Tacos Sinaloa in SanTana works: a Mexican Norm's, a place where families can enjoy delicious takes on Mexican standards, where the rotisserie chicken crackles as good as any Armenian joint, where the fat burritos not only come with cebollitas and grilled jalapeños, even the to-go order comes with just-fried chips. I'm not reviewing this place for my Hole-in-the-Wall Life column until they actually fulfill the second part of their name–where is the aguachile? Marlin tacos? Chilorio? Cocaine (kidding)?–but I'll return when in the mood for a burrito, when Taqueria Tapatia is too far away.
This former Busy Bee also has a well-stocked salsa bar with nine selections–pico de gallo, chile de arbol, fresca, green, and perhaps the strangest take on the condiment I've yet to taste. It looks like mustard dressing, has the consistency of Hollandaise sauce, and initially reminded me of the habanero “salsa” they serve at Lola Gaspar. But then comes the burn–dual tracks of smoky chipotle and blinding habanero. That it's creamy doesn't mitigate the heat at all.
I probably won't try Tacos Sinaloa's strange salsa–it also reminded me of that old-school guacamole from 1960s America that was more cream than avocado. But try it–maybe my aversion of cream salsas is some type of psyschosomatic insanity…
Tacos Sinaloa, 1430 E. 17th St., Santa Ana, (714) 543-2300.
