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A taco platter silver lining

Learning the true meaning of antojitos

Beautiful in its own way.
Beautiful in its own way.
Place

Cocina de Rosita

2665 Market Street #G, San Diego

Due more to bad luck than to any exhilarating lifestyle choice, I've found a nail stuck in my tire four times the past two years. It's made me somewhat of a regular at a Grant Hill repair shop, which means I'd driven past La Cocina de Rosita going there and back no fewer than seven times without ever noticing it existed.

The signal getting lost in the noise.

Crouched above Market Street, in the shade of a 99-cent store, Rosita's can be easy to miss. It's not trying to be inconspicuous – a string of banners advertises antojitos in large red letters. But to a mind focused on automotive service, the word can take awhile to register.

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My Spanish is rusty, but I assume it translates to "buck-fifty tacos." At least, that's how it worked out this time.

A far cry from Doritos Locos.

They're small, so it's more about getting to run the gauntlet of meats: carnitas, al pastor, the asadas pollo and carne. Oh, and the fish tacos are 99 cents so, might as well, that too. Like a build-your-own platter.

When I walk in, the proprietors are sitting at table near the door, just hanging out, chatting, enjoying the life between customers. It contributes to a relaxed country vibe. They've already stewed the meats, simmered the soups and poured the salsas, so everybody's friendly and at ease, and ready to make tortillas.

The difference between store-bought and hand-made corn tortillas cannot be oversold. Hechas a mano may not always be a sign of excellence, but it does show effort to offer something better. In this case something lighter, almost fluffy, landing somewhere akin to pitas and naan.

Except for the Baja-style fish, the tacos don't come dressed. They're just tongfuls of meat piled on tortilla. So you've got to load the onions and cilantro yourself at the salsa bar.

Obligatory salsa bar shot.

It's all wooden tables inside, inviting enough, but I grab a seat at one of the mosaic concrete patio tables so I can look off into the hills of east county and eat tacos.

The pollo and carne asada are both standouts, and the griddled carnitas remind me a little of eating corned beef hash. The meal starts to get salty, but that's remedied well enough by adding more salsa and sipping a Mexican coke.

The spicy grease will stay in my chest for a couple hours, but that's what I've signed up for, a worthy trade for those satisfying mouthfuls of tortilla and heat.

I'm glad I finally caught on to Cocina de Rosita, and will have to dig deeper into other antojitos: huaraches, sopes, and enchiladas. I also have my eye on their pozole for next time I puncture a tire. But I should maybe start looking for a brakes shop near someplace that serves great salads.

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Beautiful in its own way.
Beautiful in its own way.
Place

Cocina de Rosita

2665 Market Street #G, San Diego

Due more to bad luck than to any exhilarating lifestyle choice, I've found a nail stuck in my tire four times the past two years. It's made me somewhat of a regular at a Grant Hill repair shop, which means I'd driven past La Cocina de Rosita going there and back no fewer than seven times without ever noticing it existed.

The signal getting lost in the noise.

Crouched above Market Street, in the shade of a 99-cent store, Rosita's can be easy to miss. It's not trying to be inconspicuous – a string of banners advertises antojitos in large red letters. But to a mind focused on automotive service, the word can take awhile to register.

Sponsored
Sponsored

My Spanish is rusty, but I assume it translates to "buck-fifty tacos." At least, that's how it worked out this time.

A far cry from Doritos Locos.

They're small, so it's more about getting to run the gauntlet of meats: carnitas, al pastor, the asadas pollo and carne. Oh, and the fish tacos are 99 cents so, might as well, that too. Like a build-your-own platter.

When I walk in, the proprietors are sitting at table near the door, just hanging out, chatting, enjoying the life between customers. It contributes to a relaxed country vibe. They've already stewed the meats, simmered the soups and poured the salsas, so everybody's friendly and at ease, and ready to make tortillas.

The difference between store-bought and hand-made corn tortillas cannot be oversold. Hechas a mano may not always be a sign of excellence, but it does show effort to offer something better. In this case something lighter, almost fluffy, landing somewhere akin to pitas and naan.

Except for the Baja-style fish, the tacos don't come dressed. They're just tongfuls of meat piled on tortilla. So you've got to load the onions and cilantro yourself at the salsa bar.

Obligatory salsa bar shot.

It's all wooden tables inside, inviting enough, but I grab a seat at one of the mosaic concrete patio tables so I can look off into the hills of east county and eat tacos.

The pollo and carne asada are both standouts, and the griddled carnitas remind me a little of eating corned beef hash. The meal starts to get salty, but that's remedied well enough by adding more salsa and sipping a Mexican coke.

The spicy grease will stay in my chest for a couple hours, but that's what I've signed up for, a worthy trade for those satisfying mouthfuls of tortilla and heat.

I'm glad I finally caught on to Cocina de Rosita, and will have to dig deeper into other antojitos: huaraches, sopes, and enchiladas. I also have my eye on their pozole for next time I puncture a tire. But I should maybe start looking for a brakes shop near someplace that serves great salads.

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The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
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Events November 21-November 23, 2024
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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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