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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 2015)
*XDGɪOʋMʋUɈ 7DFɛ6Kʝɞ The Carne Asada Taco contains moist chunks of beef topped with onions and cilantro. Beside the chalkboard menu are shelves and a case filled with a smor- gasbord of mostly Mex- ican-made products like candies, phone cards, and remedies and oint- ments. The easygoing Seaside restaurant offers more than just tacos and burritos I was in a bit of a bind. I’d been working outside with two friends in Seaside and owed them a meal. It was after six o’clock, and we were hungry. I had to feed us quickly, well, and without breaking the bank. Furthermore, with the Fourth of July rapidly approaching, tour- LVWWUDI¿FZDVSLOLQJXSLQ the streets and at the din- ner tables. I circled the city and spied Guadalaja- ra Taco Shop, whose din- ing room was relatively unencumbered. Just two blocks north from the tourist vacuum of Broadway and Holl- aday, Guadalajara Taco Shop is a world unto itself. It is calm and easygoing with large, west-facing ZLQGRZVWKDW¿OOWKHGHHS dining room with natural light. Dressed with soft tones and mis-matched posters, sculptures and memorabilia, the de- cor is akin the walls of a 10-year-old’s bedroom — unpretentious and charm- ingly inconsistent. A teenage girl oper- ated the register. Beside the chalkboard menu are VKHOYHVDQGDFDVH¿OOHGZLWKDVPRUJDVERUGRI mostly Mexican-made products like candies, phone cards and an array of pills, cremes, rem- edies and ointments I’d never seen at Safeway. I ordered for the group, getting a bit of ev- erything to share — a burrito, enchiladas, ta- cos and pork ribs. I paid just over $30 and left with a cache of leftovers. Of the smorgasboard ZHUHWZRFOHDUVWDQGRXWVWKHULEVDQGWKH¿VK and lengua tacos. The Pork Ribs ($9.50) came with Spanish rice, refried beans and four corn tortillas. There were two ribs, each thick, about 8 inches long and topped with cilantro and diced onions. It was a solid, but not overwhelming amount of meat. That meat, though, was tender and just Guadalajara Taco Shop is a world unto itself. It is calm and easygoing with large, west-facing windows that fill the deep dining room with natural light. 14 | July 16, 2015 | coastweekend.com falling off the bone. Lightly seasoned with a (not at all spicy) red sauce, the pork partnered VR¿QHO\ZLWKWKHULFHDQGEHDQVLWPDGHPH wonder: Why were pork ribs a rarity at Mexi- can restaurants? 0RUH FRPPRQ RI FRXUVH DUH ¿VK WDFRV ($3) and Guadalajara has made them its own. The cod is breaded, briskly fried and noth- ing in particular to write home about. But the creamy white sauce, with a pinch of pickle or dill, affords the dish its singular character. The Carne Asada Taco ($3) too was a little different than the norm. Topped with onions and cilantro, the chunks of beef were plentiful, moist and contained almost no chunks of fat — fine for not biting into a piece of chewy gristle, less so for rich taste. Overall, it was a little dull. Much more satisfying was the succulent Lengua Taco ($3). Like the ribs, the beef tongue was slowly, achingly cooked, ready to pull apart thanks almost to gravity alone. It was salty and juicy, almost like it had been stewed. The Chicken Burrito with a smoky red sauce ($6) was serviceable, though hard- ly memorable. For an empty stomach (or wallet) it’s a substantial amount of food that, filled with rice, beans, meat and a few onions, satiates without distinction. To be clear: Guadalajara Taco Shop has better tastes to offer. I returned a few days later in hopes of discovering another. From the Shrimp sec- tion of the menu I ordered the Ala Diabla mouth OF THE COLUMBIA COAST WEEKEND’S LOCAL RESTAURANT REVIEW Story and photos by THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA • mouth@coastweekend.com Guadalajara Taco Shop Rating: 65 N. Holladay Drive, Seaside 503-738-4338 Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Sunday. Price: $ – Entrées run from $5 to $14. Service: Order at the counter. Takeout available. Vegetarian / Vegan options: Vegetarians should do well, though vegans may struggle. Drinks: Soft drinks including Mexican Coke, Jarritos soda, juice and more. (aka, the Spicy Shrimp, $14). Served again with corn tortillas, Spanish rice (pret- ty standard) and refried beans (lardy in the best way), the dish proffered an array of vegetables. With the buttery, garlicky (though not very spicy) shrimp were sau- téed onions, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and mushrooms. The fibrous ruffage was a welcome edition to the shrimp, which were small but numerous. As I noshed during this second trip to Guadalajara, the ambiance shifted, becom- ing a bit more lively. It was still peaceful, not bustling, but again seemingly even fur- ther than two blocks from the strip of vin- tage Americana and tourism that is Broad- way. Spanish speakers came both to eat and do business. Some wired money using the red Internex phone on the counter next to the cash register. Others had tacos and caught up over non-alcoholic, sparkling sangria. Indeed, alongside a few gems in the menu, the culture and auxiliary business orbiting Guadalajara’s kitchen have buoyed the 13-year-old, family-owned restaurant. The ambiance benefits too. KEY TO RATINGS poor below average good & worth returning excellent outstanding, the best in the Columbia-Pacific region