Over New Year’s break, we spent some time camping with our Airstream in San Onofre, California. Dan had an early morning conference call so we drove into San Clemente so he could steal borrow the Wi-Fi from Starbucks and so Ava and I could grab a bite to eat. There were a few greasy spoons within walking distances but none of them were calling our names. We were just about to give in as I caught a glimpse of this place from the corner of my eye. La Tiendita Mexican Restaruant. Whenever Dan and I need to make a decision on which unknown restaurant to try, we usually steer towards Mexican food… and 9 out of 10 times, we make a good decision. This was no exception.

La Tiendita is not only a restaurant with a walk-up window but it’s also a little grocery store too. They sell items from Mexican sodas to hot sauces to deli meats to chilies. And I must mention that the lady the worked behind the counter was as friendly as they come and so helpful when trying to decide what to order for my little toddler.

And with all breakfast plates costing $4.95 or less, we were sold.

Dan ordered the chorizo and eggs plate. Everything tasted super fresh.

I order the chili relleno breakfast plate and this picture is making my mouth water all over again. Seriously. And I just had lunch.

And our little Ava got the breakfast burrito… and enjoyed eating the insides. She is currently anti-tortilla but we are relentlessly working on reversing that craziness.

In a couple of weeks, we will be in the Orange County area again… and you better believe that we will be making a special trip to San Clemente just to eat at La Tiendita all over again. Yum.

the end,
marlene

This was a bad idea. A fun idea, but a bad one…

But I digress…

We ate at a lot of restaurants during our Arizona visit. I want to give you guys a little photo tour of the kinds of food we had and where we had them. Specifically the local restaurants and a little review of our experience:

The Cup Cafe at Hotel Congress – Tucson, AZ

Hotel Congress is a historical landmark in Tucson. We wrote about it on a previous post so I will save my breath here and stick to the food at the Cup Cafe.

The Locals Only Burger

Grilled half-pound certified Angus beef patty, topped with fresh roasted green chilies and melted asadero cheese on a toasted bun. $9.50

The Queer Steer

A savory house-made veggie burger served on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, sprouts and sliced red onion. $7.50

Smothered Brie Parisian

Oven-baked brie, with marinated fire roasted red peppers and sun-dried tomato pesto on a toasted Parisian baguette with fresh tomato and field greens. $8.00

Kid’s Cheesy Pasta Plate

This is an off menu item that they made for Ava. Melted Parmesan with spinach on penne pasta. It was quite delicious if I can speak for her.  She ate it all up! $3.75

El Zarape Mexican Restaurant – Bisbee, AZ

El Zarape was a tasty little Mexican restaurant right in downtown Bisbee. The prices were very reasonable and the salsa was spicy. The portions were not big so if you are just looking for a nice meal on a budget, give them a try.

The Bisbee Grille – Bisbee, AZ

We have eaten here before and we decided to go back. It has a great atmosphere and a friendly staff on top of very good food.

Once again I ordered a burger. What can I say, I have a little thing for burgers.

Here’s Marlene’s pasta meal which she shared with Ava.

David decided on some fish and chips to satisfy his craving for a little malt vinegar.

Carrie was the winner with the broccoli cheese soup. It was one of the best soups she’s ever had even though she’s normally not into broccoli cheese soup. The bowl it was in was 3-times the size of her head. She wanted to order garlic bread to go with her soup and the waiter gave her a strange, perplexed look when she asked for it even though every other dinner item comes with a side of garlic bread. What she got in return was the world’s smallest slice of bread with butter on it. Or maybe it just looks small in contract with the world’s largest soup bowl.

Little Italy – Gila Bend, AZ

We ate here for Marlene’s birthday dinner on our way back to California for a couple of reasons. First being that it was touted as authentic Italian cuisine and second because there really wasn’t much going on in Gila Bend, AZ. We did have a good time there with a couple of glasses of wine and a nice meal. Marlene’s spaghetti with meat sauce was very tasty but unfortunately it was very very late. The waitress who took the order had to convince the chef/owner that we indeed ordered the item which finally came after all the rest of us had nearly finished our meals. So much for a birthday dinner. We didn’t get around to take photos of the entrees at this meal and I blame either the late spaghetti meal or the copious glasses of vino… you decide.

Sofia’s Mexican Food – Gila Bend, AZ

We ate at a great little Mexican restaurant called Sofia’s on the main drag at Gila Bend the morning we headed back home. The food was delicious and the price more than reasonable. There was a motorcycle gang already grubbing down inside when we got there and you can see the menacing bunch in the background in this picture.

Once again I forgot to take photos of our food but take my word for it, it was delicious. If you ever decide to spend some time in Gila Bend (why would you do that to yourself?) make sure to stop at Sofia’s Mexican Food for a sonoran enchilada.

over and out,
dan