BajaNomad

Carnitas Michoacan in Rosarito

Gypsy Jan - 4-22-2006 at 09:39 PM

Carnitas Michoacan is one of those mainstays; a restaurant that has been in business since 1952 because they do what they do extremely well.

What is on the menu is pork, pork and more pork.

In case you hadn't noticed, pork is king here.

The decor is...pork statues all over; on shelves, in display cases, large and little clay pigs are on display.

You can order your carnitas generically, or by specific parts - ears. head meat, tongue, intestines, skin or, how can I say this, the "ultimate good-bye", if you are looking north as the pig walks away from you that way.

Everything pork is available but the "oink".

If you want breakfast, you can get eggs with your pork.

If you must get exotic, you can have carne asada (beef).

Recently, I took home a order of a media kilo (a bit over a pound) of carnitas. I specified rib meat.

The whole takeaway package must have weighed six pounds; composed of the carnitas, rice, beans, guacamole, salsa, escabeche (marinated jalapenos, celery, onions and carrots) and chopped fresh onions w/cilantro and a huge stack of tortillas.

The flavor and freshness of the carnitas and the sides were top notch.

Check please - $154 pesos, around $13.00 US. (BTW, I didn't use my calculator for the most recent currency conversion, this is just a seat of the pants estimate,)

[Edited on 4-23-2006 by Gypsy Jan]

Jan, I must have mislaid your address...

Mexray - 4-22-2006 at 10:50 PM

...wanted to stop by for 'leftovers'...:spingrin:

We just got back from Pueblo Norte Sacramento, where we enjoyed some great food from a small mall-restruant...

They had Cuban Pork Nachos as an appetizer - couldn't resist! It was de-liss-oush! The pork was prepared like most carnitas we're familiar with - chopped & shredded, but with an ancho chili/black bean/BBQ sauce. Ladled generously over chips with real melted cheese (jack?), lot's of guacamole on top and a jagged pattern of squirted Mayo for decoration! If was a laid out on a huge oval plate...all for $8 bucks!

That Cuban Pork concoction was so great, I had to follow up with their Pork BBQ Sandwich laid next to a mess of garlic fries...WOW, my cholesterol just went off the chart tonight! Hell, you can't live forever, can you!

I didn't get to spy on the cook to see if he was from down, Havana way, but I'll bet he's been there at some time in his life!

It wasn't Baja, but the thought flowed with the flavors, tonight!

Mexray - how about meeting halfway?

Gypsy Jan - 4-22-2006 at 11:20 PM

I'll bring mine if you bring yours! :O :O + (yikes, there's no emoticon for a tongue wipe across a happy face)

Now there's an 'offer' that'd be hard to refuse!

Mexray - 4-22-2006 at 11:26 PM

Bob H - 4-23-2006 at 09:05 AM

I believe Carnitas Michoacan is a "style" of carnitas. They are all over Baja. There is another good one in Guerrero Negro, just before the Pemex on the right as you are going through the main drag.

There is a great place for carnitas in San Diego called Porkyland. Check out this link with photos of some of the dishes... Bob H

http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2006/03/porkyland.html

Tifosi - 4-24-2006 at 10:22 AM

The place I think you are speaking of is in the North end of town, no? Is it a two stroy building? If we are speaking of the same place I believe the actual name is La Flor de Michoacan.

It is a defenite must stop on the way home, no matter how full you are from all the food consumed in Ensenada, Puerto Nuevo or Popotla there is always room for carnitas. Even if you order a taco you can't go wrong. I usually buy a kilo to bring home and have for dinner that night or the next day. A funny story, one time while crossing the agent stuck his head in the rear window for a better look and caught a whiff of the carnitas. he handed me back my passport and told me I better hurry home before my dinner gets cold. ;)


Tifosi

La Flor de Michoacan

Gypsy Jan - 4-24-2006 at 02:13 PM

Tifosi, you are absolutely correct, that's the place!

ARe there possibly TWO in Rosarito?

Hook - 4-25-2006 at 10:15 AM

Is the one you are talking about a two story brick building that is near the curve of the toll road north of the electrical generating plant, but on a side street east of the toll road?

I also thought I ate at one that was in the main tourist area of Rosarito.

[Edited on 4-25-2006 by Hook]

Dreamin'

Baja Bernie - 4-25-2006 at 10:40 AM

It used to be a little old white building back in the 60's and all of their product except the squeal were fantastic! Right across from the old Pemex--Hit both of them on the way home.

Bag of fresh Chicharrones for the wait at the border--Yum!

Three way bypass cancelled the chicharrones--but I can still smell them.

Tifosi - 4-25-2006 at 11:57 AM

Hook:

That's the place, it's the two story brick building. I've never eaten at the other one in town so I can't speak about that one.

Tifosi

Bob H - 4-25-2006 at 05:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Hook
Is the one you are talking about a two story brick building that is near the curve of the toll road north of the electrical generating plant, but on a side street east of the toll road?

I also thought I ate at one that was in the main tourist area of Rosarito.

[Edited on 4-25-2006 by Hook]


Hook, your post made me dizzy. I'm all turned around! And, my head is spinning...
Bob H

[Edited on 4-26-2006 by Bob H]

bajaguy - 4-25-2006 at 07:59 PM

The main location is on the main boulevard of Rosarito, toward the north end of town on the beach side. They have a smaller second location with sidewalk frontage in the bazzar in the center of town on the main boulevard. The food is excellent, and really inexpensive.

Oso - 4-25-2006 at 08:48 PM

Odd coincidence. The absolute worst carnitas I've ever had were at "Mi Lindo Michoacan" in Somerton, AZ. Sliced about 1/8" thick, charred black, no fat, drier than cardboard. Impossible to swallow without washing them down. After struggling with a couple, I ate the mediocre beans and rice and left the rest of the "meat" on the plate. My first, last and only visit.

I like my carnitas D.F style, about 2" chunks, tender, juicy and a little greasy.

Oso

Baja Bernie - 4-25-2006 at 09:21 PM

What is Dumb F*** style. Dry carnitas is like eating stale jerky.

elgatoloco - 4-25-2006 at 09:33 PM

We have enjoyed La Flor de Michoacan many times. We had our leftover carnitas taken away from us by the CBP as it is illegal to import pork back into the US. I went online and discovered that the regulations included an exception for pork 'cooked to a crispy texture' or something along those lines. So I printed out the regs and showed it to the guy the next time and we had carnitas omlettes for breakfast the next day. :yes:

Regs have changed. See #5

elgatoloco - 4-25-2006 at 09:43 PM

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Offers Tips for Easter Border Travel


(Friday, April 07, 2006)
contacts for this news release



San Diego, Calif. ?The upcoming Easter/Holy Week season is historically one of the busiest travel periods at southwest border crossings. Applications by Mexican travelers for I-94 travel documents typically double or even triple at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry during the week before Easter.

As a result, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials want to remind the traveling public that there are a number of steps cross-border travelers can employ to make entry into the U.S. as quick and safe as possible. The tips are designed to ease the crossing process as CBP officers maintain their principal anti-terror mission.

?This is a very busy time of year for CBP and the ports of entry so we are working with the travel community to help ensure border crossers reach their destinations in a timely manner ,? said Adele Fasano, director of field operations for CBP in San Diego. ?If travelers will follow some simple tips, we believe we will be able to keep holiday related traffic moving as expeditiously as possible while insuring that all our enforcement concerns are properly addressed.?


Tip #1 ? Mexican travelers should visit border ports now to obtain I-94 travel documents ($6 each) in advance of the Easter/Holy Week rush. This will allow travelers who require I-94 documents (those planning to travel beyond the border zone or stay in the U.S. for more than 30 days) to bypass I-94 issuing lines when they formally enter the U.S. They will still be subject to the inspection process.

Tip #2 ? Travelers should look to alternative entry routes. Border crossers may consider using the nearby and less utilized Otay Mesa or Tecate ports of entry instead of the busy San Ysidro border station.

Tip #3 ? Travelers should plan to build extra time into their trips in the event they cross during periods of exceptionally heavy traffic. This includes SENTRI fast-pass users.

Tip #4 ? Unless absolutely necessary, border crossers may wish to avoid crossing the border during traditionally heaviest periods of traffic including morning/evening rush hour periods and weekends.

Tip #5 ? Travelers should familiarize themselves with the ?Know Before You Go? section of the CBP website to avoid fines and penalties associated with the importation of prohibited items. For example, any cooked or uncooked pork products such as chorizo, carnitas, salchichas or pork lard, are prohibited from entry because of possible disease. Uncooked poultry or wild fowl items such as eggs or chicken parts are not allowed into the U.S. Fruits such as guavas, mangoes, avocados, apples, pears, plums, peaches and apricots also may not be brought into the U.S. No fireworks are allowed into California from Mexico and prescriptions obtained in Mexico should have supporting documentation from the traveler?s health care professional.

Tip #6 ? Members of the traveling public should consult the CBP website site at www.cbp.gov to monitor border wait times. Or, they can obtain the information, in English and Spanish by calling 619-690-8999 for San Ysidro, or 619-671-8999 for Otay Mesa. The information is updated regularly and is useful in planning trips.

Tip #7 ? Travelers should prepare for the inspection process before arriving at the inspection booth. Individuals should have their crossing documents available for inspection and they should be prepared to declare all items acquired outside the U.S. In addition, individuals should not engage in cellular phone conversations before arriving at the inspection booth. U.S. citizens currently are not required to have entry documents when returning to California through land border ports of entry. However, officials recommend that U.S. citizens carry a passport or government-issued photo identification such as a drivers license and a county or state-issued birth record to facilitate the entry process.

Tip #8 ? Drivers should insure that the vehicles they use to cross the border have sufficient fuel, are properly maintained and mechanically sound. Vehicles stalled by lack of gas or coolant can cause traffic processing delays.

CBP officials will closely monitor traffic and border crossing times during the upcoming holiday period. They plan to fully staff all inspection lanes during peak periods and to implement various traffic management operations to maintain the flow of traffic during periods of exceptionally heavy usage.


U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of the nation?s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Roberto - 4-25-2006 at 11:06 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Baja Bernie
What is Dumb F*** style. Dry carnitas is like eating stale jerky.


DF style = Distrito Federal style, aka Mexico city. As for the desciption:
Quote:
Originally posted by Oso
about 2" chunks, tender, juicy and a little greasy.

Hook - 4-26-2006 at 09:43 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bob H
Quote:
Originally posted by Hook
Is the one you are talking about a two story brick building that is near the curve of the toll road north of the electrical generating plant, but on a side street east of the toll road?

I also thought I ate at one that was in the main tourist area of Rosarito.

[Edited on 4-25-2006 by Hook]


Hook, your post made me dizzy. I'm all turned around! And, my head is spinning...
Bob H

[Edited on 4-26-2006 by Bob H]


Yes, that's not my most cogent post. Just read it slowly, it makes sense in a convoluted way.:biggrin: