Los Carrisos, delicious tacos and tortas in San Vicente...

San Vicente, Baja California, is not a large town, and the only paved street in town is Highway 1, the Baja California transpenninsular highway. There is one major intersection in town, and that's where the main street in town, Calle Niños Heros, crosses the highway, and sports the only traffic light found in town. Just south of the traffic light, on the west side of the highway, you'll notice a small, white building, with a mustard-yellow facade, and a false front that reads "Tacos y Tortas." If you're looking for a delicious carne asada torta, you need look no further than Los Carrisos.

Photo: Los Carrisos, located just south of the only traffic light in town. Note the thatched roof, and the bamboo annex to the restaurant.

Los Carrisos is a friendly little restaurant, ran by two very lovely young ladies, Martha and Josie, who not only prepare delicious tortas, but they serve them with a smile. They do not have a menu, so to order, you walk up to the counter, which also serves as the dining room, and ask what they are serving. On Saturday afternoon, September 29, 2007, the younger of the girls working at the restaurant told me that they were serving carne asada tacos, or tortas of the same venue. I was in luck, as a carne asada torta was exactly what I had in mind, so I ordered one, and sat down on one of the stools at the counter to watch my delicious torta prepared by the two young ladies.

Josie produced a 6 inch, oval-shaped bolillo, a Mexican variation of a French roll, which is a roll that is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and who's major purpose in life is to transform meat and veggies into a delicious torta. She split it in two, buttered both sides, and placed it face down on the already hot griddle. Meanwhile, Martha took some carne asada from a pot that had been warming on the stove, and began chopping it into small pieces. The marinated meat was already cooked, so all she had to do was chop it into small pieces and place it on a plate, until the bread was toasted.

Photo: Martha gives the camera a sly look as she lifts a pot cover to check on the pot of carne asada.

Los Carrisos doesn't have a dining room, covered dining, or even a plastic table, as the only accommodations offered to diners are four bar stools that allow guests to dine at the bar, which also serves as order counter, kitchen counter top, and other functions. Of course, the restaurant is open to the air, the insects, and the elements. Who cares about dining amenities, as this is Mexico!

When the bread was toasted, Martha took it off the griddle, and she and Josie applied the condiments. They asked me what condiments I wanted, and of course I replied, "con todo," which is my default value when it comes to Mexican food. Josie swabbed one piece of the toasted bolillo with crema, which is basically mayonnaise with fresh lime juice added and set both pieces of the bolillo on the cutting board. Next, Martha added the ingredients to the sandwich: Marinated carne asada, a slice of American cheese (surprise!), sliced tomatoes, grilled and sliced jalapeño pepper, and another HUGE surprise, shredded lettuce! Shredded lettuce in Mexico? Shredded lettuce is an extremely rare commodity in Mexico, and even rarer in a small town like San Vicente, so needless to say I was dazzled and amazed. Note that I have eaten at several dozen restaurants in the huge city of Tijuana and never encountered shredded lettuce. When the assembly of the sandwich was complete, it was placed back on the griddle to re-heat, so the ingredients could fuse together.

Photo: Josie regulates the heat, as Martha toasts the bollios used for my torta. The cooked carne asada can be seen in the extreme lower right corner of the photo.

I can't tell you how much I love to sit on a stool at a bar, and watch two lovely young ladies prepare a delicious torta for me to enjoy. In Mexican fast food, there are no surprises, as you actually get to watch the cooks prepare your meal, and converse with them while they prepare your meal, and in some instances, share a meal with them. Unlike the computerized, stainless-steel, corporate owned behemoths found north of the border, Mexican fast food restaurants, such as Los Carrisos, are owned and operated by friendly, real people. To some folks, sitting on a stool along a busy highway, eating a torta prepared under "rustic" conditions, in a restaurant open to the insects and the elements might seem gross, but that's the way its done in Baja California, and I love it! In the case of Los Carrisos, it was especially pleasant to flirt with friendly Josie and Martha, as I watched them prepare my delicious torta.

Photo: My delicious carne asada torta is still toasting on the griddle. I get hungry just looking at this photo.

My torta arrived toasted golden brown, with juicy, marinated carne asada, and fresh, crunchy vegetables. Martha and Josie at Los Carrisos are happy at their work, and they produce a torta that will put a smile on your face, and fill you up, for the price of only MEX $30.00.

When you're traveling through San Vicente and you're in the mood for a delicious torta, you owe it to yourself to stop at Los Carrisos. You'll be glad that you did.

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