The quest for the ultimate plate of Chile Verde brings us to a small taqueria located in Concord, California called ‘Los Pinos’. Walking through the doors of ‘Los Pinos’, a feeling of déjà vu occurred. The brightly colored Mexican themed mural, the large menu board, the open griddle and the salsa bar could place us at almost any tacqueria in Northern California. Like preprogrammed robots we marched to the counter and went through the motions of the quest that we are committed to.
A trip to the salsa bar is always a ritual that must be completed. This salsa bar was clean and tidy. Verde/tomatilla, pico de gallo, pickled jalapenos, sliced radish, crushed tomato salsa, and roasted peppers & tomato salsa were scooped into small plastic cups. These were all sampled at our table with complimentary tortilla chips. The roasted peppers & tomato salsa was our favorite. The only heat at this salsa bar was the pickled jalapenos.
Our meal was prepared promptly and delivered to our table. We received two nice looking plates of our two favorite Mexican dishes. The Chile Verde had a generous pile of cubed pork. This pork was tender and flavorful. The green gravy was thick with vegetables and satisfying. This plate was devoured with the help of two warm corn tortillas. Ms. Goofy’s enchiladas were warm and comforting. A dollop of avocado and crema was like the topping of a cake.
This is a routine that we love to repeat. The quest will continue. While we thoroughly enjoyed our meal today it was not the ‘Ultimate Chile Verde’ plate. This green sauce did not have the fire and warmth that could of ended our journey. ‘Los Pinos’ is a very satisfying and comforting Mexican restaurant. We would be happy to return if it was not for our quest.
Los Pinos
3375 Port Chicago Highway
Concord, Ca. 94520
925 825-2085
7 comments:
Did you sprinkle a little of the green salsa over your pork cubes? :(
The green salsa from ths salsa bar was a tomatilla sauce on the bland side. A dash of salt and some peppers could of helped. The green gravy on the pork was very decent but not spectacular. The search continues.
Ms Goofy's plate looks even better. Now I'm hungry for Mexican food. Maybe this week...
Zoomie, Have you gone to El Sol down the street from you abode? What do you think.
The search continues..These photos are sure making me hungry. Have you ever heard of anyone who carries their own hot sauce when traveling? On recent trips I had to ask for hot sauce for my breakfast. It always takes a bit for the waiter to get it and then the food is cold. Bring my own tacky?
I have brought my own hot sauce to eating establishments. I have heard in the southwest it is acceptable to carry a small sachel of dried chile peppers to a restaurants for peronnel use.
That looks so **** good! I could just steal it off your plate!
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