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Lupe's East L.A. Kitchen

110 Sixth Avenue at Watts St.

Didn't know there was a Watts Street in SoHo, did you? Well, should you embark on the fool's errand of finding great Mexican in this fair city, and happen to wander abreast of the Hudson, be sure to stop by Lupe's, a humble corner storefront with some serious NAFTA cred.

Don't expect atmosphere, save for some faded Tito Puente albums tacked to the walls; the room is all linoleum and formica, with a bit of chrome for good measure. The food doesn't need spicy decor to distract the diner anyway, so select your favorite Jarritos or a Tecate, dive into some chips, and dig into one of many well executed cali-mex staples. The burritos are typically of the mojado class, swimming in a slightly vinegary red or green chile sauce or a dark dense mole, with your choice of protein and bean. Doesn't sound remarkable, but the ingredients are fresh, well seasoned, and well balanced within a slightly gummy tortilla shell (disclaimer: steaming a tortilla is a sin, even though 90% of mexican joints do this. put it over the flat top or grill, and make it flaky and delicious. It's not hard, and those stupid tortilla steamers could fade off into obscurity, por favor.) .

Chicken taquitos excel--however this may be due to my penchant for taquitos and flautas--but when the steamy, crisp cigars of chili-rubbed pollo asado meet Mr. Guacamole, the sensation of the cool, onion and cilantro laden guacamole colliding with the hot taquitos borders on sublime. The tacos, again with your choice of protein, do not reach the heights of Cafe el Portal's, mentioned previously on Eat NYC, but are well above average. Carnitas, little morsels of spicy, peppery pork--tasting slightly of a steam table unfortunately--are accompanied with a healthy dollop of salsa fresca, a biting duet of onion and cilantro that quixotically mediates the two flavors, diminshing the rawness of the onion and enhancing the freshness of the herb.

The remainder of the menu meanders along fairly standard lines--chile rellenos, tostadas, quesadillas, and the like--but the quality and freshness of the ingredients prevail more often than not. Add to this the bargain basement prices, and Lupe's, paragon of dirty mex at the fringes of a not dirty enough nabe, stakes a serious claim in the ever-so-hotly contended authenticity sweeps: Not quite Oaxaca, but thankfully nowhere near Chi-Chi's either. Mmmmmmm, fried ice cream...