I like the mollejas (sweetbreads) and carnitas tacos, but it’s hard to go wrong at Gerardo’s. The place started out as a grocery store, but slowly evolved into a carniceria, taqueria and take-out counter. It’s one of those old-fashioned Mexican meat markets that only sells carnitas and barbacoa on the weekend.
On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the stellar carnitas are $7 a pound, and the barbacoa is $7.50 a pound – cheek meat is 50 cents a pound extra. Salsas and pickled chile pequins are free.
On weekdays, you can get breakfast tacos for $1.50. The weekday lunch plate with two meats, rice, beans and hot tortillas is a bargain at $6.75.
Lunch meat selections include barbacoa de borrego, or barbecued lamb, which is actually made with a blend of lamb and goat meat in a chile broth – it’s sensational. The asado or pork stew is made with ancho chiles, bay leaves and orange peel and it melts in your mouth. – Robb Walsh
Gerardo’s Drive-In Grocery, 609 Patton, 713-699-0820
This article appears in Nov 8-14, 2007.
