Grub Notes

More Mexican!

originally published February 8, 2006

Wandering: That’s what I and my adventuresome companion were doing on Jefferson Road, having set out in search of a restaurant that theoretically existed but could not be located. Luckily, in the process, we managed to find La Jalisco (3750 Old Jefferson Road, 316-3560), supermercado, taqueria and panaderia (bakery), on the access road that runs parallel to Jefferson, near the giant silo things. And double luckily, the Spanish the two of us managed to scrape up was adequate enough to procure some eats, though I’d advise perhaps a slightly better grasp of the language, one that requires less gesturing perhaps. La Jalisco’s grocery selection is huge, with giant bags of laundry detergent, bright piñatas hanging from the ceiling, a range of fresh fruits and vegetables, ridiculously inexpensive dried herbs, spices and chiles, cowboy boots, DVDs, CDs and every flavor of soft drink you can imagine. There’s a butcher’s/fish counter in the back, where you can examine sausages and be stared at by shrimp with their heads still on. And right next to this is the panaderia section, mostly made up of cases from which you can select your preferred pastries. There are some faded labels on the plastic doors, and they don’t always correspond to what’s behind them, but everything is delicious and cheap to the point of making one’s eyes bug out. When even a cold, mediocre bagel and a packaged cup of manufactured cream cheese will run you at least two dollars elsewhere, being able to munch on soft, gorgeously glazed concoctions the size of a saucer for 40 cents each is near unbelievable. The taqueria is to your right as you enter. It’s not what one would characterize as veggie-friendly, with selections consisting mostly of pork and beef, with the occasional chicken or organ meat to break things up. The tacos are $1.50 each and served on the classic several layers of corn tortilla, but even though the house green sauce available for the spreading was good, they still felt a little dry, a little below what we’d rather. The tortas, however, made use of the blessings the bakery gods have rained down upon the place, sandwiching steak milanesa in a loaf that managed to be tender without crossing the line into squishy, a difficult dance for a white bread. At a mere $3.50 for a large lunch, that’s the way you want to go. Grapefruit soda tingled on the tongue, a better palate cleanser than Coke or the horchata the menu board advertises. Weekends bring menudo and possibly more. Counter staff will work with you as best they can.

Finding the Familiar: Having heard that What’s Cooking Mexican American Restaurant (720 Hawthorne Ave., 543-4743) had recently expanded into the space formerly occupied by Classic City Café, I thought I’d snag a partner and check out the action. The name is not deceptive. Unlike La Jalisco, you will encounter no cross-cultural difficulties at What’s Cooking, unless the sprinkle of parmesan cheese on the refried beans qualifies. The interior is brightly, newly painted, adorned with light-up palm trees, plants, pictures and one pair of framed embroidered kitties. That is to say, it is both weird and adorable, endearingly odd and cute. The food is mostly un-scary, but I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with a nice grilled chicken sandwich and fries. In fact, it’s a mighty fine, simple version of such, with cheese that oozes out the opposite end of the sandwich, trying to escape. The strange but delicious tang of the fries was a mystery that occupied most of the meal before a query returned the answer “lemon pepper.” Fajitas might be a bit better served on a real plate than a plastic cafeteria one, but were still on the level of about any other place’s in town. The rest of the menu offers Mexican fare such as quesadillas, enchiladas, tamales, tacos (both American- and Mexican-style) and even camarones fritos (fried shrimp) and chicken mole, along with American foods such as cheeseburgers, hot dogs and wings, What’s Cooking seems to do a heavy take-out business; it’s is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday, and for lunch seven days a week.

What Up?: The annual A Taste of Athens is coming up Feb. 26 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Classic Center. Tickets are $40 in advance, purchasable at numerous locations around town and all proceeds benefit Community Connection. This year adds a cook-off “Iron Chef”-style among Lamar Thomas of East-West Bistro, Reggie Disante of Harry Bissett’s, Hugh Acheson of Five and Ten and Anne Miller-Anderson of Le Maison Bleu. Details, vendors, sponsors and more info can be found at www.tasteofathens.com.

Hillary Brown “Hunger is a deaf coachman,” says Luis Fernando Verissimo. Email food@flagpole.com.

Hillary Brown

“Hunger is a deaf coachman,” says Luis Fernando Verissimo. Email food@flagpole.com.