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The buffet at Taquieria Jasmine lets you sample the many dishes available.
Posted on Fri, May. 02, 2008
Midlands taquerias offer a true taste of Mexico
Originally a term for street vendors selling tacos and burritos, “taquerias” — once as foreign in Columbia as ice-skating rinks — now are opening up all over town as the Hispanic population in the area grows.
But there is a big difference between a taqueria and an Americanized Mexican restaurant. Taquerias are more like diners, where the food is as authentic and cheap as in the old country.
Inside, you’ll probably find hardworking Latin American tradesmen. There is sure to be a television blaring a telenovela (soap opera) or soccer game as well as festive music blaring from the kitchen.
Be prepared to have some of the simplest, tastiest meats you’ve ever eaten. You’ll swear off burgers forever.
A few tips for your first taqueria experience: There is no ordering by number or combination plate, as the menu will be very limited, usually soft-shell tacos and soups. A rudimentary understanding of Spanish is helpful but not necessary. You always can point.
So, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, we urge you to get out there and try some real Mexican food. You won’t be disappointed.
Here are two taquerias we’ve tried:
TAQUIERIA JASMINE
103 N. 12th St., West Columbia; (803) 794-4853; open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
Taquieria Jasmine is no simple taco stand, nor is it like typical, local Mexican restaurants — not a bland ground-beef platter in sight.
Adjacent to a traditional Mexican grocery, the restaurant has roomy booths and a full menu with limited English translations. But don’t let the language barrier keep you from enjoying authentic, flavorful Mexican food.
Your taste buds can guide your way through inexpensive tacos, sopes and gorditas ($1.75) as well as tortas (sandwiches, $5.50) and house specials.
Top thick yellow-corn tortillas (we watched as a woman made them fresh on a grill) with your choice of such fillings as spicy chorizo and potatoes to al pastor (marinated pork).
Cilantro and onion gave the fried-pork-fat taco a bright, light flavor. The truly daring can try lengua (tongue) or cow head.
If you want to sample a number of dishes at once, the buffet ($8.50) is your best bet. We piled a plate full of sweet yellow plantains, cheese-stuffed fried chilies, spicy pork, a fried burrito and so much more.
Chunky, fresh salsa was rivaled only by the spicy tomatillo sauce. Wash it all down with a mandarin Jarrito (Mexican orange soda) or a traditional agua de orchata (iced cinnamon rice water), good for easing the burn.
TAQUERIA GUADALAJARA
1807 Decker Blvd., Columbia; (803) 787-2070; open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
This recently renovated restaurant, next door to its companion tienda, is bare-bones.
A simple menu and a simple decor belie the complex flavors packed into the tacos. And at $1.50 apiece, you can try them all: fall-apart pork, spicy chorizo, tender steak, as well as several others. No ground beef here either, just real meats that have been marinated to perfection and served on corn tortillas.
The beef soup ($7) is a big bowl with big cuts of beef shanks (complete with bones worthy of a pit bull), potatoes, carrots, cabbage, corn on the cob and zucchini in a broth that is neither too greasy nor salty. It is garnished with fresh cilantro and chopped onions and served with thick tortillas for sopping.
Top it off with a real Mexican Coke, the kind you can’t find in American restaurants anymore — served in a cold glass bottle and made with sugar, not that sickening high-fructose corn syrup.
TO EASE YOUR ORDERING
Al pastor: marinated pork
Asada: grilled steak
Barbacoa: barbecue
Camaron: shrimp
Carnitas: roasted pork
Cebiche: ceviche, or marinated fish
Chorizo: spicy sausage
Lengua: tongue
Menudo: beef tripe stew
Pollo: chicken
Tripa: ox or cow stomach
OTHER ONES TO TRY
Taqueria El Rincon Vaquero: 517 12th St., West Columbia; (803) 939-9011
Taqueria El Rincon: 746 Sunset Blvd., West Columbia; (803) 936-1080
Taqueria Mi Pueblito: 205 Columbia Ave., Lexington; (803) 358-0725
Taqueria Mi Pueblito 2: 2410 Augusta Road, West Columbia; (803) 794-3517
Camino Real Mexican Restaurant: 825 Sunset Blvd., West Columbia; (803) 739-6568
Guacamole’s Mexican Restaurant (formerly Taqueria Lupita): 121 Dreher Road, West Columbia
Taqueria and Pasteleria Laplazita: 3106 Broad River Road; (803) 731-1792
CINCO DE MAYO
This Mexican holiday (that’s May 5, you know), is celebrated in the state of Puebla to commemorate the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 (not Mexico’s Independence Day, which is Sept. 16). However, the holiday has become popular in the U.S. as a celebration of Mexican culture.
SOURCE: www.mexonline.com
