Joel Mendez prepares a bowl of menudo at his Mr. Menudo pop-up stand in Compton. Mendez is a 25-year veteran of the beloved Juanito's in East L.A. , must be feeling about as relevant as Ricky Martin’s old band right now.Owner Roger Mendez launched the business in mid-February, setting up every Saturday and Sunday morning along a street food-rich stretch of Atlantic Avenue.His secret weapon? His father, Joel, who ran operations and handled the lion’s share of the cooking at East L.A.
The younger Mendez says he sources the highest available grade of fresh, never-frozen veal tripe from a cooperative of Fresno-based farms that keeps the young cattle untethered and pen-free. The end result is a fluorescent orange soup brimming with substantial cuts of springy, tender meat; a pearly jumble of honeycombs, smooth strips and spiny tongues of tripe.appear rife with stringy viscera, heavy odors or a sticky excess of collagen, a serving at Mr. Menudo is superlative; more meat than broth, which is conspicuously clean, light and focused in its flavors; balanced in its kick.
¡ Pura Tripa !
I love Mexican food, and have had the pleasure of sampling it all over Mexico. I draw the line at Menudo, having been there done that.
It gives you an excuse for vomiting