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El Galope - A Slice of Michoacan, Mexico

El Galope - A Slice of Michoacan, Mexico

Local Business Profiles @ EPA.net Posted 7/15/05 Dishes from El Galope. Uchepos, upper right,  are a Michoacan specialty - sweet corn tamales steamed in corn husks.     El Galope A Slice of Michoacan, Mexico Una rebanada de Michoacán, México By Raquel Medina Economic Development Specialist City of East Palo Alto With this article, EPA.net launches a new Local Business profiles section. East Palo Alto has a significant community of residents who immigrated from Michoacan, Mexico together with their food and culture. One of the best ways to experience a slice of this culture is to eat at El Galope, a restaurant serving Michoacan, Mexican style food for over fifteen years in East Palo Alto. Owned and operated by Guillermina González, El Galope is a taqueria/restaurant and a whole lot more. Owner Guillermina González preparing El Galope's handmade  tortillas If you enjoy fast food for your weekday lunch, try one, two or more of the soft tacos. The tortillas are hand made. They melt in your mouth and taste great when wrapped around one of the delicious meat fillings. Order one of each -- chicken, beef, pork or birria. Birria is goat meat prepared Michoacan style and seasoned to perfection. Each table at the restaurant is supplied with fresh garnishes of chopped cilantro, onions and limes. If you sit down, three fresh salsas are brought to you along with a basket of chips to enjoy before the food arrives. The salsas are freshly made everyday from scratch and kept in squeeze bottles for easy pouring. My favorite is the guacamole salsa. It is a creamy dressing that comes alive when poured on the chips and tacos. I have watched owner Guillermina González prepare the salsas from scratch. She gets involved with the preparation of all the food, and I am convinced that she infuses parts of her soul into each dish and more so into the salsas. On Saturdays and Sundays, El Galope fills up with customers from the Bay Area who drop in for hand prepared uchepos, sweet tamales made from fresh corn and steamed in cornhusks. Uchepos can be described as a cross between American corn bread and Italian polenta. One or more of these tamales can be served for breakfast, lunch and dinner as an appetizer, desert or main course. Uchepos can be eaten plain, or topped traditionally with green salsa and sour cream. On Wednesdays through Fridays, the dish to try is the morisqueta, a typical Michoacan dish consisting of steamed white rice topped with beans and pork ribs cooked in a tomato based sauce. Sour cream and raw cabbage is served on the side as a garnish. This is an unexpected Mexican dish that makes a satisfying lunch or dinner. Enchiladas, Michoacan style, with the sauce underneath Don't forget to try items appearing on the daily menu, such as the Michoacan style flautas and enchiladas. These are prepared differently than the ones served at other Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area. A single order includes six enchiladas or flautas topped with raw cabbage, meat and potatoes. I usually order one of these plates to share with a friend. To quench your thirst and also to relieve the heat from the hot salsas, try one of the cold drinks made daily from fresh ingredients. My favorite is the jamaica, a refreshing tea-like drink made from the hibiscus flower. Another favorite is the traditional orchata drink made from rice and flavored with cinnamon. Located on 941 Donohue Street, El Galope is open from 9 am to 8 pm daily, except Tuesdays when it closes at 4 pm. Some items, such as the uchepos, are prepared on weekends only. Order in or take out. A private room, holding about 60 people, is available for parties. For more information call 650-322-6355. If you would like to have a profile of your business in the EPA.net Local Business section, contact Michael Levin at mlevin@pluggedin.org or 650-322-1134, x13.

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