In Which I Thank the Universe for the Humble Tortilla

Las Lupitas, 5210 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28213

And

Lupita’s Carniceria & Tortilleria, 5316 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28217

 

Mexican food is perhaps the most misunderstood and misrepresented food culture in the United States. With cartoonish names and outlandish decor, popular Mexican restaurants stateside serve up mediocre dishes and worn-out stereotypes. Dining in such establishments leads many to believe that the Mexican culinary tradition consists solely of flour tortillas, over-cooked ground chuck, refried beans, shredded cheese, and margaritas. As you have probably guessed by now, this is simply not true. Most of what us gabachos think of as Mexican is really all-American, or all-Texan to be specific. Now I have nothing against Texas and their rightfully proud food heritage, and if done right, Tex-Mex can be mighty tasty. In fact, Los Tejanos can lay claim to being some of the oldest citizens of these United States, having resided here since the Spaniards started moving north in the late 16th century. But my point is this: it ain’t exactly Mexican.

So, where to begin? The foundation for all Mexican and for most Meso-American cooking is the tortilla, which dates back to 10,000 B.C.E. That makes the humble corn tortilla one of the oldest food staples in human history. And there’s a good reason why: if done right a corn tortilla can fill the consumer with bliss. It’s also the perfect building block for just about any ingredient imaginable. I prefer corn tortillas because they are easier to make fresh, they’re more traditionally Mexican, and you can reliably get them done well at most places. However, in Northern Mexico, in the states of Nuevo León, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Tamaulipas, the flour tortilla reigns. If done fresh and cooked crispy, the flour tortilla is a thing of a beauty. So, by all means, if you can get them homemade, go for it.

This tortilla history lesson digression brings us to the two establishments I’ve chosen to write about for my first review: Las Lupitas! I’ve been to the Las Lupitas on N. Tryon perhaps three dozen times now and each time I am impressed by the near amazingly consistent high quality of both the meat and tortillas on offer. These two locations are both owned by the same people and both places are going to offer up essentially the same things. The location on South Blvd. is less well known to me but much larger, with a wider selection of beer, Mexican sodas, and hispanic snack items.

Las Lupitas is a combination carniceria and tortilleria, or in English terms, a butcher shop and tortilla factory. Belly up to the meat case and you’ll see many fresh cuts of chorizo, a spicy sausage, chicharrones–think pork rinds, and an assortment of what the English would call offal, or pig and cow parts us Americans deem too yucky to eat. I encourage you to try all those delicious piggy and moo-moo parts but what I find myself almost leaping over the counter for is the slow cooked pork and beef on offer most days. You can see these meats cooking in the back in large steel drums, a curl of delicious smelling steam hovering over the heavy lid. First, you have carnitas be puerco: slow-cooked pulled-pork. Get the carnitas mixta, which is a mix of fattier and leaner cuts. Next you have the barbacoa de res, or slow-cooked beef. This should also be mixta. If you’re a gluttonous weirdo or Paula Deen enthusiast, you can order all fatty but that ain’t my thing.On certain days they also offer a marinated chicken dish called drowned chicken I have yet to try. The staff speaks English for the most part but I like to order in Spanish as a sign of respect. Una Libra is a pound. So, you would say: Una libra de carnitas, por favor. And so on and so forth (dos, tres, cuatro, cinco,–for your own health don’t order more than five pounds). Right next to the meat case is the tortilla making end of the business. Take a gander through the large window and you can see the hard-working ladies patting out fresh corn masa, and tending to the little conveyor belt that pumps out a perfectly made and cooked tortilla in just a matter of minutes.

On your way out be sure to grab a Mexican soda (Jarritos are my favorite). At the cash register you’ll see a large fridge filled with salsas, avocados, cut cilantro and onions, cactus salad, and cut limes. These are cash only but essential to any taco dinner. Helpful tip: you’ll want some of that cactus salad to keep your digestive system running smoothly.

To assemble what is in my mind the perfect taco, do the following: take a corn tortilla and cook it in a skillet with just a touch of oil until it is slightly crusty. Then take the carnitas, still warm from the styrofoam to-go box, and heap a large amount into the tortilla. On top you add a healthy amount of onion and cilantro, melted Oaxacan cheese, fresh lime juice, crema Mexicana, and San Luis Salsa Picante.The dish is doing a dozen things at once. You have your carb, your protein, your dairy, and your veggie all in one small culinary package. Through an osmosis of sorts, the fat will enter the tortilla while the cilantro, cheese and salsa don’t let it steal the whole show, adding layers of flavor profiles so all your taste buds can get a piece of the action. I defy you to not enjoy yourself. Maybe you won’t. Maybe you’re a zombie. Maybe you really think On the Border is the best in the business.

And there you have it: one of the great sandwiches in world cuisine. It might not seem like much and to be sure it has a simplicity to it that almost seems illogical. How can something so unchanged with so few ingredients be so good? I think the answer has to be the freshness of the ingredients used and the dedication to keeping alive the tradition of Mexican street food, the food of the people. And yes, this is the Mexican equivalent to the hot dog or hamburger. I’ll get to the more elaborate dishes in later posts, and trust me, there are some crazily complex dishes in Mexican cooking, dishes that can take a week to make. But that’s diving in the deep end. I’m not brave enough for that just yet.

What I hope this post will do is open up some people’s minds to the wide variety of Mexican cuisine there is, especially in a city with such a large immigrant population like Charlotte. Yes, this is just tortillas and meat but think of them as your canvas and the possibilities are endless. Visiting these Hispanic groceries is also an important cultural exchange that this country sorely needs. To briefly dip into politics, these people are here to stay, no matter who becomes President. We should welcome them with open arms and hearts. They work hard. They value family. They are chasing the American dream just like the rest of us. And these carnitas, barbacoa, and tortillas are better than 99% of what you will find in most so-called Mexican restaurants in the city and surrounding suburbs. As the Mexican-American population grows in Charlotte, so will the culinary offerings. That is great news. I have my eye on several places I spotted on South Blvd. during my foraging expeditions that I am eagerly waiting to visit.

My next post should be up by Sunday and will be the beginning of my on-going series, Eating Central Avenue, my suicidal effort to dine at every restaurant on Central Avenue, one of the main arteries of the Queen City. Thank you for reading.

Be well, eat well, and try to love your neighbors.

-TSM