Las Compadres

Las Compadres

1290 Sunburst Plaza

• No bathroom
• Cash only
• Tables and table service
• Free chips
• Broken Ms. Pac Man machine
• $$

Las Compadres is anynonomously esconsed in a very new-looking shopping center just around the corner from the intersection of Saturn and Coronado. The white-washed, no skateboarding allowed, suburban-style shopping center really makes the wall-to-wall wood paneling inside a shock to the senses. Combine that with white-haired ladies framed by a cake case and overhead concession-style price board and its like I've been transported to an Arkansas barbeque joint.
I guess it is only fitting then that this is where I learned of a new dish, Milaneza, which seems to be the Mexican equivalent of chicken-fried-steak. I don't care for the real thing, so I checked the very minimal menu for other offerings and settled on a combo of chile relleno and a chicken enchilada. I Was given free chips and finally, a SPICY salsa and sat down.
The food came to my table quickly and I had one of the best, freshest tasting meals I have enjoyed so far in this project. I never thought I'd have such a perfect relleno outside of New Mexico and the chicken enchilada threw me for a loop with its total lack of cheese but man was it good. The chicken was cooked really well and there was a ton of fresh tomato, cilantro, and other goodness.
There was a case full of brown deserts molded into various shapes. I got some kind of delicious coconut thing. The menu might be small here, bt i was totally impressed with the food. Factor in the fact that the convenience store next door has a ton of craft beer and you have one-stop picnic shopping.

Sari-Sari and Bake Shop

Sari-Sari and Bake Shop

Albertson's Shopping Center

• no bathroom
• 1 table, outside
• very sparse english
• $$

So this is definately not a tacqueria but I figured I would post this very confusing ethnic experience anyway. I popped into this little place, between the asian grocery and the water guy I think, hoping to get some good asian food. The set-up was this, four or five chafing dishes filled with various food. The one that caught my attention first was big wads of foil. I asked what was inside and and with some teamwork, we agreed that it was a whole, fried fish. The other dishes I was offered were "Adovada Pork" and "Barbeque". I took these.

I got a styrofoam plate bulging with sticky white rice, adovada, and "barbeque". As a southerner, I feel I really must mention that this was a far cry from anything I know as "barbeque". What we had were chopped pieces of what I hope was chicken along with some peppers in a brownish sauce. I have no idea if it was supposed to be mexican, asian, or what, but it was tasty, as was the adovada.

The whole time I sat outside at the one table, munching, I was being passed by elderly Fillipino ladies who I think were waiting for their laundry at the laundromat and were sipping on a strange drink. It looked like somebody had thrown a buch of gummy bears into strawberry Quik. Throw in a bunch of baked goods I have never seen in my life and you have yourself a place so confusing I must go back and unravel its mysteries . It seems, that in IB, even the "Sari-Sari and Bake Shops" must appeal the tacqueria crowd. My mind is blown.

Don Guero

Don Guero

1850 Cornado Ave. Suite 401
open 6:30 - 10

• no bathroom
• $
• some english
• credit cards accepted
• tables

Way back in the corner of the Albertson's shopping center, Don Guero's green and red interior and signage scream for attention into the shadows of its closed nieghbors like an electric novidad nightmare. Once inside however, I am struck by quiet. No clanging of pans, no thumping bando, just a little volume from the spanish channel. A few teenagers speak spanish in hushed tones.

I have found Don Guero in varying states of cleanliness, but tonight the place is sparkeling from top to bottom. Even the kitchen looks immaculate. Long before I have time to notice that though, I have to scan the entire front of the counter for little construction paper signs advertising daily specials. They are hidden here and there, waiting to reward the observant with a 6.00 chicharones plate or 1.25 tacos de papa. Of course, you must weigh these offers against Don's massive regular menu, which includes several things I've never heard of, menudo, 4 soups, breakfast, an extensive seafood menu, and enough tamales (PINEAPPLE tamales, if you wish) rice, and beans to feed an army for like $20. This is also home to the cheapest bean and cheese burrito I have found in IB, at $2.50, and it is HUGE. I settle on carne adovada and take a seat.

The TV is showing Titanic in spanish. I've never seen this in english but i think I get the picture. They chase eachother around, doing things the guy can't really afford till everyone gets bored with it. They finally have sex. Things get cold. The ship sinks. This is a blockbuster film? Sounds like half the relationships I ever hear about.

A sweet, motherly woman coaxes me out of my cynicism when she presents me with a hot plate piled high with food. thats right folks, PLATE. Like the kind you put in the dishwasher. This is my first taste of DG's guacamole and it is some of the best I have ever had. The adovada is different than what I expected, a tangy marinade rather than a red chili sauce, but is still delicious. The only condiment at DG is an anonymous squirt bottle full of something red and very firey. I am interrupted only once during my meal to ask if I would like to bring my bicycle inside. Who are these wonderful people?

I almost didn't want to make this entry because i have a wierd feeling this place is one of IB's best-kept secrets, but competition is stiff, and i want to make sure this place stays around. This is almost like eating in a sit-down restaurant, and in some ways it's better. Go! Titanic tendencies aside, this is like the third or fourth time Don and I have seen eachother in a month. He's going in my phone. I think this could be serious. He might be the one.

Las Panchero's

• no bathroom
• credit cards accepted
• english spoken
• $$
• indoor dining
• drive thru

Right where the Silver Strand meets Palm Ave., Las Panchero's garish sign hangs it right out on the road for transient passers-by and military men who work the near-by base. It entices those "slumming it" in IB from Coronado to step in for something quick and naughty; something they'd be mortified if the other folks at the country club caught wind of. While she appears cheap and undiscriminating, Las Panchero's is not without her own unique touch of class.

I am sure the former franchisee of this obviously converted fast food building would shudder at its current state, but this is probably the cleanest taqueria I've been to in IB so far. The numerous tables seem to have been wiped in the past 24 hours and i didn't even notice any piled up plates or wrappers.

The lady at the counter spoke perfect English, which I could easily hear over the tejano, which was repressed to a moderate volume. She was extremely cordial and the food was out in no time.

You are offered a small paper boat of free chips and given free reign of the condement bar, which includes a salsa, 2 picos, and those pickled carrot and pepper things, which made their way into this southern boy's first California Burrito.

The burrito was pretty sizeable, but not gargantuan. I would estimate it to be in the 1/2-3/4 lbs range. I might have to invest in a scale for this project. I was expecting to find frech fries in there, and there might have been it was kinda hard to tell with white sauce flooding everything. Reguardless, it was very tasty and well-portioned and the steak wasn't too chewy.

The other menu offerings were pretty standard, though I did notice machaca. There was a breakfast menu, but they kill it at 11. Obviously, this place does well and it isn't hard to see why. This was a fast, no-hassle experience.