Orange County: The Best Mexican Food

Owner of Casa Oaxaca, Rogelio Martinez

Smack dab in the middle of a residential area several miles from bustling Downtown Santa Ana sits a row of seemingly unremarkable businesses: a beat-up liquor store, a tortilleria churning out stacks of fresh corn tortillas, a botanica (spiritual remedy shop), a salon and a Mexican restaurant.  

This block blends in perfectly with the city's aesthetic. The stretch of sidewalk in front of the shops is generally deserted with the exception of one or two nearby residents running errands. The buildings are covered in a traditionally bright palette of Mexican paint that has faded and peeled from neglect. Casa Oaxaca is no exception. It's got a coral exterior with navy blue trim around the perimeter of the shudders and fraying rainbow curtains. 

You'd never know that inside this family run establishment is a steady flow of loyal customers who will swear it's got the best Oaxacan food outside Mexico. At off hours it's always full of locals who stop in for a few hours to rest and sip on a cup of cafe de olla (a traditional Mexican brew with cinnamon sticks, dark brown sugar, anise seeds and molasses). They also often order a molcajete for the table; a small feast of marinated carne asada, spicy and sweet chorizo, nopales (cactus), grilled chicken and shrimp served with moist, homemade corn tortillas. It comes in a small stone-carved bowl that originated in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica thousands of years ago.

At lunch and dinner their most popular dish is mole. Most Mexican restaurants in California don't serve it, because it takes too long to make. Casa Oaxaca cooks up five different versions of the sauce daily with over twenty ingredients; the most distinctive of which is cocoa. They then pour it over a juicy pile of shredded chicken, beef or enchiladas. The result is a complex combination of sweet and spicy unlike anything your taste-buds have ever experienced. 

While I'm pleased to see the Artist's Village in Downtown Santa Ana is blossoming, I'm equally as happy to discover pockets of Mexican-American businesses that are still providing a taste of home for the immigrant community. It's the juxtaposition of the new and the old, the trendy and the traditional that makes Santa Ana unique. If you take a day trip there don't forget to experience both sides of the city. They're equally inspiring...and delicious! 

Click here for Casa Oaxaca's website 

Photos courtesy of: www.casaoaxacarestaurant.com