El Otro Amigo - Torrance

Mexican food, the regular, recognizable kind. The kind that you think you can get anywhere, except here they do something to it to make it so good you can't stop eating. 

Stick to the staples, like Ricardo's brick of a Super Burrito. This one is teeming with chopped bits of tender pastor, brimming with bits of beans and rice. It comes wet but get it wetter and drag every bite through that mild tomato sauce with a few shreds of melted cheese. I have always loathed things that swim in sauce, but I thoroughly enjoy eating an entire one of these in a single sitting.

Bravo for the Quesadilla de Birria. The beef is tender, dripping with juice. Slurp before you start to chew. 

Even a plain crunchy taco is surprisingly good. The filling is a juicy shredded beef, which tastes like it’s been slowly stewed, and the shell is super-crisp for contrast. 

The Shrimp Ceviche is a starter I would skip. A generous portion with plenty of avocado atop a sea of firm, fresh-enough shrimp, it sits but doesn't hit. It's bland and lacks the tongue-sting of a lime well-squeezed.

The Flan is their only fail so far. Totally gelatinous in texture, it also has the aftertaste of artificial sweetener. Whatever it is is rather unpleasant. But if you pay $3 for something, you usually get something worth $3.  

The Torta Cubana is probably the best thing they make. A paper-thin milanesa hams it up with some pork - a salty slice of ham to enhance the savor, chopped bits of pastor to add more flavor. Just skip the side of fries - they're stale or soggy.

And then there are the Steak Fries. When even Mr. Fries Man failed to impress me, I lost all hope in the not-quite-nachos-but-equally-disappointing dish called loaded fries. This one changed my mind. It's not just that they add enough toppings to reach every fry, they also make this grill-kissed steak that tastes great with fresh onion and guacamole, and there's just the right amount of gooey cheese to glue a few toppings to every fry. Usually eating loaded fries means there's an untouched layer underneath, but with there there's nothing left. 

I know there's probably "better" Mexican food elsewhere, but I love El Otro Amigo. The food is no-fuss, no-frills, but it's sublime in its straightforwardness and simplicity. It's approachable, easy to eat, recognizable, and at the end of the day, it's just delicious.