Never, ever in my life had I visited a Mexican restaurant devoid of Mexicans until I visited CELINDA'S MEXICAN DELI in Rancho Santa Margarita. It's strange because you could easily imagine this restaurant in Santa Ana. A huge mural depicting various idealized Mexican pastimes—kids bashing a piñata, a flower lady, mariachi players serenading a crowd in the town square—covers an entire wall. Two refrigerators contain salsa for sale; some cupboards hold Celinda's homemade chips. An entire soda fountain is devoted to the sickly sweet drinks made by Orange Bang! that nowadays seem to exist only in Mexican restaurants. But there were only gabachos sitting in the tables and standing around waiting for to-go orders when I walked in; all the Mexicans were cooks, busboys and cashiers. I could understand Celinda's scenario in, say, a Newport Beach steakhouse, but at a Mexican restaurant? The insanity!
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I stopped by Celinda's to try their chile-relleno burrito on the advice of a reliable tipster, who deemed it "a beautiful island of non-chain good food in a sea" of suburban hell. I was skeptical at first, and not just because the restaurant is in Rancho Santa Margarita, a city where bland is the civic religion. Their website featured a menu with the kind of entrées—enchiladas, burritos, tacos, tostadas—that are ubiquitous 'round these parts to the point of nausea. And this restaurant is obviously slanted toward non-Mexicans: the website included tips on reheating food and how to place an order for "fiestas."
But the idea of a great chile-relleno burrito intrigued me. Chile relleno is another dish that's too ingrained in the Southern California culinary vernacular to constitute anything special. Besides, it's not the most spectacular of meals—even the best ones are little more than a greasy mush of cheese, batter and a mild, shredded pasilla chile. But inside a tortilla, chile rellenos transform into something more substantial, a delight with more texture and flavor.
Celinda's website claims it sells 50,000 burritos every year, but it doesn't break the figure down by type. If the world is just, the chile-relleno burrito makes up at least three-quarters of the number. The burrito is hefty, steaming, wrapped inside a massive, multifolded flour tortilla. My tipster was right again: Celinda's makes the perfect chile relleno. It was only slightly greasy and served whole inside, rather than chopped up into oblivion. The cooks smeared some refried beans for an earthy tang. No rice, nothing else. And inside a tortilla? Perfect. Just don't get freaked out by the gabachos!
CELINDA'S MEXICAN DELI, 29941 AVENTURA, RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, (949) 589-0354; WWW.CELINDAS.COM.
