Sense and Memory

Contemplating the sign on the side of the El Jaripeo taco stand where I ate sopes last week, I realized that the address references not the stand itself, but a restaurant around the corner on 3500 South.  Assuming I knew the neighborhood pretty well, I thought there was nothing there, but when I bicycled over on Monday, I found the sit-down El Jaripeo at the far end of an improvised Latino mall partitioned out of an old warehouse.  The dining room was not at all fancy, but the tables were covered with bright Mexican cloth, and the service from a young man in boots, black jeans, and a Slayer t-shirt  was solicitous and friendly. Chips and thin citrus-tanged salsa came right away.  I wanted a steak dish so ordered bistek encebollado, which turned out to be skirt steak, tender and tasty but without much spice, with sauteed onions, rice, refried beans, and 3 freshly made corn tortillas in a straw basket on the side. 



This meal was not spectacular, but it was well-prepared and presented with solid flavors throughout.  I'll go back to El Jaripeo to try the moles and other tipicos platos Oaxaceños on their menu.