Greenfield, California…don’t miss the tacos!
Beautiful Downtown Greenfield, CA
The Salinas Valley is dotted with small towns rarely frequented by the passing car passengers on 101 headed to Los Angeles or San Francisco. Typically folks stop for a bite at a road side quickie with the caveat about never eating fast food yet really being hungry and nothing else was in sight. Well, if you are passing thru the small bergs of Chualar or Greenfield, have I got the place for you!
Sunday morning about 11 am my hunger was alive and well. We were enjoying a leisurely pace on 101 awaiting the moment we would hit the LA traffic near Santa Barbara with six lanes of crazy people driving over 80 in a 65, talking on the phone, enjoying the Dashboard Cafe and generally looking like a Southern California hedonistic, spray tanned god. My husband suggested a place in Greenfield for a couple of tacos to boost our ability to cope with the coming apocalyptic venture south . He had stopped a few times in the past and said it was good. Tacos are the tip of the nerve endings in my body that craves great Mexican food and never turns down the opportunity to compare fare, even in the morning. That simple fact found us at La Plaza Bakery, the corner of Oak Street and El Camino Real on the left.
Travels with Charlie and Steinbeck must have lent a different look then. I am no Steinbeck and my Lola is a black standard poodle and Charlie was white and the only similarity to the rest of the story was the background of Main Street Greenfield that must have been in one of Steinbeck’s novels somewhere. I sat on the cement seat outside the restaurant with Lola who elicits smiles and a good morning from even the grumpiest and waited for our order. The traffic in and out of the bakery was brisk, from the Quinceanera, or sweet sixteen birthday celebration, two tiered cake complete with huge pink sugar roses carefully loaded into the car, to the local priest just finishing Mass, and enjoying a sweet. This is the place to eat!
The spacious inside cafe was spotless. Folks milled about ordering from the bakery side beautiful pastries, palmiers fit for sale in a French patisserie, donuts with maple confections and a plethora of multi colored traditional Mexican pastries. On the other side of the sweet display cases, lay the real deal, tacos, burritos, enchiladas fixings and jalapeno peppers so large I thought I had gone to heaven. Love those peppers! Everything is incredibly Salinas Valley salad-bowl-of-America fresh and awaiting your order to be prepared.
Chicken tacos came two in a to-go covered dish with succulent spicy chicken, shredded lettuce and tomato with a generous slice of avocado decorating the top. Excellent tomatillo sauce and a kick ass red sauce accompanied the tacos for under five dollars. My hunger sated and my love for Greenfield overwhelming, we ventured back in for next day morning fare and a donut for dessert.
Heaven in Greenfield California, don’t miss it!
Yum and thank you. Now I’m looking for tacos in Aspen – whaaaaat? Surprise! Try Jimmy’s.