Have you ever stumbled on something so delicious, so fantastic, and so wonderful that you can't quite believe your luck? That's pretty much how our whole houseful of people felt about Angelina's Taqueria in Santa Rosa. Jeremy, Miriam and I passed the truck on our grocery expedition the day we arrived, so when we needed a quick, delicious lunch the next day, we were prepared.
Mom, Louisa and I drove five minutes towards Healdsburg and pulled into the small parking lot. The taqueria itself (and Angelina along with it) were housed in an old Airstream trailer. Angelina spoke only Spanish - Mom and I speak French (totally useless), but, luckily, Louisa was a Romance Languages major at Bryn Mawr and speaks Spanish.
We ordered an obscene amount of food (Si, seis tacos de chorizo.) and waited patiently while Angelina cooked up a storm. Every few minutes the sizzling sounds would cease and she'd appear at the window, holding out another box of piping hot tacos. These stacked up rather quickly.
After paying inside, we made our way back to the house with our treasure: tacos de pollo (chicken), al pastor (pork with a rich, garlicky sauce) and de chorizo (self-explanatory); burritos (supreme - meaning with queso and crema) with carne asada (grilled beef), and some tiny containers of salsa verde. It may not sound like a lot of food; trust me, it was.
We ate blissfully, enjoying the food in a way that only Easterners deprived of decent Mexican for months on end can. The burrito was well-balanced and full of flavors: rice, beans, sinfully creamy crema, all of which cried out for a touch of salsa verde to cut the richness. The tacos were double-tortilla, topped with salsa and chopped cilantro, and full of flavor. The burrito carne asada and the chorizo tacos proved to be early favorites - but don't worry, we couldn't in all good conscience leave it there.
Over the next week, we visited Angelina's not one but two more times; we tried the tostadas, the quesadillas, every kind of taco - I even had a real Coke with my second burrito (pollo this time). Yes, Angelina's was the site of much debauchery and merriment. I can't wait to go back.Angelina's Taqueria
Old Redwood Highway in Santa Rosa
North of Mark Springs West
No phone number - you'll see why
4 comments:
Oh, Girl!!
I've not had such a CRAVE for back-home food in ages---the push-cart peddlers of tamales and tacos and who-knows-what-in-a-tortilla of the hot small-town streets where I come from---not to be believed. And the used-to-be-a-Dairy Bar with the flap-down screen where you placed your order and received the fragrant packages---a genuine hall to Heaven must lurk behind there.
Small Southern towns somehow have more REAL Chinese food and more Taquerias than most city streets.
And like Goblin Market---you have to go back just one more time, then it's a gentle longing forever, til your next visit.
How COULD you? Now I have to plan a trip.
The real question is: how could I NOT?
Fantastic photos! :) Nicely done. I may go insane if I can't find good Mexican in NYC soon...
Thanks, Erin! I know what you mean. Someone on Twitter recommended a truck in Queens...maybe you can do some reconnaissance!
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