So yesterday I met up with Albert in East LA to do some teacher work. We stayed at the Coffee Bean for a whole four hours, and all I had was a couple small pastries from the bakery next door, one of which was called a libro because of the sheets of pastry. It would have been ok, but each time I took a bite, more of the pastry fell down than got into my mouth, which was especially embarrassing because I had said no to Coffee Bean pastries and snuck over to the bakery next door, so I was trying to eat all low-pro at the Bean. Especially because the woman working the counter was a former Roosevelt student. The point is, by two o'clock, both Albert and I were hungry.

We were driving around East Los trying to decide where to eat. Albert suggest La Parrilla, but I'm not the biggest fan. I threw out the idea of going to the Birrieria Jalisco on First and he said he was down, so off we went. Right now there is a lot of construction going on in that neighborhood. RIght next to Birrieria Jalisco is Mariachi Plaza, where the new Gold Line station in going in. One block behind is the White Memorial expansion construction. It's a bit of a mess there, but don't let that stop you from going to this place or Homegirl Cafe or La Serenata de Garibaldi. Homegirl is about healthy and delicious Mexican food and a social mission. It's a favorite spot for vegetarians and other progressive folks who work in the area. La Serenata is about gourmet Mexican food that seems to do well with the professional Downtown crowd, especially at lunchtime. But we're talking about goat here.



We happened to be in Albert's car, and luckily for us there is a nice, big gravel lot in the back. Otherwise, take the 30/31 bus or bike or something. In four years you'll be able to take the train there, but that's four years. So we walked in the back, and this was my second time coming here, so I kind of knew what to expect. It's a fairly big dining room, with red tile floors and wood tables. Nice room. The menus are on the tables and there's also a bigger one on the wall. They keep it pretty simple. You can get different cuts of goat, either in a consomme or dry. You can also get a full plate or a half. We both got the full plate of number two. Sorry but I can't really tell you what cut of meat it was because I couldn't be bothered to try to figure out the Spanish. I think there was some shoulder in there. There were definitely bones. And sinew.

The last time I went to Birrieria Jalisco, I think I enjoyed my meal more. I don't know why. I might have ordered a different cut this time. Anyway, last time I remember it being such a tender, flavorful meat. And the consomme was really good too. This time I think the meat was a little funkier. There was more fat on it, more bones, more connective tissue. It still tasted excellent, but by halfway through the plate I was pretty full. I was thinking, "Ok, I'll ask for a box and eat this later," but then I looked over at Albert's plate and that fool had finished his whole plate already. And all the fat and cartilage too. So I was like, "Shit, I can't lose face like this." So I ate a few more bites. By this point, having finished my jamaica, I was needing another drink, so I ordered a coke, which comes in nice, glass bottles here, Mexican style. So that helped a little, but honestly I was pretty much forcing myself to finish, and I wasn't really enjoying it.



So that's about it. I recommend that you do go eat birria there, but you may want to think more about which cuts you're ordering and decide how funky you want to be. You also may want to consider ordering the half order. Because I needed to lie down for two hours after that meal and I didn't need to eat anything at all until this morning, so I missed a chance to get tacos at taco zone. Not that I needed to eat more than one meal of fatty meat in one day, especially since I am supposedly being vegan this month. Yeah, right!


Ok, so this isn't exactly what the food looked like, but it's pretty close. I even had my camera with me, but I didn't bring it in. Probably a good thing because I wouldn't want to spill birria on a brand new camera. Next time, however, you will see some pictures that will really give you a physical reaction.