South Laredo Taco Trail

We down in south Laredo are not privy to the national eatery chains that adorn the other side of town. When it comes to all the "good restaurant chains", we are left with empty bellies and broken hearts. Places like Cheddars, Chillis, Applebees and Longhorn Steakhouse will not dare open up a location in the southside. But that is just too bad for them; that is their loss. We don't need their fancy corporate fannies in my part of town. We have our own locally grown chains that cater to our to what Laredo is really about, tacos, tacos and more tacos starting with Laredo's own trinity-trifecta known as TaconMadre, Taco Tote and mighty Taco Palenque.

Down on south Zapata Hwy, by Cigarroa High, all three taco giants are duking it our for supremacy along a 5 block strip that oozes guacamole. South Laredo has no need for national jokes when all we need are tacos done right.

Taco Tote is not going down with a fight!

Stripes has Taco Palenque running scared

So if you live on the wrong side of town, you know anywhere north of Guadalupe, take a drive to the south Laredo Taco Trail and give the national chains a fancy middle finger salute. Tell them Delaredo sent you and you get an extra heap of guacamole! Provecho.

Lo Nuevo, Nuevo @Downtown Jett Sales

There is a store in downtown Laredo that has some pretty cool, old stuff but at some pretty high retail prices. Most of the items sold here were top of the line in 1990. However, it is a new millennium but this store is adamant at selling their wares at top dollar, no matter if they are no longer in high demand.

Need a VHS rewinder? They can hook you up with for a mere 35 dollars! Gotta have a Cassette Walkman to rock out some Anthrax on your way to 4th period Algebra class? A mere $60 can get you a yellow Sports player.

If this VHS rewinder is on special at $35, they I shudder to think what they everyday normal price might be.

As a big fan of the 80s and 90s, and as someone that pines for the past century, you would think I'd be all over this store. But, it just seems like this place is out of touch, a time capsule that needs to be shaken awake.

Elsa's Party Rental

(Paid Content Advertising)

Having a party soon and need a moonwalk bouncy house? Then, you should give the people of Elsa's Party Rentals a call! They can hook you up with water slides, tables, chairs and brincolines here in Laredo, TX. 

It is a long, hot summer and this water slide will make you forget your worries as your kids laugh and play under the fun sun. They offer a variety of package. Go to their website and give them a call for your party needs!

Worshiping at the altar of Laredo's Panaderias

    In Laredo, bakeries are like cathedrals; however, instead of manna from heaven, worshipers of these panaderias seek out slightly less sacred form of heavenly bread. I say slightly less sacred because Laredoans have an almost religious devotion to pan dulce.

     Old timers are fervently faithful to their bakery of choice, whether it be El Mejor Pan, Polo's Bakery,  or La Reynera. They are like life-long parishioners, unwilling to switch in search of something new. In fact, some would rather first change church affiliation before they ever fathom converting to another pan dulce provider.

    My old man is one such case in point. To him, the 1977 beisbol Tecolotes are still sports royalty, Tatangelo is still town saviour, and he believes that anything you will ever need can be found at either Sears or Dr. Ikes (ever since Munden's closed down). In other words, to my dad, some things should remain constant and warrant no change. He's been a parishioner of Temple Quickie Bakery ever since I can recall, and he assures me it is heretical to buy pan dulce anywhere else.  

     Everytime I mention Pano's or Gonzalez Bakery, he mutters at me angrily and waves me away with his hand, as if I just asked  him if he ever voted for Richard Nixon.

     Laredoans take pan dulce deadly serious. Domingos and meriendas would be catastrophically incomplete without conchas, cuernitos and empanadas. The picture below proves my point.

     Apparently, at Pano's Bakery running out of sweet bread constitutes an emergency akin to a fiend in desperate need of a fix. While these days churches no longer have "emergency numbers", bakeries sure do for they must fill our bellies and save our weary souls. You see, Laredo takes their pan dulce dependency to new heights, and places like Pano's are there to medicate our wanting needs.

     We are willing to pay money, blood, and even the last few remaining dollars on our government issued Lone Star Card in exchange for a dozen tasty treats. 

     In fact, so dependent are local bakeries to Laredo's welfare dollars that they even construct their slogans around their necessity such as you'll see in the picture below.

Chalos is "Now Accepting Lonestar" Best tagline ever!

    Chalo's Bakery sign pleads to pan dulce believers, like a lighted, gold cross reaching out to the unchurched as if saying, "Come as you are. We make no judgements. Your Lonestar Card is worthy of our collection basket."

    At the end of the day, it matters not what currency you use to enter your own local kingdom bakery. Just suffice it to say that their pearly gates will be opened to all, especially in emergencies because in Laredo bakeries are cathedrals and no one gets turned away.

Football Season AND Pulga Blanca in Laredo, TX

Believe it or not, I actually had a difficult time signing into my BLOGGER ACCOUNT and for the life of me I could not recall my Google email. Somehow, in a flash of memory spark, I remembered both my email and password, after about two months of not being able to sign in.

So, here we are in a brand new year 2017 but I still choose to look at the past.  The present is great in all, but I have more fun when I retrospect and see what happened in the days gone by.

This Sunday, I found myself at the Pulga Blanca and I was checking out some of the vendor booths, and most were the usual assortment of  Wal Mart returns, but one person actually had some interesting items. Among the wares he was hawking was a stadium seat cushion from that legendary rivalry of Nixon Vs. Martin. It was dated from 1985, which so happens to be my fondest yr from the 1980s.

Now, I did not this honorable institution, but I was almost tempted to buy it just for the year alone. It looked comfy and I can just imagined how many different tushies it had encountered since the days of Marty Mcfly back in time. Next time I might just pick it up, even though its 2017 on the calendar, to me 1985 never ended.

The long and winding road back home

So it's been a while since I last posted anything. Honestly, it hasn't been all quiet on the home front, and that has prevented me from coming around here.

But sometimes the long road back home is just one blog post away. Let me go get my keyboard again.

El Rancherito Meat Market meets its Maker

For years at every #carne asada, before and after every Dallas Cowboys game, El Rancherito Meat Market was my go to place for carne, beer, and chips. I first started shopping there around 1992, but by then it was already 15 years old.

Located in one of Laredo's best neighborhoods, #santobaby, El Rancherito was a southside institution for thousands of people that depended on them Sunday after carne asada Sunday. They were located across the street from another, now defunct, venerable southside landmark, The Movie Palace. These two stores were my go to places for cigs and R Rated fun. Now they are both gone, up in smoke. 

I was unaware of Rancherito's demise until I drove by just last week. I stopped to pay my respects and to bid adieu to the neighborhood store of my youth. This Sunday, when I splash open my can of Schlitz and poke my ribs on the grill, I'll get smoke in my eyes and tear up for that store that is no more.
#GoodbyeElRancherito
You will be missed.