Spicing up the Recession: Ethnic Food on a Dime Part 1

By Queena Kwok

Instead of merely being a victim of the financial crunch, I have dealt with the problem directly by compiling a short list of cheap eats for you to crunch, munch, and nibble on.  Now. These tasty gems aren’t necessarily the cheapest, or the most obscure. However, they are all cheap, and, in my humble opinion, the tastiest. I guess what I’m trying to say is that these restos don’t cost the least bucks, but are the best BANG! for yours.

El Trompo Taco Bar Cactus Grill

277 Augusta Ave.  (416) 260-0097

El Trompo is a cozy little piece of Mexico, tucked in amongst the Kensington jumble. The atmosphere is completely authentic, everything from the color of the walls, to the décor on the walls, to the easy and friendly Mexican servers.  I was, however, hassled for making notes during my meal. “You should not work during dinner!” my charming host exclaimed. I explored this little taquito factory with a close friend who had just returned from a trip to Mexico, and she confirmed it. El Trompo is the real deal.

All orders (even if it’s just a couple of Dos Equis) come with the most delicious savory tortilla chips I have ever had, and a homemade Salsa Verde, and Salsa Roja. The salsa Roja is exceptional: smoky, spicy, and highly addictive. There are two house specialties. First, the Al Pastor ($8.75), this includes 4 Mexico City style tacos: pork meat marinated in a traditional sauce, served on corn tortillas with pineapple, coriander, and onion, the menu suggests that you “Squeeze the lime like in Mexico City.”  The second specialty is Pozole ($5.99). This is a hearty, spicy corn soup with pork, lettuce, and radishes. Garnished with oregano. My favorite.  The guacamole may seem expensive ($6.25) when looking at the menu, but it’s a BOWL of guacamole, easily sufficient for two to share. I am garlic obsessed, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved El Trompo’s clean and fresh version. Not overly garlicky, packed with tomato, diced onion, coriander, chili and lime juice. I am a “more-flavors-the-merrier” kind of gal, and I consider myself to be a condiment connoisseur. On that note, the last item I will call special attention to is the Pico de Gallo. It’s a simple combination of  tomato, coriander, chili, onion, and lime juice. But I know for a fact that there’s some secret magic in there, because it was SO perfectly balanced and refreshing that I was literally eating it with a spoon. All of these things plus 11 varieties of Tacos (from $6.99), as well as a large selection of Fajitas, Quesos Fundidos, and a full line of Mexican pop makes El Trompo my Mexican favorite.

Eat in/Take-out, Mon-closed, Tue/Wed/Thurs-11-8, Fri/Sat-11-930, Sun-11-6, Licensed.scary movie 4 movie download