Operation Covert Trunk Full of Tamales at 11pm in the Walmart on Story Road's Parking Lot [San Jose]

It was nearly 11pm when we walked into the parking lot of the Walmart on Story Road. We were up to our ears in bags and ironing boards, but my dad still found the time to make a joke, "Hey, do you want a tamale?"

My patience had been tested all night and while I was grateful to have my parents in for the weekend, I was soon reminded of why I now live alone. I threw off his gesture with a scoff and kept walking, until he asked again.

This time, I entertained his jests: What are you talking about? He points to a parked car about 50 feet from where we're parked and says they're selling them out of the trunk. I confirm his claims and after seeing it with my own eyes, nod with enthusiasm. He drops his bags, takes some orders, and before we know it, money is exchanging hands in Operation Covert Trunk Full of Tamales at 11pm in the Walmart on Story Road's Parking Lot.

We waited until morning to re-steam our breakfasts of beef, cheese, chicken, and pork tamales and though my stomach wasn't so happy with such a fiery start to the day, they were some of the most delectable morsels of masa that I've had yet. Simple and homemade, they were petite and had a good ratio of filling to masa. All of the tamales had a good kick of spiciness and would have done well to be served with some acid to cut the heat (probably salsa). My favorites amongst the four were the chicken and pork, which were the mild choices compared to the beef.
I have no idea what other times the tamale car makes an appearance at Walmart, but it is as authentic of a street food experience as you can find in the suburbs of the South Bay.

Operation Covert Trunk Full of Tamales
Walmart Parking Lot
777 Story Rd
San Jose, CA 95122

Delicias de Mexico [Santa Ana]

Driving north on Harbor, you'll see NEVERIA in big pink letters announcing that you've arrived at Delicias de Mexico. It's right after Trask before you see the freeway entrance, so keep your eyes peeled for the neon green lights and painted glass windows.

Neveria is Spanish for ice cream shop with the suffix "-ria" indicating that it is a type of food shop. Carniceria (butcher), panaderia (bakery), pasteleria (cake shop)--you get the point. At Delicias, there are an assortment of helados (ice cream), paletas (popsicles), licuados (fruit smoothies), y agua frescas (fruit juices) to cool you down on a hot summer day.

Fruit flavors are mostly found in the paletas, which are either water or milk based, while the ice creams are paired with sweeter flavors such as coffee, vanilla, and chocolate. The ice creams are rich and creamy, though they were out of the chongos, which is a distinctly Mexican-flavored ice cream with milk candy chunks and cinnamon in it.

The paletas were too pretty to eat and filled the case with every color in the rainbow. Some of the more exotic offerings were yam, corn, and pico de gallo, though our taste buds weren't up to the challenge on this particular night. We opted for the pineapple, watermelon, and guava paletas, which were all a little on the sugary side. The water-based paletas are essentially frozen slushies, though the fruit chunks and seeds found inside give them a nice homemade feel. Eat fast because the bars start melting pretty quickly after you get them.

Maybe she was having a bad day, but the owner was extremely rude and trite with us. She rolled her eyes at our curiosity and sighed impatiently while we asked questions. At least all of the signs are in English, so you can easily avoid communication if the environment seems hostile...can't we all just get along?

Delicias de Mexico
13466 Harbor Blvd
Garden Grove, CA 92843
(714) 590-0031

Porto's Bakery [Glendale]

Although we were right next door at Damon's for June's Yelp Elite event, we arrived five minutes after Porto's 7 o'clock closing. I wasn't about to let that happen a second time around and popped by on my way back from the Kwik-E-Mart down the street.

The demure storefront hides the megalithic 2-story party supply and cake shop that lie behind Porto's doors. Designed to handle downtown Glendale's lunch traffic, the bakery is divided into two sides with the left counter serving lunch orders for sandwiches and popular bakery items and the right being the full-service bakery. Just queue up if you're in line at the lunch counter, but remember to take a number if you're waiting on the bakery.

We started with a trio of strudels (guava cheese, apple and guava) whose pastry shells were slightly cookie-like and crumbled more than they flaked. The apples were generously dusted with cinnamon spice, though we couldn't taste the cheese in our guava-cheese strudel. The guava tasted firstly of sugar, but left a refreshing tart aftertaste in our mouths. We also tried one of the new Raspberry Kisses, which reminded me of the Verona cookies filled with raspberry jam. They're a little on the dry side, which begs for tea of milk and I will definitely go back to try the dulce de leche version, which I bet tastes like alfajores.

The Pan con Lechon, a roasted pork sandwich with garlic mojo and onions, was incredibly moist and flavorful, though there was too much meat and too little of everything else. When I did manage to get a bite of onion, the contrast was sublime. If they had used red onions marinated in lime, it would have been heavenly.

And lastly, the legendary Potato Balls, which lived up to the hype and so much more. The fluffy mashed potatoes are lightly fried and filled with a flavorful taco meat. I was already raving even before I discovered the seasoned ground beef, hiding like a buried treasure in the depths of the ball. At $.80 a pop, they are the ultimate comfort food.

Whether its breads, cakes, pastries, empanadas, sandwiches, or tarts, there are certainly enough options at Porto's to keep you coming back for more.

Porto's Party Store & Cake Gallery
315 N Brand Blvd
Glendale, CA 91203
(818) 956-5996

Frontera Grill [Chicago]

I can think of no better way to kick off a vacation than with an exceeded expectation by Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill, which has been lauded as the best upscale Mexican in the country. Though we barely put a dent in the menu, we liked what we saw and first impressions matter most.

My gal pal wasn't feeling up to a full meal and ordered the Jicama Cellejera ($4.50), which was an appetizer-sized portion of sliced cucumbers and jicama dusted with achiote, lime, and pineapple juice. Some of the jicama pieces on top were doused with the overpowering spiciness and GC ate all of the pineapple pieces before I could try the dish in its entirety. My incomplete verdict is to render the dish nothing too special, though the combination of peppery achiote, tangy sweet pineapple, and tart lime was interesting.

Each summer Bayless' chefs take a one-week reprieve from the restaurant to go on a work-related, culinary research excursion. This year they made it down to the Yucatan--where the cosmopolitan cuisine takes notes from both Mexican and Western influences--and came back with an amendment of especialidades for the menu.

For JH and I, this meant a traditional achiote grilled fish or Pescado Tikin Xik ($17), served with a roasted tomato-habanero salsa, Mexican rice, and pea tendrils. Warm corn tortillas were brought on the side.

Achiote paste is a common marinade found in Yucatean cuisine and is a combination of annatto (what gives it its fiery red color), cumin, oregano, garlic, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. The banana-leaf grilling method led to an incredibly moist and succulent filet of mahi mahi, while the achiote rub gave it a deep smoke and pepperiness.

There was added heat from the habanero in the salsa, while the acidity in the tomatoes cooled it all down. The Mexican rice was aromatic with notes of ancho chile powder and the pea tendrils was crisp and lightly dressedThe dish was both my friend and foe--enraging my taste buds at first and soothing them after.

Pescado Tikin Xik

Though I would have liked for the flan to be creamier, I was impressed by the infusion of lime and dragon fruit that really sang from within the layers of egg, milk, and sugar in the Flan de Pitaya ($7.50). The raspberry-guanabana salsa took the pucker out of tart and left only a fresh sweetness to awaken the taste buds.

The restaurant was packed for a 2pm lunch seating and with its vibrant food and festive atmosphere, I can certainly see why.


Frontera Grill
445 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60610