(tacos caramelos) at El Pelón Taqueria near Fenway

At a glance:

92 Peterborough Street, Boston, MA

Price: $

Stars (out of 5): 4.8

Ah El Pelón Taqueria, how I’ve missed you! I came to this Mexican tacos and burritos joint twice before when I stopped in Boston for a short while. Imagine my excitement when my friends and I found this place close to the movie theatre where we watched the most recent Pixar animation and Disney film: Inside Out (great movie by the way, gotta give Disney credit for making attempts to address mental health and bring about social awareness regarding teenagers’ internal struggles).

a caricature of the hairless hero, who looks like the boss from their website haha

Pelón in Spanish literally means hairless (pelo being hair). The interior décor is as quaint as the eatery’s name. There are pictures of families and customers lining the walls. And the place has little to no room to sit, but plenty of outdoor picnic tables for a nice day!

the wall

more wall decorations  

Their menu is not large, but every item is distinctly authentic, cheap, and DELICIOUS. Seriously, I would not keep coming back to the same place for Mexican if the food were not on point.

the entire menu fits on this tiny brochure

In addition to the regular menu, they have the daily specials written on small chalkboards. I made sure to try them.

    

Ok. The food. The food is hearty, quick, and everything you want Mexican food to be: fresh, flavorful, guac-filled, and heartwarming. The tacos caramelos under tacos de la casa (house-special tacos) are my go-to. For $8, you get two overloaded soft shell tacos filled with amazingly juicy and plump carne asada (grilled steak), fresh guacamole, hot sauce, melted cheese, and salsa fresca. I like spicy food so the hot sauce was not hot enough for me, but it was homemade and  packed with boldness. The juices from the steak mixed with the melted jack cheese was so decadent, and complemented well by the fresh salsa fresca and guac that brought me to a sea shore. Lastly, the double-tortilla was warm and inviting as I sunk my teeth into the meaty umami of the steak. The wedge of lime on the side is a perfect kick to add to the whole ensemble if you are so inclined.

     

And because I love this place so much, I also ordered a daily special, which was the Sonoran hot dog. Hot dog wrapped in bacon, topped with more bacon, onions, diced tomatoes, mustard/mayo/ketchup, and guac, all on a grilled bun? Yes please. I admit, this hot dog is not for everyone. I personally normally stick to just relish and/or mustard on my hot dogs, so I was quite surprised at my decision to get this, especially since it has ketchup. (Ketchup on hot dogs is like… ummm what? I mean the hot dog is already quite a sweet meat with such a weird flavor profile… but to each his own, right? Who am I to commentate on other people’s condiment options.)

fully loaded Sonoran hot dog

Ok back to the Sonoran hot dog. It was delicious! Flaws: a little salty, the hot dog was floury, and definitely I didn’t enjoy the mayo nor the ketchup, but mixed with the mustard, they were bearable. The bacon had a smoky flavor and the tomatoes and onions were nice condiments. The toasted bun sealed the deal for me. Nicely done.

My friends got the carnitas (braised, shredded pork) burrito and the tacos Americanos (grilled chicken instead of steak), respectively. Both enjoyed their meals and commented on the nice mix of flavors and the heartiness.

a HUGE carnitas burrito

tacos Americanos with lettuce

For dessert, I had a coconut flan. Yeah I know, I pretty much tried everything. The flan was not as smooth as I had hoped. In fact, there were a lot of curdles in there. Maybe that was what authentic Mexican flan should be? Or maybe it was overcooked? I loved the shredded coconut hidden in there, and the caramel coconut syrup was not overpowering but instead subtly sweet, subtly nutty. Very satisfying.

coconut flan

Also, try the fish tacos. They will change your life for a moment while you are eating them. At least they did for me.

Eat on!

(Swiss Arugula Pumpkin Seed Pig in a Blanket) at home

At a glance:

Snacking at home

Price: $

Stars (out of 5): can’t really rate my own food haha, but 4 for convenience and feel-good factor.

I went grocery shopping and bought a few boxes of nuts, vegetables, and other perishables. I figured I can’t eat out all the time this summer. Frankly, I never understood the misconception that college students living by themselves can only live off ramen, or microwave dinners. I bought ingredients that are the same price as a box of ramen, or a few microwave dinners, and here’s what I came up with! (Of course this can be made into 10-15 servings, I just made 1 today.) Going out later with friends too for late night food so this is not a dinner per se, but it is a very fulfilling and wholesome snack after a long day.

my master plan

Basically, you pop open a tin of Pillsbury crescent roll dough. Each tin can make 4 grande pig in the blanket crusts, so roll out a quarter of a tin into a flat shape. Spread some soft swiss cheese (Laughing Cow is my go to) over the crust. Add arugula and pumpkin seeds for some super nutrients. Then, put half a hot dog link on top! You gotta go for the all beef franks if you want good protein. (I recommend Ballpark premium or Hebrew National or Nathan’s all-beef franks. Hot dogs are my guilty pleasure so I have the types of franks figured out haha.)

When this is done, you just assemble everything and roll it up in a blanket, and bake in a toaster oven or whatever oven you have for 10-15 minutes on about 375F. Check for a golden brown, solid crust and you should be good to go; the ingredients inside the roll don’t need much time at all. To be honest, I’m living in a frat house so I don’t venture into the kitchen. At least I haven’t had the heart to just yet. I’ll just use the microwave and toaster oven for now and see what I can come up with. Oh, I also baked a sweet potato portion along with my pig in a blanket for some added Vitamin A, fiber, and potassium.

before baking

And this was the end product!! I was super stoked to eat this all-encompassing snack. We got the veggies, the vitamins, the calcium (from the yogurt), the protein, the fiber, and some carbs. I also recommend going to the grocery store and getting some boxes of nuts and make your own trail mix. My favorite combination: banana chips, chocolate, almonds, corn nuts, and pumpkin seeds.

For dessert I put honey on my baked sweet potato and also had more swiss cheese haha. Trust me, putting honey on your sweet potato is the way to go. It’s very decadent.

good snacking

dessert (you can’t really see the honey, but it’s there!)

Next time I’m going to try a different type of cheese in my crescent roll and maybe add more ingredients. I feel like a dried fruit would be yummy as well.

the nuttiness of the arugula mixed with the crunch of the pumpkin seeds, the creamy swiss, and the juicy dog all encompassed in a beautiful, flaky, buttery roll.

Also, here is a mixed drink recipe. It brings tropics and summer to you in a cup. Captain Morgan white rum, sparkling limeade (the sparkling fizziness is very important), and orange pineapple mango juice in 1:2:4 ratio. On point for a casual, brunch-y drink.

Eat on!