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If you've surfed at least one of my web pages, you've probably ascertained that I'm a lover of Mexican food, and that I prefer to dine at small, locally owned and operated restaurants, and I avoid fancy establishments and national chains like the plague. After spending some time in Fresno, May 5, 2007 found me on the way home, so I decided to stop at Mario's Taco Shop in Merced for breakfast, as I was familiar with the restaurant, but I'd never had the chance to dine at the restaurant. Mario's is a small, Merced-based chain of Mexican restaurants, that's owned by the same family, the Mario Gonzalez family. OK, I don't visit national chains, right? Well, Mario's has exactly two locations, both located in Merced, so in my book, they count as a small operation. I chose to visit the 16th Street location, which is just west of "G" street.
Left: Mario's features indoor dining in their small dining room, or fantastic outdoor dining, as seen to the left of the photo. Right: The order counters at Mario's features a menu posted above the window, as well as printed menus. However to get my order taken, I had to lean my head through the window and cheerily shout "Buenos Dias" to get the attention of the kitchen staff. In order to tell the story of Mario's, I need to relate a bit of Merced history. 16th Street used to be the route that Highway 99, the major north-south route through the San Joaquin Valley, took through Merced. All of that changed when the freeway was completed, in 1961, so the busy highway bypassed the fringe of downtown Merced, leaving 16th street a normal city street. To me, that was a good thing, as I remember as a 8-year-old boy 16th street being clogged with big rigs, cars and lots of traffic, and being scared to cross the street, even when I had a green light. Prior to the highway bypassing Merced, the building that Mario's is located in was a typical 1950's era drive-in, that sold hamburgers, milkshakes, and all of the typical delicacies of the era. I don't recall the name of the restaurant, but I do recall that it was a busy place, catering to the highway traffic, and the tastes of locals. When the freeway bypassed downtown Merced, 16th reverted to a quieter and more local-friendly street, but many of the businesses that catered to the highway traffic, withered and died on the vine, including the restaurant that Mario's is occupying. The major survivor that I recall from the 1950's Merced highway-era was Vernon's Drive-in Restaurant, located at 16th and "O" Streets, which was a true, 1950's family--style diner, but alas, it folded in the 1970's and now a drug store marks the spot where Vernon's used to stand. I got off the subject, so back to Mario's, over the years, a number of restaurants came and went, but in the mid-1990's Mario's emerged, and has been going strong ever since. You walk into Mario's and they have a small, very small, quite shabby dining room, which has only about 8 tables, and they are mostly tables for two. However, not all is lost, as they feature a large, outside covered dining area, which affords pleasant dining for several months of the year, due to the mostly temperate climate that Merced enjoys. You walk up to the counter, and their menu is posted above the counter, and you may be dazzled, as their selection is gigantic. Sure, Mario's specializes in tacos, but their menu includes burritos, tortas, enchiladas, tostadas, combination plates, daily specials, and even hamburgers and cheeseburgers. Their menu also features lots of side dishes, including nachos, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, beans and too much to name. In addition to the menu above the counter, Mario's has printed menus and advertises that you can phone your order ahead, as they really looooooove takeout orders!
Left: Really! This is the small dining room, and this is just about all of it. The order window is the right of the photo. If the weather is good, you really will want to dine outside. Right: Mario's counter, and kitchen in the background. The man and woman that were working the restaurant were very busy and extremity camera shy. As I walked in, I observed the folks staffing the restaurant, a man and a woman, were busy in the kitchen, and didn't notice that I'd entered the restaurant. I also noted that I was the only patron, were they really open for business's? ... So I busied myself taking a couple of photos, noting the salsa bar, the broken ceiling fan, and the shabby decor, and then I stuck my head over the counter and loudly said, "Buenos Dias." That got the attention of the woman, who rushed to the counter to take my order. Since Mario's served in-house made menudo on weekends, and this was a Saturday, I ordered a bowl of menudo. It's priced at only $4.75, and you get a half dozen tortillas with it, and you can choose between corn or flour tortillas: I prefer corn tortillas. So cheap... so good... so real... mmmm... it's menudo for breakfast... I suppose things must get started slowly on a Saturday morning in Merced, as during the 10 minutes I waited for my menudo to arrive, a whole line of patrons arrived, and soon the small dining room was jammed. I suppose I was lucky, in that I beat the rush, and as I was happily enjoying my bowl of delicious menudo, I was entertained by the many patrons who ordered the meals to go, and then sort of shuffled around while waiting for their food to be delivered. As I was enjoying my menudo, one gentleman asked me what I was eating and I told him that I was eating menudo, and that I am a big fan of menudo. I could see that he looked somewhat intimidated, and he remarked that it looked very rich, and I assured him that Mario's menudo is very rich. OK, the rubber meets the road in the menudo bowl, and Mario's menudo is delicious. You get a huge amount of tripe, in fact there is so much tripe, that it dwarfs the hominy. The sauce is very thick, and you can almost eat this menudo with a fork. My serving had a portion of a calf hoof... Wow! That's a good thing, as how many restaurants actually use real ingredients, including the bones, to season the ingredients, in order to prepare the perfect meal? A bowl of menudo at Mario's will keep you going all day, as it's huge! Mario's Taco Shop does the real thing, and they're menudo is the real deal, and they make it fresh, in-house, on Saturdays and Sundays. Oh boy!
Photo: If you like menudo, you'll love this photo, as it shows my fantastic breakfast of menudo. Note the thick, red brick sauce, and the huge amount of tripe included with the stew. The wrapped tortillas are to the lower left of the photo, and the condiments can be seen to the right. This breakfast is delicious! If you can put up with the scruffy decour and the slow service, Mario's Taco Shop is your kind of place, as they serve delicious food at a very reasonable price. They're open 7 days a week, from 8:00 in the morning, until 11:00 at night, and they really do serve delicious food. As an aside, both English and Spanish are spoken; I spoke both languages, but the staff seemed to prefer English. Whatever.. I recommend this restaurant, and I'll be back for more. Mario's Taco Shop
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