Jonathan Silver Food Critic X.
Yelp
Eating in a restaurant that has hundreds of Yelp reviews, feels a bit like going on a date with a slutty woman. Like sticking my fork where many have been before.
Clocking at a modest 22 Yelp reviews at the time of writing, La Cenaduria is different... chaste, innocent and blushing. So I am thinking that - if the food is OK - maybe we can go steady. You know me, right? A true romantic at heart!
With amorous thoughts in mind, Jonathan Silver takes to the road, like a lone Samurai wandering the land, armed with his legendary tastebuds.
The City of Commerce looks like a post-apocalyptic world: miles of gigantic commercial storages surrounded by barbed wire and security cameras. The traffic noise spilling from the 5 freeway is trapped and amplified between the endless walls, bouncing around like an angry pinball, before escaping upwards with a dying howl.
La Cenaduria sits at a busy intersection on Garfield avenue, wrapped around the rounded corner of a low building. It looks nice and recently remodeled. I park in the back and walk through the front door. Ding! It's pretty warm inside and no customers in sight. The bright yellow tables and white booths with red trim have a definite Pollos Hermanos vibe, so I look around for Gus Frings to show up and take my order.
Luckily only Blancanieves and Estelfa are at the counter, behind the colorful Aguas Frescas containers. Blanca walks me to a table with a menu, while Sergeant Estelfa stands at attention by the cooking range. This is literally the first time I've ever been waited on by someone named Snow White (Blancanieves, in Spanish).
I glance at the menu and inquire about the specials; today is Bistec Ranchero. I say "bring it on Snow White", even though that wouldn't have been my first choice. Mexicans are not known for steak, but that's the special today, so fuck it.
Bistec Ranchero reminds me a little bit of Italy's carne all' uccelletto or straccetti, little pieces of flattened beef sauteed with garlic, bay leaf, olive oil, salt and pepper. Typical from the region around Genoa, it's a simple and tasty dish but it requires a bit of skillful cooking or the meat may turn out tough. Of course, this being a Mexican dish, I expect it to be spicy!
The Bistec, in fact, arrives doused in hot sauce, laid out in a large plate adorned with refried beans, Spanish rice, sliced avocado, green salad, fresh sliced tomatoes and grilled Chile Anaheim topped with melted cheese. Three nachos are surgically implanted into the beans, forming a miniature Mexican Stonehenge. Bubbly, handmade tortillas and the obligatory chips with sauce accompany this dish to its fateful date with Señor Silverado's salivating trap.
As I expected, the meat is not exactly melt-in-your mouth. It tastes very good, but it does require a spirited molar-party. Maybe Estelfa should talk to Señor Guisados... that man can turn any meat into mush!
It tastes good, however, so I dig in without bitching. All the sides are fresh and tasty, but the show-stopper is the grilled Anaheim peppers with cheese. What a pleasant surprise! Jonathan Gold would describe them as "glistening with oil, pungent with capsicin americana and with a smoky flavor reminiscent of dry-aged Chaparral". Goldie knows dozens of different ways to say "tasty"!
The food goes down the very smoothly, abetted by coffee spiked with canela and the people here are very very nice. Mid-meal I am introduced to Marko Mendoza, the owner, who tells me a little bit about the history of the joint, his past as a screenwriter, then gifts me a nice coffee mug with the logo of La Cenaduria. I already feel at home here!
Full-bellied, I leave the cafe' right before Marko and I become Carnales through blood-pact and I am invited to his niece's Quinceañera. However I am only allowed to leave after I promise to be back for 50-cent Taco Tuesday (Wednesdays too!) And trust me, those tacos are worth the drive!
This joint is definitely not the place you go for neo-Mexican, Oaxaca-Fusion or Michoacan-Paleo, it's robust and classic Mexican food that fills you up.
La Cenaduria may not be the hottest date you've ever had, but she treats you well!