tiffin unboxed

Rediscovered Find: El Huarache Azteca

Where can one get a delicious, freshly made savory snack or light lunch for under $3 that is not fast food?

Huarache con carne asada

Highland Park's gem - El Huarache Azteca #1! Los Angeles' San Gabriel Valley is known for its outstanding Asian Food, but numerous non-Asian good eats abound there as well.

Huaraches are named after the leather, woven Mexican sandals, which you can see at this link. But the ones you eat do not look like a shoe nor does it taste like a shoe.

The platform of flat, fried dough (resembling the rubber shoe sole) of this portable dish holds the tender meat of your choice, crema, cotija cheese, cilantro, red onions and other delicious seasonings. Meat choices go from the tame to the more adventurous, like cabeza (head). I'm not sure if it's supposed to be rolled, but I hold it up like a tostada and bite into it.

Huarache to go with several salsas and dried, seasoned chiles

The surroundings in this tiny restaurant are no frills. It's all about the food, which is obtained with cash only. Besides the the huaraches, there are other Mexican specialties, tacos, aguas frescas and an impressive salsa bar complete with dried chili peppers and fresh accompaniments.

I'm often mistaken for a native Spanish speaker and sometimes get tongue-tied when someone begins taking my order in rapid Spanish. That is not an issue here. They do speak English and provide very good service. Even if they didn't, this dish would keep me coming back based on its merits alone.