The Big Enchilada
One day, Ivan Calderon may be considered the most influential Mexican chef in Orange County. He started working at Mexico City’s La Colonia Guerrero at the age of 11 and has been experimenting with his culinary heritage ever since. The impressive results can be tasted at his three Taco Mesa restaurants, the latest having opened last fall in Orange.
Calderon’s formula is simple. His places don’t use lard, MSG, commercial tortillas, processed cheese or refried beans; the chefs cook just as they would for themselves and their families. What a difference that makes.
The Orange Taco Mesa is a disarmingly simple storefront with a deceptively low-priced menu; the most expensive item, blackened calamari tacos, will set you back the princely sum of $5.49. The walls are painted a muralist’s azure blue and pastel pink. The only decorative embellishments are blindingly colorful Expressionist paintings by local artist Rob Padilla.
There is no table service. You order from a counter with a full-on view of the chefs in the completely open kitchen. Next to the cash register is a well-stocked salsa bar loaded with condiments: chopped onions, cilantro, cabbage relish, pickled jalapenos, a mixed pickle of carrots, onions and cauliflower and terrific fresh salsas ranging from smoky and mild to searingly hot.
My favorite meal here might just be breakfast, which is served all day--a good thing given that the restaurant doesn’t open until 10 a.m. I always start with apple or pineapple juice, made to order in a huge Metallica juicer. There is also good Mexican coffee, laced with cinnamon and sugar.
You can find good burritos and classic Mexican breakfast dishes, such as huevos rancheros and an exemplary potato and chorizo omelet, for which potatoes and sausage are minced into a delicate hash. My choice for breakfast is usually torta de huevo, an egg sandwich with avocado, cotija cheese and other trimmings, bursting out of a soft, yeasty roll baked on the premises daily.
The same rolls star at lunch. Then they are used for tortas of blackened chicken breast or carne asada, or--best of all--torta Milanesa. This last sandwich features a thick, juicy cutlet of breaded steak garnished with tomato, lettuce, grilled onions and chipotle mayonnaise.
Yes, of course, there are tacos at Taco Mesa. The place makes a wonderful taco al pastor, with a filling of minced barbecued pork that has been marinated with a touch of annatto that turns it a burnished orange color.
The wonderful blackened calamari tacos are stuffed with subtly spiced, perfectly blackened, achingly tender squid. The taco carnitas comes with big chunks of tender steamed pork that fall apart if prodded. All tacos are available soft or hard. The shells of the hard tacos are rust colored and crackle when bitten.
On top of all this, there is always a blackboard list of daily specials, which can be dishes from anywhere in Mexico. Here is where Calderon gets to flex his creative muscle. One of the best specials Taco Mesa ever does is chicharrones en chile rojo. This dish, of north Mexico inspiration, is terrific stewed bits of pork skin in a smoky red chile sauce.
Or the special might be rustic green corn tamales made from soft masa with tender chunks of steamed pork in the center. Or camarones rancheros, prawns sauteed in wine, garlic and spices like a sort of Mexican scampi. I must say I’m not fond of pescado Ensenada--grilled halibut breaded with corn meal, stuffed with spinach and topped with a roasted pasilla cream sauce. The fish is fresh enough, but the total impression of the dish is too oily.
Taco Mesa does particularly well on soup. Sometimes there is an ethereal pale orange carrot soup (crema de zanahoria). One day I tried caldo Tlalpeno, a savory broth stocked with chicken, carrots and garbanzo beans. Another day the soup was pozole, a hominy soup with a rich, red broth redolent of crushed red pepper, enriched with chunks of pork that must have been 2 inches across.
Accompanying your tacos, burritos and daily specials, you get two side dishes from the following list: hearty, smoky black beans; plain pinto beans (frijoles de la olla); a fragrant, fluffy rice pilaf laced with peas; or elegant tortillas--either soft flour tortillas or gaudily colored tortillas made of red or blue corn.
There are also freshly made desserts, always served in a puddle of intensely vanilla-scented cream sauce. There’s a fine flan, made with more egg yolk than most. The amazingly frothy cheesecakes, usually topped with fresh banana or papaya, include a surprise layer of chocolate between the bottom crust and the light cheese filling.
On the restaurant’s refreshing list of beverages, you’ll find fresh fruit milkshakes (licuados) in flavors such as strawberry, banana and vanilla; also aguas frescas, sweetened fruit juice drinks.
The Taco Mesa chain is clearly growing, but I haven’t seen any sign of growing pains yet. If you are near any of the three locations (the original one is in Costa Mesa, and there’s another in Mission Viejo), I can’t think of a single reason to eat Mexican food elsewhere.
BE THERE
Taco Mesa, 3533 E. Chapman Blvd., Orange. (714) 633-3922. Open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Cash only.