speed of dark

In four days, thousands of people will descend on the little desert town of Indio, California, for the Coachella Music and Arts Festival. Indie Mom and I will be there on Saturday.

The usual fast-food joints are easy to locate, and most of our food consumption will be on the polo grounds anyway. But for anyone with some extra time and the desire to try some of the local restaurants, I'm posting a couple of short guides based on my years of living in the area. Today the focus is on Mexican cuisine, of which Coachella Valley has some of the best examples of southern Mexican and Mexican seafood available.

Heading east from the Los Angeles area on Interstate 10, the Jefferson exit to Indio becomes Indio Boulevard, which runs just south of the train tracks and is the location of several good Mexican restaurants. None I have listed here are fancy or expensive, but I can attest to the quality of the food. All of these are also chile verde-approved by my husband Mr. Folkie, who always orders that dish.

Macario's
The grand dame of Indio's Mexican restaurants is less than a mile from the exit and has one thing most Indio eateries lack: ambiance. Booths made of lovely, carved wooden pews create a feeling of intimacy and privacy in the main room, and the female staff wear traditional flouncy white blouses with colorful embroidery.
What to order: All the seafood dishes are very good. Vuelve a la vida is a marvelous, cold seafood cocktail that contains a variety of shellfish and could possibly return you to life, as the name suggests. Two people can split a large one. The weather is probably too hot for soup, but they have some really good ones; my favorite is caldo xuchil (a chicken soup with a dollop of chili arbole paste in the middle). Order a small, large is enough for two. Evelina's Chicken Salad is good too. Open at 11 AM. (80793 Indio Blvd)

Mexico Tipico
This tiny place is my personal favorite, plain but homey, like sitting in your mom's kitchen if you had a Mexican mom. It's very popular with local folks and fills up fast at meal times, so try mid-morning or mid-afternoon.
What to order: All the dishes I have had there are good. I especially like chicken enchiladas with green sauce and the chili relleno. But they have one dish that the other restaurants don't: pollo en mole (chicken in a rich, dark sauce that includes unsweetened chocolate and ground peanuts). I recommend this highly. They also serve breakfast. (82485 Indio Blvd)

Taco Jalisco
Feeling adventurous? This is the real thing--the polar opposite of Taco Bell. From Indio Boulevard, turn on Fargo St. into the old downtown area to find Taco Jalisco about a block south on the right (45333 Fargo St.). You might be the only gringo in the place, and you may have to use your high school Spanish to order. Don't be disturbed by menu items such as the famous Mexican hangover cure menudo (tripe soup), bírria (goat), lengua (tongue), and cesos (I'd rather not say).
What to order: Both Taco Jalisco and its bigger sister, Jalisco Restaurant in Coachella, serve the best tortas anywhere. A torta is a sandwich made on a special bun, slathered with crema (like sour cream only not sour) and filled with your choice of meat filling. Get carne asada (chewy chunks of grilled beef) with avocado and jalapeños. Small appetites can share one. Yummy--and fiery!

Teresa's Cafe
This mainstay of long-time Indio natives is also very good for the usual traditional dishes like tacos and enchiladas. (45682 Towne St.) Across the street is La Casita; which is also OK, as is El Rincon Norteño on Indio Blvd. at Fargo near the Jackson St. overpass. El Campanario just off Indio Blvd near the Monroe overpass is also pretty good. It has a larger dining room than most of the other places, a more upscale menu that includes quail and lamb, and a bit higher prices.

If you are staying in the cove in La Quinta, El Ranchito in the old downtown area (78039 Calle Estado) makes the best-ever chili relleno (large, mild green chili stuffed with cheese, battered and deep-fried).

These bands will be performing at the Coachella:
Friday, April 25
Cut Copy: Hearts On Fire

Saturday, April 26
Café Tacvba: Y Es Que

Sunday, April 27
Love and Rockets: So Alive

Next I'll write about some of the other types of restaurants in the area. Questions? Ask away, and I'll do my best to answer.