Carson City, Nevada | La Taqueria de Salsa

Sunday - 29 June 2002: Carson City, Nevada - Lazy Day. I didn't do much of anything! Just wonderful. DT went to a local golf course and played 18 quick holes (used a cart) with an ape man. (DT said the man rarely spoke and if DT asked him a question, he grunted the answer!) I stayed home to needlepoint in the air conditioning. Oh, and I baked a loaf of bread... so not a total waste of a day. We watched the Mariners on the satellite and then went across the street to Taqueria de Salsa (1946 Hwy 50 East). Our waitress last night at Silvana's had recommended this Mexican restaurant. It was a dining experience - in more than one way.

First, a description of the joint. It is in a strip mall that is being remodeled and there is a lot of litter in front of the restaurant. The glass on the door to La Taqueria del Salsa had not been washed in... well, maybe EVER. There was a front desk and an adjacent area for people to wait for their take-out orders. The dining area was large enough for about 18 tables. The tables were old, plain and Formica-topped - the chairs were from a similar time period. Against the back wall was a huge glass-door refrigeration unit, stuffed with sodas and beers. No one was at the desk when we arrived, so we waited around until a waitress came out of the kitchen, loaded-down with plates of hot food, and told us to "seet eenywhar". There were only two empty tables, so we chose the smaller one in the back, near the beer. Next to the beer fridge is a cardboard box for the bottle tops. About 75% of the caps had actually made it into the box - the others were strewn about the floor.

We were served the usual chips and salsa - the chips were freshly made at the restaurant and were still hot. Menus appeared. Still on my quest, I ordered the chicken tacos. I tried to ask the waiter if their beans were vegetarian or not, did the beans have lard (Manteca), did the beans have pork??? (The answers were: You want vegetables, we have salads. Manteca... do you WANT Manteca in the beans? And, yes, we have pork.) I was going to switch to Spanish, as I can ask the question in Spanish... but opted instead to order two chicken tacos, ala carte, in English. No beans. No rice. DT had their chicken enchilada dinner, which comes with rice and (maybe vegetarian, maybe not) beans. If you wanted something to drink - help yourself at the cooler! (Which meant all during our dinner, we had a steady stream of people walking past our table to choose their drinks.) A pickup truck pulled up in front of La Taqueria del Salsa and a young Hispanic man jumped out, came into the restaurant, walked to the back and helped himself to an Orange Nehi, went back to the truck and drove away. No one batted an eye, so I can't tell you if he is the owner's son or a local hoodlum.

DT's dinner was huge! Three enchiladas on a giant platter. He did manage to consume it all though. My tacos were teeny, but perfect. Soft-shell corn tortillas, but only about 5 inches in diameter. Two tortillas to a taco helped to keep them from falling apart. The meat was roasted and shredded, and the taco was topped with onions, tons of cilantro and fiery salsa. No lettuce, no cheese. The tortillas were just delicious. Orlando's in Taos has lost out. The best chicken taco of the trip - even better than the drive-through tacos in Las Vegas - are across the street at La Taqueria de Salsa, $1.25 each. (DT still insists the Vegas tacos rule.)

So after dinner, we waited a bit for our check. A girl took our plates away, but no check. I went outside to cool-off - the restaurant was very warm - and DT went up to the front desk to pay. At La Taqueria del Salsa, you do not GET a check. The guy at the front desk asks you what you had and rings you up. All tips are left in a glass jar on the counter. No credit cards here. Our dinner was $18.25.

After dinner we went for a walk. I wanted to snap a photo for Shirley (posted below), and we also stopped by the Bowling Center to see the Saturday night action. It was a Smokers Paradise, so we didn't stay long. The alley was packed and everyone looked to be having a grand time. They were using a black light and some of the pins were pastel colors - very cool. In this bowling alley, you can bowl, drink, eat, smoke and play the slots. Is this a great country, or what?

We are still looking to smack Prince Charles

RV Park: Pinyon Pines RV Resort - which is now the Gold Dust.