My secret taco spot...

Here goes, I am divulging my secret. This secret takes me back to Mexico, the sites, the sounds, and smell. As soon as I walk in I reminisce about a time less stressful, a time spent living in Mexico soaking up everything within arms reach. My secret spot La Rositas' Supermarket.
Tucked away in the buildings on the corner of Gilmore and Preston, sits my little spot. It's an unassuming place, looks like only a grocery store from the street. An endless array of advertising covering every square inch of the storefront windows greets you as you walk in. As soon as I walk in, I'm taken right back to Morelia, Michoacan. Walk directly forward and you're in the restaurant portion, left or right and you're shopping in the grocery portion. Believe me if you have a love for all things latino, you'll spend plenty of time here.
A large butcher offering everything from chorizo to lengua sits in the back of the store. Aisles of all products made by Goya, Bimbo (Yes their largest baker is named Bimbo), salsas from La Costena, Milagro torillas de maiz, dried peppers and herbs, bootleg cd's, cane sugar Coke, all quintessential Mexican products. I always place my food order and stock up on all my favorites as I wait.
The restaurant...
About 8 booth tables and a side raised counted with stools sit about 10 people. The two lovely girls always working are Guatamalan, and as nice as they can be. You can either walk up to the counter or sit down and they'll come to you. They offer a huge selection of both tacos and tortas, pollos al carbon, (whole chickens cooked over wood) and probably some other stuff I haven't tried. Tacos $1.50, every conceivable latino mainstay, pollo, lengua, chorizo, lomo, asada, chicharron. I always seem to levitate towards the chorizo, lomo (a cut like steak, here served in one piece on a taco instead of chopped up) and asada. The chorizo is the absolute best I've had in town. Cooked with a little crunch served in two warmed corn tortillas, cilantro y cebolla. The lomo, well cooked, honestly sometimes just slightly chewy but so good it never bothered me a bit, honestly all the ones I ate when living there were about the same. The asada perfectly seasoned, juicy and always left me wanting more. Served the same just cilantro y cebolla. They always give you plenty of limes to squeeze on the tacos, and I can't honestly eat tacos without at least a half lime to squeeze on them. Two or three salsas depending on the day, one green and two red. made daily and with a nice overall flavor. Maybe I'm immune these days but neither are very hot me. You be the judge.
So there it is. My secret spot has been revealed.You can thank me later....

Thanks, Brian. I've hit the Preston beat quite a bit, but I'm much better with landmarks than street names. Where is Gilmore?

And what's the name of the place in front of Unique thrift store? I've been there a few times recently and I'm pretty happy with it. I've gotten tacos and sopas with most of the meats - but never lengua, I'm not sure I'll ever be feeling it. I have, however, gotten chicharrones, but I don't think I'll EVER do that again. Too stinky and fatty. As far as Preston, I've never had regret with any place I've pull into, but I'm no critic. I love everything about authentic mexican food and think it's a life benefit to have these experiences at such a small price. And I don't speak a thread of spanish, unfortunately (long sordid story - bad school administrations), but I've always found utter sweetness from my order takers. And I like spicy, so there's always that cute exchange: "You like spicy?"; "Ooh yes, please, mucho caliente! Please, I mean it, I promise!""

The last restaurant I worked in praised La Tropicana tacos. I must have worked there for a year and a half before the chefs would remember to bring something for me (to their cred, they never forgot about me anywhere else they went, but they were always distracted by a grocery shopping mission when they went to La Tropicana). I finally had to just go with them, and the tacos were the dro.

I'll definitely check this place out, Brian. So again, where is Gilmore?

Preston and Gilmore is the city of Lynnview, where the Wendy's is located. If you turn off of Preston like you are going to visit Popeye's chicken the store is ahead and to your right, opposite Koreana II. Food is cooked to order on a flat top grill, and they have a wide selection of cane sugar sodas, no cerveza.

Wow, thanks for the heads up. We will definitely give that place try. I have also found good stuff at the place Jackie mentioned,in front of unique thrift. Currently weve been hitting the Tapatia (thanks Robin for the heads up on the Tapatia) on Preston,cant seem to get away from there. Recently we did a head to head battle(taco vs taco) between them and place just up the road called,I think Luna Rostica. La Tapatia won hands down,but both spots have the merits. Preston highway is a Latino food goldmine.

Gilmore is really close to where - heading north on Preston- you can make a left turn to merge onto northbound 65, if that makes sense. For a map, go to mapquest and type in Preston and Gilmore ln.

Lynnview. Hmmm... I lose track of all the little "cities."

Yes, if you're on a budget (and most of us should be), there is great value to be had at some of these places. And personally, I like the atmosphere!

Cheers (alas, I too was tricked into four years of high school french, which is quite useless -ironically with our name - in Louisville)

Excellent. Will check it out.

Sounds very similar to My Patria.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5029&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=my+patria

Any relationship to the La Rosita on Westport? It's sort of recently opened (a few months?) and I haven't tried it yet.

I think the La Rosita Carniceria might be all related......again.... i think.

There is one here in Clarksville, that i LOVE. And Brian was very right when he said it took him back to Mexico. The first time i walked into the store i was taken aback. I felt like i was back home. Be it the valley or Mexico, which are one in the same

They have all the brands that are common in Latino households. From Knorr, to pan Bimbo, La Costena, Gamesa, all the awesome, cool little candies i grew up buying for just pesos, Ariel soap; They even have a lot of the household goods that are used. It really is an awesome store.

Then in the back there is the little taqueria place. The tacos are great, but so are the burritos. We love to get the burritos there, i think they are about 4 bucks or something.

But.... La Tapatia does have them beat with their burritos. We went there for the first time a few years ago when my husband and i first got together. They also had Mariachi there, i just sat there and cried. I really felt at home.

So there it is. My secret spot has been revealed.You can thank me later....

Thanking you now sir. I just checked this place out he other day. Very very good. I went with the Lomo tacos. Very thin cuts of Ribeye in large pieces perfectly seasoned and very juicy. I also picked up a few things from the grocery part of the store. After leaving the store I noticed that the two receipts I got(one from tacos/other from grocery) were different. The grocery receipt said 5059 Preston and the food receipt showed Clarksville Indiana Taqueria La Rosita. I know somebody asked if they were related to the place in Ind,hope that helps.
While Anne and I have joined a meat CSA and are making an effort to eat only local meat(at home),that meat counter looks very tempting. Im thinking the best option would be to go in sit down, have a couple of tacos so your not shopping that place while hungry.

[Robin Garr]

Anne and I have joined a meat CSA and are making an effort to eat only local meat(at home),

Details, please!? That is right where Mary and I are. We stock up from the farmers' markets, Doll's and Preferred Meats, but with farmers' market season shutting down, another alternative could be very interesting.

Anne and I have joined a meat CSA and are making an effort to eat only local meat(at home),

Details, please!? That is right where Mary and I are. We stock up from the farmers' markets, Doll's and Preferred Meats, but with farmers' market season shutting down, another alternative could be very interesting.

OK sorry for the late reply. This is a three month CSA. The amount you spend is up to you,but you do pay up front for the whole three months. There is a minimum of three pounds ground beef per month if you are ordering beef.The way this CSA works is you get a spread sheet from Adam that list the various cuts of beef and chicken he has for sale. The price per pound is noted and you fill in the box next to the desired cut with the pounds you would like for that month. Once a month you meet Adam to pick up that months meat order.
Example,our order this month we got 3 pounds ground beef,1 shoulder roast ,a few pounds of hanger steak,some shanks and whole chicken. Everything is frozen and vacuum packed. I will try to get a copy of the spread sheet and post it so that you may see the prices. Im sure its a bit more pricey than Kroger but not by that much. Plus you know who grew your meat,it was slaughtered in a clean and humane way,no additives,hormones,steroids etc. The meat is organic,grass fed and finished. While we know we cant escape the the the mega meat industry completely ,this is one easy step for us to take so were less of a part of that system. When I get more info Ill make a post it under a new topic.

To get this post back on topic..went back again today..got Lomo,Pastor and Barbacoa tacos. Even though I have been having a recent love affair with La Tapatia,this might be my new "go to" taco joint.

[Robin Garr]

While we know we cant escape the the the mega meat industry completely ,this is one easy step for us to take so were less of a part of that system.

Yeah, as I said, we're in the exact same place. In fact, I think I remember our spouses talking at length about this very subject somewhere not too long ago ... do post. As for cost, we're paying a premium to do it now, and I can't imagine the CSA will be above that. We feel it's worth the difference both ethically and in terms of flavor and health.