Don Gabriel Mexican Restaurant and Groceries
Tingas, Asad o Bistec, Carnitas and Quesadillas fritas
Don Gabriel Mexican Restaurant and Grocery
6100 W. Strasburg Road, West Chester, PA
610.431.3214 , FAX 610.431.3216
Monday thru Saturday 8am to 9pm, Sunday 8am to 4pm
A friend of mine told me that someone on his twitter stream was raving about AWESOME TINGAS. He thinks I know something about food so he is asking me what they are.
I have no idea.
The very next morning, I am watching a cooking show on television and yes - the chef is making tingas. Never heard of them before and now, two mentions in twenty four hours.
This is enough to make me look tingas up on Google. I find out they are very popular in the Puebla region of Mexico, and that they are made with a poached meat (usually chicken or beef) which is mixed with spices. It’s a street snack there, very rustic. All of this sounds so good, I have to find one.
A little more research and I find that the AWESOME TINGAS in the original twitter came from Don Gabriel Mexican Restaurant at 611 W. Strasburg Road, West Chester, PA. Since he started it, I asked the friend at work to be my luncheon companion and off we go!
The staff at Don Gabriel’s are very helpful and friendly. We get there about 12pm and there wasn’t a line, but by 12:15 we had our food and a line was forming. The atmosphere is very casual - and the music is sort of Mexican Stadium Rock. While not fancy, the eating area was spotlessly clean. They don’t take credit cards, so make sure you have cash. You order your food from one side of the building and while you are waiting, you get your drinks from the other. And you are going to want drinks - the food is spicy. Your food is brought to you on real plates at your table. There is salt on the table but no pepper - the pepper is all in the food.
There were interesting daily specials (something hawaiian) and an extensive menu, but I stick with the reason for my quest: A chicken tinga taco (2.00) and a carnita burrito (5.00). My lunch companion ordered asada o bistec (2.50) and quesadillas con queso fritas (3.25).
The food arrived at our table with two sauces, and let me just tell you: Red means Stop and Green means Go: after being told the red was HOT, and the green was mild, I of course stuck a spoon in the red and loaded my tinga taco with it. The tinga probably could have stood on its own with no saucing - meat untouched by the sauce had a nice, mellow spicy warmth to it, and an after-burn that lingered for a few hours, but in a pleasant way. After all, it is pulled chicken in a tomato chipotle sauce, with cilantro and onion. Was it AWESOME? It was very good, might have been awesome if I hadn’t seared off my tastebuds with the sauce. The carnita (little meats) was in a soft flour tortilla with rice, beans, tomato and onions. Very filling! When I go back again, I will be ordering only one of these, not both - turns out the portions are very generous.
Lunch companion was much more sensible about adding sauces and stuck with the mellow green. He says he would have like a little more flavor in the flank steak on the asada o bistec, but really really enjoyed the queso. It had an oxaca cheese stuffed in it, and was fried and crispy and very tasty. He also felt the portions were generous but he managed to leave his plate empty.
Next time, I might try the Tinga Queso or one of the interesting daily specials. And I will go back. Maybe on Cinco De Mayo - because the famous battle between the French and Mexico actually took place in Puebla.
What You Need To Know Before You Go:
Rating: YMMMY (out of a possible YMMMMMY)
Bring Cash, no credit cards accepted.
You can get a very nice lunch for $5 - $10.
Family Friendly.
Eat in or Take Out - you can fax or phone your order in.
Casual Atmosphere, whatever you are wearing is fine.
Completely Bi-lingual Service.
They bring the food to the table and remove the dishes.
