1216 Duarte Rd., Duarte 626-357-5124
Type: Mexican
Quality: !!!! Price: $ Ambience: *
Sometimes, people wonder why I am writing restaurant reviews. Frankly, I can't afford to eat at most places reviewed by others. Don't get me wrong--their reviews are usually accurate, but I can't afford to spend $10 for lunch. I like to search for places that wouldn't otherwise be reviewed in the hope that I can find some good, affordable food. La Paloma is such a place. It's basically a kitchen with a dining area attached to it. It also has a small bakery and grocery store (Mexican, of course). Places like La Paloma make my search worthwhile. While the decor isn't too bad, the tables are cramped. The wall murals range from colorful to downright strange. And they don't have air conditioning--the kitchen produces too much heat for that. In the summer, the "dining area" can be hotter inside than the outside. But the food is truly remarkable, especially for its price. I liked almost every type of taco, but I liked the carnitas, cabeza, and machaca the best. All were very fresh and tasty. Of particular note was the cabeza, which is meat from the head of a cow. Now that I have grossed you out, let me say that the cabeza was some of the most tender meat I've ever eaten. It quite literally melts in your mouth, even though it is very lean. Avoid the chicken--it tends to be dry from overcooking. One of my co-workers thoroughly enjoyed his chile relleno. They thought highly of the Jamaica, which I am told is juice from the hibiscus flower or something like that. I wanted to try the Cocido (beef soup) because it looked really good, but I couldn't because I was too full. The restaurant was crowded to the gills. La Paloma is well off the beaten path. You would not find a place like this unless you either look for it or you get lost while driving (both apply in my case). Overall, I heartily recommend this place.
9003 E. Fairview Ave., San Gabriel 626-286-1914
Type: Mexican fast food stand (in every sense)
Quality: !! Price: $ Ambience:
Normally, a lack of an Ambience rating means that I've never been there, and my review is based on input from people I know. However, this place truly has no ambience. All they have are some picnic tables underneath a canopy with a glorious view of heavily-traveled Rosemead Blvd. Other than that, the food is pretty mediocre--nothing special.
410 W. Foothill Blvd, Monrovia, 626-256-3520
Type: Mexican
Quality: !!! Price: $ Ambience: ***
The tacos here are small and tasty: $1.20 for one. I had the asada, carnitas, lengua, and pastor ones. All are tasty, though there is nothing earth-shattering. I've had the pastor burrito a few times--a good deal for $3.75. Unfortunately, they don't have cabeza here. This is a step up from the usual taco joint, because they actually spent a lot of time and money to make this place nice. The decor is pretty impressive for this type of restaurant. The floor tiles all match, and they even painted the acoustic tiles a medium shade of blue. Never in my life have I ever seen a painted acoustic tile except when I accidentally splashed paint on some acoustic tiles when I painted my house. I guess I can now say I've been to an avant-garde Mexican restaurant.
525 S. Shamrock Ave., Monrovia, 626-358-2150
Type: Mexican
Quality: !!! Price: $-$$ Ambience: *
Located inside a Mom-and-Pop grocery store, this restaurant is nearly impossible to find. But in an amazing exhibition of my Iron Stomach Kung Fu, I found it. Frankly, I'm not quite sure what to make of it sometimes. The owner has a large variety of Mexican fast food dishes, but he aslo has hamburgers, BBQ ribs, fried chicken, and even a teriyaki chicken bowl. Personally, I like the carne asada burrito--one of the best I've ever had. The last few times I've went, he actually took out a piece of carne asada and chopped it up on the spot for my burrito. The quantities are very generous. He also puts corn in his rice for his burrito fillings. I've never seen that before, but it actually goes very well with the carne asada. The chorizo burrito tasted pretty good, but it was too greasy for me. But what would you expect from chorizo--an award from the American Heart Association? It turns out that they don't use lard here. I was shocked--how can any Mexican restaurant be lard-free? But the food is still really good. The owners are very nice people, and they frequently give samples to customers. It's a great neighborhood hangout.
229 E. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia, 626-359-0140
Type: Mexican
Quality: !! Price: $ Ambience: *
This is a decent Mexican fast food stand. They have daily specials for the budget-minded. For example, you can get a burrito and sode for about $5, but I can't really remember if that was on Wednesday or Thursday. A branch of Los Chiles Locos had been here for a while, but Mi Ti has replaced it. I personally think the food is better now. This one's hard to find because they only have a big yellow banner that you can't read unless you're standing in front of it.