The Dudes of Food

After Aphrodite blessed us with the sensual Mozart Bakery, the chicken gods placed a good, but slightly less sexy, counterpart to act as the watchful older brother. And thus was spawned another mini-van inspired adventure: Sinaloense Pollos Asados.

What is Sinaloense cuisine and how does it differ from our everyday Mexican food? Great question, my young blog follower, I had a feeling you would ask. Food from the region of Sinaloa is composed of Latino flavors with a hint of European colonization. Sort of like Shakira, but slightly less delicious.

Though at first the restaurant appeared to be nothing better than a fast food Mexican joint, it became so much more. The grilled poultry paradise was clean as can be and the barely English-speaking hostess gave the chicken heaven an authentic touch.

Language Etiquette- The dudes wanted to practice Spanish and the hostess wanted to practice English. We spoke in bad Spanish and were responded to in bad English.

What drew us in? Was it the smell of smoky grilled chicken that flowed through the parking lot or the buy one get half free advertisement on the front window? The world may never know.

We decided to order the full chicken (with another half included) and a pound of Barbacoa, the cheek meat of the cow. There were six of us, making the amount of food ordered slightly excessive. What put us over the top was the insatiable lust for the $2.59 burritos.
The price- $6.50 a person. Here was the play by play:

1.5 pollos asados- $14.95

1 lb of Barbacoa meat- 12.95

2 burritos- $5.08

extra tortillas, rice and beans- $4

What set the pollo asado apart from other pollos running around with their heads off was the smoky flavor of the chicken. The chickens were stuck and rotated to crisp perfection over a fire.

The Barbacoa was moist beyond belief. Cheek meat has a strong and pronounced flavor. However, the cilantro, onions, and stupendous salsa tied the dish together.

Thanks to a bizarre curiosity to taste the so called “tinga” that pervaded the menu, we ordered the tinga burritos. What is tinga? Another great question! Tinga is a combination of Northern Mexican chipotle (a smoke dried jalapeno) and adobo sauce composed of oranges, tomatoes, garlic, and chilies. The tomatoes are the European influence in the dish. This tinga burrito kicked like a donkey, perhaps a pissed off Mexican mule. Yet for some reason, it didn’t taste like ass. Quite the opposite, it was a great way to top off our meal.

The pollo asado and Barbacoa both come with rice, beans, and a refreshing salad topped with pickled onions. The beans were almost like a stew, a nice touch to the build-your-own taco environment.

What to get:
1.5 pollos asados with an additional $.99 side of 6 corn tortillas- for 3 people

One pound of Baracoa – for 3 people
Anything with the word “tinga”

Consumer Hint:
There are 3 types of salsa. The red salsa, the most unique flavored, was also the spiciest. The two green salsas were slightly more mild but still not easy for a rookie to handle. Take a taste of each before eating on your self-built burritos.

Enjoy the soccer game on the television, placed on one of the chairs near wall of the restaurant. Everyone left smelling strongly of corn tortillas and ready for a siesta.