Here’s to the Red, White and Green

If you’re looking for unusual Mexican food, head for Gallos Grill in East Los Angeles for some cecina estilo Yecapixtla.

Usually cecina is beef jerky, but in the Mexican town of Yecapixtla (in the state of Morelos), it’s a steak. At Gallos Grill, it’s cut so thin it crisps slightly when grilled, and it’s so large it has to be folded onto the plate. It comes with grilled green onions, a quesadilla, handmade tortillas and either rice or beans.

Another specialty here is agua de pepino, a wonderfully refreshing sweet drink made from cucumbers. The idea evolved when the restaurant was saddled with an overload of cucumbers from a catering job. Gallos also makes the traditional beverages jamaica and horchata, and perhaps coincidentally the three drinks have the colors of the Mexican flag: red, white and green. The horchata and jamaica are made from scratch, and you can taste the difference--the rice-based horchata seems as rich as a root beer float.

Gallos’ corn tortillas are handmade from a mixture of instant masa flour and fresh corn masa made across the street at La Azteca Tortilleria. Beans are either boiled or refried. To pep them up, add one of the three salsas that accompany meals. Rice is red with tomatoes and cooked properly so it isn’t gummy.

Stepping into Gallos Grill is like stepping into the American Southwest or northern Mexico. The atmosphere is desert-like, starting with the spiky agaves lined up like soldiers along the parking lot. Inside, warm earth tones predominate. The wooden chandeliers and the tables and chairs come from Tonala in the state of Jalisco. Mexican pottery bowls on each table hold marinated onions and salsas.

The big grill and open kitchen are shielded by a glass barricade. This is bordered by a counter that handles overflow when the tables inside and the outdoor dining area in back are filled.

The meats are grilled over almond wood, which is virtually flavorless. The idea is not to add competing flavors as, for example, you would get from mesquite. Steaks here are juicy and so well-seasoned that you don’t even have to add salt. It’s a surprise to learn that they are inexpensive cuts, approved by the USDA but not graded. Remember that the next time you pass up bargain meats. Apparently, the results depend more upon how the meat is seasoned and cooked than a fancy grade.

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The top price for a steak dinner is $8.95. For that, you can have filet mignon abierto (opened flat). The meats are cooked Mexican-style, simply seasoned and without sauces. Carne asada is a thin steak. Arrachera is a chewy, medium-thick flap steak. Gallitos is a stuffed sabana (sheet), so named because the steak is big, flat and thin. The meat is folded over a filling of tomato, onion, cheese and ham, fastened with toothpicks and grilled. Other choices are New York steak and brochettes.

The New York steak tacos are as plain as can be, just strips of grilled meat on tortillas, accompanied by grilled onions. Pepitos is a terrific sandwich--a big soft bolillo cut in half, spread with refried beans on one side and avocado on the other, with filet steak in between.

Side dishes include guacamole and a knockout queso fundido (melted cheese), crunchy at the edges and studded with well-browned bits of chorizo sausage.

Desserts don’t marry well with this robust food, and the one I tasted, a flan, was not exceptional.

For non-beef eaters, the restaurant offers grilled chicken and fish, chicken salad, sandwiches, tacos and tostadas, and bean or chicken burritos. On weekends only, it opens early for breakfast. Then you can have eggs, menudo, chilaquiles, enchiladas, tacos and sopes.

Gallos Grill is on a stretch of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue that invites browsing. Across the street is a sister business, El Gallo bakery, with a large assortment of Mexican sweet breads. Shops selling Mexican furniture, crafts and clothing, La Azteca Tortilleria and a white country church dating from 1924 are other attractions.

To spot the restaurant, look for a row of six roosters (gallos) on the front of a sandy building. Small letters within the roosters light up at night to make the name visible.

BE THERE

Gallos Grill, 4533 Cesar E. Chavez Ave., East Los Angeles. (323) 980-8669. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. No alcohol. Street and lot parking. Major credit cards. Dinner for two, $12 to $18.

What to Get: Cecina estilo Yecapixtla, gallitos, pepitos, queso fundido with chorizo, agua de pepino, horchata.