Julia's
51 S. 1000 West, Salt Lake City ; 801-521-4228
(see
map)
It isn't the ambience or location that makes this hole-in-the-wall — it's the made-from-scratch comida casera (home-style cooking).
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Cuisine: Mexican,
Price: $
Hours: Open daily, 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Liquor: None
Corkage: $
Reservations: Not accepted/necessary
Accepts: Cash Only
Website:
Recommended Dishes: Costillas de puerco (pork rib stew with nopales), tortillas, chile rellenos.
October 30, 2008
Soul-warming goodness perches on divine tortillas
By Vanessa Chang
I can't get enough of the tortillas. Hot, soft and as pliable as silk handkerchiefs, the tortillas at Julia's I consider restorative. I use them to sop up the spicy red sauce of my pork ribs with nopales -- a cactus paddle that's cooked as a vegetable (costillas de puerco, $10.50), to swaddle a confetti of onions, peppers and bistek ranchero ($10.50), and even eat them bare, comforted by the tender sweetly flavored masa dough. They're even better the next day in a reviving huevos rancheros ($5.25). This is the food that resuscitates bodies overwrought by candy, bad catering and booze.
"Señora, más tortillas, por favor." The first and second time I'd requested more, the quiet, friendly woman nodded, smiled a little and returned with a hot covered crock. Now, she wore a bewildered look, trying to figure out how a table of diners could eat their weight in tortillas.
"Hechos aquí, las tortillas?" I asked, trying to temper our greed with genuine curiosity. Yes, she replied. They are made in-house. And as I discovered, it's one of the many reasons to visit this elusive restaurant.
To get to it you have to travel to Rose Park, past the crowds at the Red Iguana, just shy of the Utah State Fairpark. You find it unexpectedly in a pocket of warehouses and industrial offices within a mainly Latino neigborhood complete with panaderías (bakeries), taquerías, Mexican grocers filled with good, cheap produce and the epicenter of Utah's tortilla factories.
In short, it's a hole-in-the-wall. There are no tablecloths, not even the bright floral, vinyl variety. The ambience is all sterile, bare-bones and the service is kind. If you can manage basic Spanish, mime and point out a menu item or a dish someone else is having, you can more than manage a meal here. Chow hounds, especially Mexican-food lovers native to Los Angeles and Texas, search out places like these that remind them of their old neighborhood haunts.
The menu is small and specializes in what they call "comida casera" -- home cooking at affordable prices. Families eat here, as do mechanics and the odd gringo who's been hoarding this delicious secret to himself. It's important to note they all pay with cash, as Julia's does not take credit cards. They come for classic menudo (tripe stew and posole, $7.25) and meat tortas ($5.25) -- sandwiches conducive to quick midday eating. Chiles rellenos ($9.75) and enchiladas ($7.50) are also familiar and good as they, and everything else here, are made from scratch.
Be aware that the food comes with a generous helping of heat, a big plus in my book. Even the salsa accompanying the complimentary tortilla chips can trigger moisture on the scalp. The above-mentioned pork rib and nopales dish features meat so tender it falls off the little bones. Those little bones did their part by adding flavor to the scarlet sauce. The soft strands of the cactus paddle are mild and resemble slightly overcooked green beans.
The more timid can be equally revived with a huge bowl of sopa marina (seafood soup, $13.25). Think of it as Chicken Soup for the Bored Soul. The bowl of soup warms you down to your bones with shrimp, octopus, chunks of potato, carrots and onions. You spike the broth with chopped onions, cilantro and -- if you don't want to feel left out -- a squirt of chili sauce. Still, without it, it is just as refreshing and welcome.
And always, ALWAYS be sure to have enough tortillas. Ask as many times as you need another helping. And gladly pay for them, for there will come a time in your meal where even a spicy restorative screams for another.
Tribune's rating system
Overall rating
1 star Good
2 stars Very good
3 stars Excellent
4 stars Extraordinary
Entree price
$ Entree under $10
$$ $10-$18
$$$ $18-$25
$$$$ Above $25
Restaurant Noise
1 bell Quiet (under 65 decibles)
2 bells Can talk easily (65-70)
3 bells Talking somewhat difficult (70-75)
4 bells Raised voices (75-80)
A bomb Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)
The Tribune covers the cost of all meals at reviewed restaurants. Star ratings are based on a minimum of two visits. Ratings are updated continually based on at least one revisit. There is no connection between reviews and advertising.
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