In Pursuit of Authentic Mexican Street Food: A Culinary Tale of Gordita Greatness and Guacamole Goodness

Sahara Ware is a self-professed foodie residing in the Oak Cliff/ Bishop Arts District area of Dallas, Texas. She can often be found hanging out and getting her foodie on at a multitude of critically acclaimed neighborhood haunts. From Tex-Mex, taco stands, street food, and authentic Mexican cuisine, Sahara has experienced them all. She considers Mexican cuisine to be a favorite but never limits herself. Calling Oak Cliff home has afforded her the diversity and culture she craves to aid her in her quest to experience some of Dallas’s most fabulous Mexican food finds. She is always chasing the thrill of the taste and the spice of the pepper.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Mexico over the years and one of the aspects of Mexican culture that I truly appreciate is the cuisine. Traditional Mexican food is quite unlike the Tex-Mex that can be found find here in the United States; it may be impossible to find nachos or queso on the menu at an authentic restaurant. I became enamored with a cultural phenomenon called street food on my last trip to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. What is street food? According to Streetfood.org it is ready-to-eat foods or beverages, which includes many types of foods ranging from cereal and fruits to cooked meats and drinks. It is usually sold in busy public areas and is served with the minimum amount of fuss in individual portions dished into take-away containers. When I returned to the United States, I set out on a mission to find a local restaurant that not only satisfied my hunger for traditional Mexican cuisine, but served it up with a style and flavor that was reminiscent of my experiences with street food. My search led me to a neighborhood spot called Cesar’s.

Luckily, I live in a neighborhood that is culturally diverse and has a bevy of Mexican restaurants to choose from. According to Wikipedia my neighborhood, the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff, was originally developed as warehouses and shops in the 1920s. It has been revitalized over the past few years and has been transformed into a vital urban environment. Murals, brick pavers, and other street elements have polished the rough look of the warehouses making the area a popular leisure and dining destination. On any given night, I can dine at impressive, critically acclaimed 4 and 5 star restaurants, or I can find cheap eats at many undiscovered jewels that are scattered throughout the neighborhood.

One such jewel is a non-descript Mexican restaurant called Cesar’s. Formerly a fast food fried chicken joint, Cesar’s is one of seven locations in the Dallas area. The building itself still maintains that fast food feel. In fact, it is still painted the same garish yellow and black colors as its previous tenant. When I walk through the doors, I feel as if I could be walking into a McDonald’s as the floor has the same distinctive reddish-brown tiles. It is very easy to order here as the walls are covered with vivid color photos of every single item that is featured on the menu.

I place my order at the front counter. I speak, in broken Spanish, to the women behind the counter. I order the guacamole and a beef gordita. I sit down at a table which is your typical fast food table, with one exception; this table is circa 1973 and has a dark stained wood top and a matching chair, which swivels uncontrollably as I sit in it. The chair is attached to the bottom of the floor with thick, black metal rods. It is vaguely reminiscent of some sort of a ride that you might find at the carnival that sets up on the outskirts of town.

When my order is ready, my name is called and I pick up my food. I sit back down at the table with my treasure trove of Mexican treats. I start with the beef gordita. This is typical Mexican street food. It is a thick and crispy corn masa pocket, similar to a sliced roll. It has a liberal helping of finely shredded beef that has been marinated so long in cumin and chile powder that it has been stained a deep crimson red hue. Upon closer inspection, I see copious chunks of potato are pushing out of the edge of the pocket, fighting for one of my taste buds. For garnish, there is the pungent bite of cilantro and a generous amount of queso anejo crumbled on top. I hold the plate up to my nose and I breathe in the piquant spices. My nose is tickled and my stomach churns with anticipation and delight. I take a bite and my senses are on overload; the savory taste of the meat, the stimulating taste of the spices, and the sharp, salty flavor of the queso anejo culminate in a refreshing explosion of Monterrey in my mouth. It brings me right back to Mexico and the street vendor with the shabby cart, and the most amazing gordita ever; comforting, authentic, inexpensive and confidently seasoned. This is Mexican comfort food that my Mexican grandmother would make, if I had a Mexican grandmother!

I am so caught up in the sensory overload that I almost forget about the guacamole that is sitting on the table in front of me. I grab the flour tortillas that have been wrapped tightly in in foil. They are still warm to the touch. The tortillas here are handmade to order and are slightly larger than silver dollar pancakes; they fit quite nicely in the palm of your hand. Guacamole is something that I have had probably about a million times. In fact, there probably isn’t much that can be done that would make guacamole seem like a new experience for me. Cesar’s proves me wrong. What they do is take a ripe avocado and they mash it up with two spoons. They mix in fresh pico de gallo which consists of chopped tomato, onions, and jalapenos. Then they add some fresh cilantro and squeeze on a generous splash of lime to give the dish just the right punch of acidity, so you get that sour and spicy interplay. It also helps with keeping the avocado from discoloring and making the dish look unattractive and inedible.

The yellowish-green color of the avocado meat never ceases to amaze me. It is a dull yellow color but the green livens up the dish because it such a vivid hue of green. The tomatoes add a nice splash of red to the yellow-green palette of the dish. The onion and cilantro give this dish texture, seasoning, and a strong aroma. Cilantro has a pungent odor and looks quite similar to another garnish, parsley. The flavor of cilantro is truly unique, almost like citrus tinged parsley; most either like it or hate it. The kick of the jalapenos come alive and give you just the right bit of heat in a bite, making this the perfect topping for tacos and gorditas. The end result is a rich and creamy guacamole dip which evolves into a fiesta in your mouth.

I relish in finding this perfect spot in my neighborhood that transports me back to Mexico and the street food that I fell in love with. There is nothing like quick, inexpensive food that packs all the flavor of an entrée in a sit-down restaurant. Cesar’s is the type of place that lacks ambiance but makes up for it with an exuberant amount of flavor. This place is all about the food, flavor, and tradition. The great thing about it is that I don’t have to hop on a plane to Mexico to find it. It is practically in my own backyard.