La Alborada

Isn't it fun to be pleasantly surprised? We were driving down Lake Street in Minneapolis and thought we'd like to stop and split a quick light lunch.  We drove from the river heading west, thinking about trying something new. As we we a few blocks short of Cedar Avenue, we saw a little strip mall on the south side (not facing Lake Street) that looked like it might have a couple little Mexican food places.  We circled the block(s)...you know, it's Lake Street.....just turning left is a taking your life in your hands challenge. As we arrived back at the little strip mall, we realized there was only one food place....that appeared to be open....but appeared to be a grocery store.  We, as the entitled old people we are, circled oddly in the parking lot....what to do, what to do???? What the heck.  It looked like there might be a possibility of food, so we were game to give it a try.  At worst, it was a Mexican grocery where I could score a bottle of adobo seasoning, some Mexican oregano....maybe some Tres Leches cake. Well, well, well.   This is where the nice surprise comes in. There was a restaurant on the right side of the space, and a grocery store on the left.   And the restaurant was not a thrown together afterthought kind of place.  The tables all had beautiful paintings on the tabletops, protected by a nice lacquery finish.  There were complex tile patterns everywhere, a beautiful relief on one of the walls.....absolutely nothing we would have expected walking in. Then John spotted a couple of plates of food.  He was hooked. We decided just to split a burrito because we had places to go and things to do.  But we saw plates of chilaquiles--they had red and green, some dishes made with nopales (cactus--you know, we made a dozen different cactus chili/soups at Marianne's---some spicy, some not so much), Tlacoyos (like little huaraches), sopes, menudo, plus lots more.   We'll have to give those a try on our next visit. Our burrito was filled with meat, rice, veggies on a tortilla that was grilled to perfection.  It was served with tortilla chips and sour cream.   Quite tasty and large enough to fill our need for a quick lunch. Beautiful writing on the walls and some of the tables....La Alborada (the dawn).   It was clearly the dawn of our new interest in coming back and working our way through the menu. Warning:   if you order a bottle of Mexican coke....it's enough for a family...I don't think I've seen a glass bottle that large in decades, if ever---share with a friend or family member : ) ....and after you have your meal,  only then should you wander to the grocery side of the space.   If you go there before you eat, the dessert case will be too much of a temptation.....giant size 'individual' desserts in plastic boxes....tres leches, cakes with fruit-filled layers, giant cups of mocha layered dessert...... I may have to return sooner than I thought!