La Superior

It was one of those perfect summer nights where even after a long day of activity and the onslaught of sleepiness the pleasantly warm evening beckoned us to stay out on the street a little bit longer. So we headed down to South Second and Berry to check out La Superior. Set in what looks like a Mexican roadside diner, La Superior specializes in and serves not only authentic diner food but also street fare that can be hard to find outside of Guadalajara. There was a long wait for a table at the door, with people spilling out onto the street and benches in front, but the food was ultimately worth the wait.
In keeping with the street food theme, the restaurant does not seem to put much weight into keeping with any regular system in serving. In other words, the food arrives haphazardly, as does the silverware, but in keeping with the conceit of a lax street food atmosphere it’s all right. Besides with much of the food being pickup-able, who needs a fork when you have your fingers? The menu too, is a little chaotic, but with noting coming in at more than $13 and most under $5, it’s fun to mix and match and watch the dishes come flying out the kitchen window on red plastic plates in the hands of your waiter.
To start, try the tacos. It’s always a prize when one finds a good fish taco, and these certainly hit the mark: The tacos are $2.50 a pop and are served on mini tortillas. The pork, cochinita pibil, is fantastic, the pork having been slow cooked in a banana leaf until it is tender and shred-able.
Perhaps even more than the tacos, go for the quesadillas, $3.50. These might give you the most bang for your buck, and are not the ordinary Tex-Mex flat quesadillas soaked through with oily cheese. Rather, they are served “street style”, which means that they are folded in a half moon shape and stuffed full with things like chicken, steak and chorizo. The fried packet is then covered in crumbled Mexican cheese. I also tried the sesadilla, which is similarly made, but smaller and filled with pork brain. “Don’t Ask. Just Order,” the menu warns, and I’m glad I did. This was my first foray into the world of sweet meats, and it was light and almost creamy. Not scary at all.
For more of an entrée sized dish try the Alambre $9.50 made with skirt steak, peppers and onions, and cheese.

The real kicker on the menu was the mole enchiladas. Mole, or more specifically, mole poblano is a complicated, dark sauce made from numerous ingredients including dried chiles, ground nuts, cacao, and other spices which can run the gamut from garlic to charred avocado leaves. The waiter, who was happy to explain the menu and ingredients, said that the mole is often bitter, a taste that is cut with a soured cream with a slight earthy taste that contains live yeast cultures. In tandem, the sauce, cream, and chicken made for one satisfying dish.
With a name like La Superior, you better live up to your professed title. Luckily the food deserves it. Portions aren’t huge, but the quality is, and you are sure to leave with your craving for Mexican roadside fare sated.