals Mexican spots, so I consider this has a much better chance of surviving.
The menu has a crazy variety to it, from breakfast merchandise to tamales, tacos, burritos and a entire area of birria (a beef soup or stew from Jalisco). Their specialty procedure is to place the shredded meat in a tortilla with melted cheese and give you consommé for dipping. I have enjoyed that at the meals truck in the earlier (two for $8 on a plate).
Other specialties incorporate the Papa Guapa ($9.75), named following a well known restaurant in Mexico Metropolis that specializes in overstuffed significant baked potatoes. Another specialty product is the Tijuana bacon pet with nacho fries ($8), which will make you sense like you’ve got just been to the Kern County Truthful.
Our two most modern visits ended up for breakfast and supper. Prior to even speaking about the food stuff, I need to point out the eating area is little. Six tables, some only seating two. The takeout and push-via business enterprise had been considerably busier. Hope all orders to occur in a to-go clamshell box.
As I mentioned, the kitchen appears to be like much larger, and, on a Saturday at breakfast, there was a girl proper close to the dollars register making contemporary tortillas. I sampled them with the huevos rancheros with asada ($8.99) that I requested, and they were being velvety and begging to be crammed with the thick refried beans from the entrée, the inviting eco-friendly sauce in excess of the eggs, and the asada that was piled up on the side.
There were being region potatoes (seasoned chunks with bits of purple and environmentally friendly pepper) in the container, far too, but they appeared undercooked to me and not as appealing as the rice when we acquired dinners below. The eggs have been fried more than medium, a little bit brown at the edges, which I like, and the huevos fashioned a disk about two tricky and crispy corn tortillas, with cotija cheese and sour cream over the green sauce.
It was a excellent get started to the working day, specifically with the churro I requested ($3.25). It was a foot long, generously encrusted with sugar right after the frying, wrapped in aluminum foil, and served with a caramel or chocolate dipping sauce. What beats a new-fried authentic churro? It was crunchy outdoors, not greasy, and gentle and fluffy inside. Yeah, sugar content was off the charts.
On a evening meal go to, we requested a tamales combo ($8), just one with chicken, one particular with jalapeños and cheese, and a carnitas burrito ($8.99). There are seven unique meats which includes the birria, for burritos and, as I experienced not attempted the carnitas, I went for that. I will have to say the burrito was hefty on the meat with some rice, complete pinto beans and pico de gallo salsa mixed in. No cheese that I could detect.
The tamales are introduced still wrapped in the corn husks, which I must say retains them extremely moist, and my companion considered the cheese they applied was substantial excellent, a moderate white, most likely Jack, that permit the jalapeños be the star of the present. The rooster inside of the other tamale was finely shredded and pink with spices.
Both equally dinners provided this great small tostada that had refried beans, grilled onions and a grilled pepper. My burrito also arrived with radish slices and chopped cucumber wedges as very well as a lime wedge, which quite significantly would make every single burrito or taco better. Amirite?
Services was wonderful, personable and efficient at breakfast, but at dinner it took about 10 minutes for the younger male having my order to get it proper. I have no clue why he was trying to give me an excess tamale platter and normally insisting I get one particular of them with pork, but let’s just believe he’s new to the organization and working out the kinks.
Pete Tittl’s Eating Out column seems in The Californian on Sundays. Electronic mail him at [email protected] or observe him on Twitter: @pftittl.
