Both the founder and fare are authentic Guadalajaran

By Eleanor Ostman

Lucky me! La Tapatia is just blocks from my house and I’ve gone there often since the restaurant opened five years ago. Trouble is, I’ve developed tunnel vision. My eyes on the menu always settle on tostadas. My son, Aric, and his sons have the same addictions: the boys always order the burrito and Aric usually choses sopas.

With this review upcoming, I told father and one son I’d buy lunch if they’d try something different to give me more to write about. We discovered new favorites. It’s good to be flexible.

Also in preparation, I did research on the name, La Tapatia. It refers to a woman from Guadalajara, which was founder Martha Ponce’s home town until she and her family immigrated to Minnesota in 1991. She found a job at Deco Catering where, for eight years, she prepared her favorite street food recipes. Owner Soile Anderson recognized Ponce’s skill and ambition, and encouraged her to start her own business.

It began with a secondhand food truck and small rented kitchen on Larpenteur Avenue where they prepared mobile menu items. When a larger space across from Slumberland became available, the family signed a five year lease. Her son Abraham, who runs the business side of the restaurant, told me that they just inked another five year contract, so La Tapatia is here to stay.

The decor is colorful with sombreros and lacy papel picado cutouts, but it’s their generous portions of casual Mexican food that grabs the most attention. House-made chips with guac or queso are the favored starters, but can take more than the edge off of the appetite. My advice: go for the main dishes.

Let me tell you why I love the tostadas. A pair of fried-to-a-crisp tortillas are heaped with protein of choice. I usually get carnitas (shredded pork) but there’s a long list of meats and fish (even tripe, tongue and beef cheek for the adventuresome). Beans, lettuce, tomatoes and salsa are stacked; avocado slices teeter on top with a dusting of cotija cheese. One problem: lifting the creation mouthward usually causes tortilla breakage, so eating with a fork becomes necessary.

Nevermind that, it still tastes great.

Our exploration of untried items brought me to flautas. I remember ordering them years ago at La Cucaracha at Grand Avenue and Dale Street, where they were miniscule compared to the giants at La Tapatia. A trio of deep fried tortillas ten inches long are wrapped around white meat chicken, garnished with lettuce, tomatoes,an artistic queso and a drizzle of crema — visual virtuoso. A doggy box was required for leftovers. I will order it again.

My grandson Alex ordered alambres featuring five corn tortillas around the plate’s perimeter, centered with grilled peppers, avocado and protein — chorizo pork sausage was his choice. Tejano Style was the crowning glory — crema, pico de gallo and cheese. Did he like it? All I can say was his plate was cleaned.

Alambres at La Tapatia. Photo by Aric Aune.

Aric went traditional, and chose enchiladas with both rojo (red) and green sauces. His comment: rojo was more like an Italian marinara than spicy Mexican. But his rating: “Good.’’

Since I’ve broken free of always ordering the same thing, next time, I’ll save room for flan (my favorite dessert) and try one of the imaginative cocktails from the full bar.

Enchiladas at La Tapatia. Photo by Aric Aune.

News Flash: I didn’t know until talking to Martha Ponce that she’s opened another restaurant in Minneapolis, La Madre, at the intersection of Washington and Park Avenues. Her street food dishes are prominent, but seafood has more of a presence. Abraham said that when they lived in Guadalajara, they’d often take a three-hour trip to Puerto Vallarta, on the ocean, where fish dishes were more common.

“It’s like Minnesotans driving from the Twin Cities to the North Shore,” he said. Martha wanted to add that vibe to her Minneapolis menu.

Martha christened her new enterprise La Madre, meaning “the mother” because she birthed the restaurant concepts and because her children are all involved. I asked her if she is building an empire? Her answer: “I have lots of energy and I can never say no to a new idea.”

Stay tuned.

La Tapatia, 2735 E. Snelling Avenue. 651-253-6175. Open Tues.-Sun., 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Closed Mondays