Taqueria Garcia, 3536 S Division ~ 12/19/14

Ten days ago we lunched at Pho Soc Trang, located in the Asian Shopping Center at 4242 S Division, and on our way back north, we spotted several small hole-in-the-wall restaurants that we noted for another time. And today was one of those times. Located just north of 36th Street, the place will be missed if you blink.

The sidewalk sign alerts drivers to the existence of this restaurant, which takes up the right half of the building pictured above.

Parking is available in the back of the building and we walked around to the entrance, curious to find out what the restaurant was like. We were greeted by a small space containing eight tables for four and four booths. Three other customers were there and two of them gave us a look somewhere between appraising and disapproving. But the young man standing behind the counter gave us a brilliant, friendly smile as we walked up to figure out what to order. Menus are on white boards on the wall and we eventually made our choices while he patiently waited. There are ten taco choices, five gorditos, and one sope.

He disappeared into the kitchen and we took a booth along the windows. Matt then had some fun with the mirrors (there are three of them hanging on various walls). There were three large pencil drawings hanging above us, two of large breasted women and the other maybe a Mexican Clint Eastwood? Viva mi Raza was written on a couple of them ~ "Long live my People," certainly a worthy sentiment. The Virgin Mary under a garland also joined the decor. And Pirates of the Caribbean was being shown on the T.V.

Another customer walked in, sat down at a table, and received table service. So it is available but you have to know what you want unless you can read the whiteboards from your seat. Our counter man soon brought us our tacos, the first dish being one pork and one steak, nicely smothered in cilantro and onions.

Matt ordered three ~ pork, steak, and beef tongue.

Three unmarked sauces were brought out for us, spicy, hot, and hotter. After a few taste tests we each picked one suitable to our taste buds. We had no complaints and the tacos are definitely recommended. We didn't like them as well as those at Taqueria San Jose but this place is certainly worthy of a visit. Tortillas weren't doubled or slightly fried like at San Jose but everything tasted fresh and there was no lack of flavor.

For the price conscious among you, these tacos are $2.00 each. That's right. And the restaurant is a small family business. The cook is the father of our server and usually his daughter is there helping as well but our server had enlisted the help of a friend today.

They are on Facebook and here is their December 17 posting:  "Correccion va aber Barbacoa, Pansita, y Consume el 27 De Diciembre. Abrimos a las 9 de la mañana gracias. Correction there will be Barbacoa, panista, and consume made out of goat on December 27. We will be open at 9am thank you." What's not to love about this unique little place on South Division? We'll be back to try the gorditos and sope!

Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday ~ 9:00 am - 8:30 pm
Friday, Saturday ~ 9:00 am - 10:00 pm
Monday ~ Closed

Support another of Grand Rapids' many local restaurants, ignore the national chains, and reviews of the same, that make every neighborhood just a little less interesting, put locals out of business, and cause all cities to look like Any City, U.S.A. This family is doing their part.

 
 

Rio Grand Steakhouse, 5501 Northland Dr NE - 12/8/10

Supposedly modeled after road houses in the West, this very large restaurant is divided into a good size bar, with booths and tables, and dining areas broken up into various sections. It’s a rustic atmosphere with cowboy and old western paraphernalia everywhere, including a lot of John Wayne photos.

There was no one around when we entered and we wandered into the dining room to look around. We took a seat in a small hall of booths and finally spotted a hostess. Our server showed up about ten minutes later and was quite abrupt initially, but he warmed up as we went along.

The menu is large and is an interesting amalgamation of southwest cuisine and seafood.  Many items have Texas or cowboy related names (e.g., El Paso Steakhouse Salad, Lone Star Double Cheese and Ham, Double Barrel Cheese Fries). You won’t find anything particularly innovative and there’s no notion of using fresh, in-season ingredients. But there are plenty of things from which to chose.

We started with the Rio Sampler that offered a Cactus Flower, Smokehouse Ribs, Double Barrel Cheese Fries, and Chicken Quesadillas, which caused our arteries to protest. We had to snag silverware from a nearby booth when the platter arrived, and it came with extra napkins, small plates, and a bone-bowl. It was listed as serving two to four people, but as an appetizer it was much more suited for four. The ribs came in a tangy barbecue sauce and were cooked to perfection. It was all good. Our server very kindly offered to divide and box up the leftovers.

Steak was emphasized on the menu so we both selected one but passed by the over $20.00 offerings and chose humbler cousins, a Kentucky Bourbon Sirloin and a Country Fried Steak.

The Sirloin was an 8 oz cut that promised a flavorful marinade. Garlic mashed potatoes with beef gravy and haystack onion rings accompanied the steak. Ordered medium rare, it arrived well done with no sign of a marinade. But the cut was still tender and the potatoes were great.

The Country Fried Steak comes as you know it will; the flavor is captured in the deep fryer. It arrived with garlic mashed potatoes, black pepper gravy, and haystack onion rings. The gravy was chicken based and heavily salted.

Opened in the 1990s by Schelde Enterprises, the restaurant has recently been sold to a son/nephew of two of the owners. He plans to expand and remodel, and to take advantage of the location on the Grand River by adding outdoor decks and a three-season screen porch. The website is being changed and not all menus can yet be found online.

It’s a down-to-earth atmosphere where you will get large portions of food with few surprises, and at a reasonable price.

www.riograndsteakhouse.com