Restaurante El Mesquite, menudo under a huge mesquite tree outside Llera...

After spending a night in a penthouse suite in the Hotel Guanajuato, in Llera de Canales, we were ready to eat breakfast. Our buddy, Rodolfo Rincón, who is a native of the area, and I share the same interests in breakfast, in that our favorite "power breakfast" centers around the popular stew known as menudo. If you really want to get into the "homeboy" club, then you need to have a breakfast of menudo. Rodolfo knew of a place were good menudo could be found, not to mention a hot of other breakfast specials, so upon his recommendation, we deiced to dine at Restaurant El Mesquite for our breakfast, on Friday, September 29, 2006, in the small town of Llera de Canales.

Photo: Restaurant El Mesquite is located under a large mesquite tree, to the right of the photo, just south of the small town of Llera de Canales, in the beautiful Mexican state of Tamulipas.

Please don't even think of finding Restaurant El Mesquite by the internet, yellow pages, or for that matter, a printed sign. The restaurant is located under a huge mesquite tree, and the restaurant takes it's name from the fact that it is located under the huge tree, on the outskirts of Least de Canales, along Mexico Federal Highway 85. The restaurant doesn't have a sign, announcing the name of the place, but you can't miss it, if you're hungry and looking for a fine breakfast or lunch.

Our "tour guide," Rodolfo Rincón, directed us to this restaurant, as he's a life-long resident of the state of Tamulipas, and he knew about this restaurant, and he's aquatinted with the folks that own and work the business. Rodolfo was happy to point out to Jerry and I that Restaurant El Mesquite has been in the same location for over 20 years.

Photo: Rodolfo surveys the kitchen, and since he's our tour leader, it's his job to make sure that the restaurant lives up to our expectations. During this October road trip, Rodolfo never let us down, as he's a native of the area, and he has a fine taste in restaurants.

Like most small, family owned restaurants in the Mexican state of Tamulipas, El Mesquite is owned and operated by Pepé and his wife Josefina, and sometimes Josefina's dad comes to the restaurant to lend a hand, when he's needed, during busy hours. The family lives in a house on a small hill, located just behind the restaurant, so if Josefina needs dad's help, all she has to do is get one of her kids to go to the house, and fetch dad. Dad seems to be able to pick up the pieces at any given moment, as during our breakfast, we had the pleasure of watching dad come to the restaurant, don an apron, and take over the menudo-stirring duties and help with the counter.

Photo: Josefina fires up the griddle, as large pots of menudo are simmering on the back burner.

This restaurant is rustic, in the extreme, as its located on the outskirts of the small town of Least, under a large mesquite tree. Most of El Mesquite is situated under a large tent, erected on a concrete slab, but its very informal, with the kitchen located under the more robust portion of the structure, and the open air dining room is just protected from the weather by the covering of the tent. That's not a bad thing, as it allows diners to savor the usually pleasant climate of Tamulipas.

The kitchen is a very informal affair, consisting of a propane-fired range with a couple of burners, and a huge griddle, that allows the cooks to place the pot of menudo, and pots of other entreés to heat or cook, yet still leave lots of room to cook tortillas or peppers on the griddle, next to the steaming pots. During our visit to El Mesquite, the cooks had a huge pot of menudo simmering on the stove, with another pot of beans, simmering on the griddle, plus a pot of chicken, and a pot of pork, which left a lot of griddle space to fry tortillas and peppers. As I watched our cooks prepare our breakfast, I was treated to the sight of them shooing away a chicken, and petting a puppy. Now I know a dog isn't part of the meal, but I can see that the chicken is fresh, very fresh!

Photo; Corn tortillas toasting on the griddle, a de facto standard side dish to enjoy with a delicious bowl of menudo.

Since Rodolfo and I are "menudo brothers," we each ordered a bowl of menudo, while Jerry opted for tacos instead. While Rodolfo and I were waiting for our breakfast, Josefina brought a huge plate of corn tortillas, freshly cooked on the griddle. Noticing the "gringo" way that I was eating the tortillas, Rodolfo showed me the way that you roll up the tortilla into a tight package, using the palms of your hands, to make it easier to dip it into the soup. By the time our order of menudo arrived, I was an expert at the art of rolling a tortilla and dipping it into a bowl of menudo, thanks to my friendly teacher, Rodolfo.

Pepé and his wife Josefina are very friendly folks. While they were getting our meal ready, they laughed and joked with us, and answered many of my questions, so I'd have some relevant information for this article. As we were about to be served our meal, I heard a shrill whistle coming from the kitchen; apparently Pepé needed some help, and one of his children appeared. I didn't get the gist of the conversation, but apparently it was a call for help, as dad arrived a few minutes later to assume kitchen duties. I envy these folks who aren't encumbered by high-tech communication systems, and it's good to see when a simple whistle works to summon the cavalry from over the ridge.

Photo: Pepé dishes up a bowl of menudo from the huge pot, that simmering on the griddle. Thanks to Jerry Flinn for the photo.

As we enjoyed our meal, Rodolfo taught me the art of rolling a corn tortilla and the proper way of dipping it into a bowl of menudo. Here's the way he taught me: You place the tortilla on the palm of your left hand, and using your thumb and index finger, you roll it tightly a couple of times, so it resembles a large, corn cigar. Using the palm of your right hand, you roll the tortilla as tightly as you can; if you do it right, the rolled tortilla is only about a half inch in diameter. You dip the rolled tortilla into the menudo and savor a small piece of heaven.

Photo: Rodolfo is in menudo heaven, as he has just tasted a spoonful of menudo, dipped his rolled corn tortilla into the soup, and taken a bit of the tortilla. Rodolfo and I are menudo brothers, as we love the delicious stew!

For the small sum of about MEX $90.00, we enjoyed a breakfast of two bowls of the most delicious menudo that can be found, unlimited stacks of freshly made corn tortillas, Cokes, and Jerry's plate of tacos. Plus, we had the opportunity to savor the culture of small-town Mexico, meet the folks that make the culture real, and we were able to enjoy a fantastic breakfast, and an unbelievable price. Wow! What an experience!

Photo: I'm dipping a rolled corn tortilla into my bowl of menudo, and I'm about ready to bite off a small piece of heaven. My condiments are to the lower left of the photo. Thanks to Jerry Flinn for the photo.

If you're staying at Llera de Canales, stop by Restaurant El Mesquite, for a delicious breakfast, friendly service, and a price that can't be beat anywhere in the beautiful state of Tamaulipas, or anywhere else, for that matter. Look for them under the huge mesquite tree...

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