It's already been established that I dig Mexico and am completely addicted to la comida Mexicana. So after reading a blog post from the Kitchen Chick (which if you love Detroit food, ya gotta check it out) I was inspired to head down to Mexican town and check out some areas I knew little about. Of course I knew about the restaurants on or near Bagley St (still love Lupita's) but I honestly didn't know anything about the area West of there. So armed with insight from Kitchen Chick ,Miss D and I went exploring.
With a slight tinge of sadness we zipped past the Bagley St area and much like the crew of the USS Enterprise we set out to go "boldy where no man has gone before". Well at least not this man.
My plan was to hit several spots which the Kitchen Chick reviewed. The first being a joint which specializes in goat. Can you imagine my heart break when I pulled on the doors and they didn't budge? Sadly the place which was to make all my goat tacos dreams (yes, I have them) come true, was no longer in business. As I wiped a tear from my eye we jumped back into the truck and trudged forward, saddened but not dismayed.
Next stop was El Rey de Pollo or The King of Chicken. Pulling up we could see the outdoor grill piled high with grilled chicken. Smoke and flame lifted the royal scent into the air and through my nostrils. It looked like Mexico and more importantly it smelled like Mexico. We went inside and ordered a half chicken dinner with beans, rice and salsa for $6. Best six bucks I've ever spent. The chicken comes cut into about 6 or 7 pieces, perfectly grilled with just the right amount of char marks. Chile, lime and salt season the meat and skin the way I'm certain they do it in Mexican heaven. For a Mexican joint to get my seal of approval they have to do beans right and they do. Whole pintos cooked simply and served in their liquid, cooked jalapenos and onions mixed throughout.
A great first stop on our adventure. We pointed the truck West on Vernors and were shocked to see a whole new world. Restaurants, bakeries, shops all Mexican, of every kind lined the streets. Much of it was new construction or newly renovated. And the streets were alive. People walking with bags from the shops we just passed. Man playing bones and drinking out of paper bags in a tiny park like setting. I can't believe I have never been down here before.
Just as we passed Livernois on our right a circus tent caught our eyes. Now this was no ordinary circus tent but a Mexican circus tent, "dios mio"! Not only was a Mexican circus in town but next to it was a Mexican flea market. Miss D enjoys a good flea market and I used to love going to Mexican fleas while living in Texas, so we pulled in. The market was just what I wanted, full of junk, counterfeit goods and food stands. There was a tamale stand, a taco cart and a pupusa stand. Though I've been aware of pupusas I've never tried one. Today would be the day. Three El Salvadorean woman manned the stall and made the pupusas right in front of you. One of the women took a ball of masa and flattened it out in her hand and placed a mixture of beans, pork and cheese on top, folded it over and formed a flat disk and placed it on a flat top grill. Once off the grill it looked delicious, but she wasn't finished. The dish is not complete without pickled shredded pickled carrots and cabbage and fiery fresh chile salsa on top. Good, like "just got out of prison sex" is good. I am now a die hard pupusa fan.
Still high from my pupusa enlightenment, we bought tickets to the circus. Now, this wasn't Ringling Bros quality this was my like Homey Da Clown meets Ren and Stimpy quality. First it was entirely in Spanish. We got an idea how bad it was going to be when the first act, "three beauty queens" made there way to the big top. Don't wanna be rude here but the one in the middle was better suited for plowing fields. The show didn't get much better and honestly if it had I would've been disappointed. It was cheezy, silly, corny and I loved it.
From there we continued down Vernors heading West. Again I was amazed, more restaurants and stores and people. It's going to take me all winter to uncover all that's there. It's truly shocking to see the investment and how well that area is thriving. I know of no one that goes down there and it's a shame.
Before heading home we stopped into Mexican Town Bakery. Its a modern, good looking place that honestly made me a little nervous. I like my joints to be run down and dodgy. Miss D and I over came our prejudice and struggled not to buy everything on the racks. We settled on four delicious looking yummys and were shocked when the bill came to $4. Honestly, just one of our items would've cost that much at Holiday market.
Mexican Town is not just Bagely St. Do yourself a favor, the next time you're headed down that way, resist the urge to go the tourist joints. Get outside of your comfort zone. Go where the locals eat and you too will be digesting detroit, one drink and one bite at at time.
