So I know all of you go to Anepalco's off Main Street in Orange, the first branch of Danny Godinez's coming empire of alta cocina Mexican food. But not enough of you have yet made the trek to the second Anepalco's, the one off Chapman Avenue kitty-korner from UCI Medical Center. That one gets a good lunch and dinner crowd, but still nowhere near the lines that Anepalquito's (Godinez's personal nickname for his original location) enjoys. And it's a shame, because the newer restaurant is where Godinez is experimenting with Mexican food like a culinary Cafe Tacuba.

He just debuted a new menu, one with a panoply of exciting dishes--a steak within chile negro, frog legs surrounded by a fabulous pico de gallo, a tropical crepe. But the best dish is a stunning pambazo, Godinez's take on the iconic Mexico City sandwich that finds cooks getting a bolillo, soaking it in red salsa, and toasting the results.
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Courtesy of David Allen

Ramón Sanchez might not be as familiar a name in the annals of Mexican food history as, say, Glen Bell, Larry Cano, or King Taco, but he was nevertheless a titan. His Ramón's Cactus Patch in Ontario was one of the oldest remaining Mexican restaurants in the United States, a Cal-Mex shrine that had been in business since 1938. Virtually unknown outside the Inland Empire, Ramón's Cactus Patch was a favorite for generations of Mexican-American families, a living, breathing, delicious museum. And Ramón was there right up until very, very recently--in fact, virtually up until two weeks ago, when Ramón's Cactus Patch closed its doors for good.

Sadly, Sanchez passed away last week at 99.
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Photo by Josue Rivas

Happy hour is music to our ears, and Chelas offers one on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: $2 drafts, Pacifico and XX Amber, $2 chips and salsa, $2 beef and chicken taquitos, as well as crispy tacos. As Karla likes to say, "Don't have a beer; have a Chela!" The lunch crowd starts trickling in as we tackle the second part of our interview.

Read our interview with Karla Vasquez of Chelas Mexican Grill, Part One.
And now, on to Part Two . . .


Do you have any skills that are non-food-related?
I would have to say decorating, drawing, painting and a bit of photography. I just love art--I even married one.

Hardest lesson you've learned:
To speak up if I have an opinion. Because if I wait to speak later, it won't count.

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The dish is taquitos, but it's NOT from a high-priced Javier's clone. Think about that, as that's your only clue for the moment. And the prize? You get these for FREE once you guess where they are. One guess per comment, and no Weeklings allowed. Now, guess, damn you: GUESS!!!

This is really cool: The paperback edition of my Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America is out TODAY!

Do I need to write anything more? Okay, I will!
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Photo by Josue Rivas

On the Line is about supporting local restauranteurs by shining a spotlight on them each week. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Karla Vasquez--business owner, wife, mother and CrossFit advocate. Her desire to bring authentic Mexican cuisine to the masses resulted in Chelas just less than two years ago. With killer breakfast tacos and a hard-working kitchen, the restaurant she created with spouse Art is a gem tucked in a Laguna Niguel plaza.


Tell us about your two types of breakfast tacos, and how late you serve them.
Our two breakfast tacos are our "Americano Taco" (scrambled eggs, choice of bacon or rib-eye, topped with Colby-Jack cheese) and our "Mexicano Taco" (scrambled eggs, choice of chorizo or shredded beef, with onion and cilantro, then topped with Colby-Jack). Our boy's personal favorite is the Americano bacon on flour tortilla topped with cheese.

But our most popular and absolutely delicious is our MVP burrito. The name speaks for itself! It has scrambled eggs, bacon, rib-eye steak, crispy hash browns, guacamole and Colby-Jack. We serve breakfast Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Your earliest food memory:
Black beans, plantains and sugar cane.
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My lord, does Rick Bayless want all Mexicans in the United States to hate him or something? Back in 2010, the celebrity chef of Mexican food notoriously said Los Angeles didn't have much of a Mexican-food tradition, then denied he ever said that while trashing Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times food critic Jonathan Gold. Now, he's trashing the Mexican-food traditions of San Francisco, which just happened to gift America with tamale men; Mission burritos; and Elena Zelayeta, the country's first celebrity Mexican chef.

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Temporarily sad news: Carlos Salgado has announced that Taco Maria will be parking for good.More »

LP Hastings

Fried Tacos de Papa

"Today it's tacos de papa," Roland says as he slaps a bag of tortillas down on our stainless steel workspace. Daylight savings has kept the sun around for our evening meetings and the tiny kitchen in the back of Rubalcava's is filled with warm light coming from the back door. "So, what's new with you?" he asks.

Working on Make It Mexican with Roland is a little bit like therapy. Rubalcava's could not be more laid-back with families filing in and out, and kids chilling on the sidewalk, throwing back trays of tacos. Roland's care of the facility and the way that he goes back and forth throughout our meetings makes the world slow down just a little bit. He knows what details are needed and, is getting to be a pretty good hand model.

We were a little late to jump on Lent dishes, but tacos de papa are simple and the only supremely vegetarian dish we have made so far. Roland points out that there are a variety of applications for the tortillas in this dish, but he shows us three options and they all take very little time.
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A couple of months ago, I noticed a new banner in Triangle Square (or The Triangle, as the place now calls itself) advertising a coming restaurant called El Corazón de Costa Mesa. Sounds like a son jalisciense, no? Well, we just got the press release announcing a April 20 opening, and there are things to look forward to and things that gives one pause.

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