Las Carnitas De Montecristo

Try the gorditas! They’re delicious! Pupusas and horchata are a quick and wonderful lunch!

Here I am in Boston, sorta. Here on a mission, now residing in Chelsea, MA. In my work, I am not surrounded by the most culinary of cultures. Yet I am determined to learn the lay of the land, no matter how inconsispicuous it may sometimes be. My home in Chelsea is located about 15 to 20 minutes outside of what I thus far know to be the pulse of Boston’s food scene. The nearest eaterie ist the nearby Dunkin Donuts and I am privileged to once again have the ease of access to the convenience of the corner stores not too far away.
Nonetheless, on one of my lazy off days, I determined to by the end of the day visit a local, sorta eccentric, no chain restaurant. Chelsea so far appears to be a predominantly Hispanic community, strongly influencing the choices available. Two blucks up, maybe a four minute walk, stands Carnitas del Montecristo. It was simply convenient, nonetheless, worthwhile choice in being so close. Ive tasted their pupusa while scouting the area for apartments and its dimmed «Open» neon light teases me each morning as I await the arrival of the city bus no more than two yards from its door. But this time, it was my final stop.
I made my way to the counter, thoroughly examining the menu time and again, in hopes to select a item that would not only breed a broad understanding of the Mexian cuisine but also an idea of what Montecristo was all about. My careful study of the menu apparently tested the patience of the woman on the other sided of the counter, no more appeased by my determination to also understand and speak the language. I timidly ordered in Spanish, using as few words as necessary. My first words were something like, «Yo quiero comprar una gordita por favor.» As I waited, I sipped on a glass of horchata.
Horchata has become for me A ritual at pretty much any restaurant offering it. There is more to horchata than I know, but it is a traditional Mexican drink of ground rice, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla resulting in a milky concoction. Other cultures featured other grains, originally barley but a personal favorite of mine is the Puerto Rican ajon joli– or sesame seeds. Here at Montecristo it was sweet with an almost roasted flavor. I’d say it was creamy other than the textured bits I’d guess to be cinnamon, lending to the brown color. But enough about horchata; my gosrdita is getting cold.
The «little fat one», more affectionaly termed gordita, arrived to the table trying to hold itself together. It is by definition a small yet thick tortilla, typically fried and stuffed. Mine was actually two tortillas, one on top and one on the bottom, spread with deliciously charred chicken, beans, and the melty goodness of cheese, complemented by the crisp lettuce and tomato and the cool of sour cream– all stuffed between a crispy, yet tender «bun» of tortillas, called a gordita. Who needs seven layer dip? The accompaniying green chile sauce, however didn’t seem to do much for the dish. It had a bit of heat but was actually cool in temperature. Unfortunately, so was my next course.
As I made my way through the gordita which was enough to be a meal on its own, my main course was presented to me, a dish they call Carne Poblana. On the plate was carne asada, a skewers of grilled shrimp and peppers, and chorizo, with a backdrop of beans, rice, and a small salad. accompanied by pico de gallo and two tortillas, those fluffy sidekicks; I guess they were by definition gorditas just short of of frying and stuffing. Besides the tortillas, the dish fell flat. It was decent but not worth a journey.
That considered, I still finished on a positive note– the same note with which I introduced this ballad, the harmony flowing from the same cup of horchata that began the meal. A pleasant evening, considering that I had only walked two blocks from my otherwise captivating couch (from which I write you this story. SImple food, that seems to be defined by the grill, but certainly a place for a good pick me up, especially those gorditas. As I write these descriptive details, I write myself a prescription which I think I’ll go fill in just a moment with pupusas con loroco, gorditas de res y atol de elote. Gotta run!

Do not get food here. Something just has gone wrong.
we order on a weekly basis lunch out at a variety of places this being one. We like to get chicken soup. Usually very good. NOT this week & the responds was unprofetional. We got our food. Rice looked like it was boil in a bag rice with a little color added. salad was iceberg in a side of water. The soup was oil in warm water with a potato & carrot thrown in. NO chicken flavor at all. Two of the chickens were uncooked and red inside & the third was not chicken but hen. Hen

Had some food delivered from here, and was pretty discouraged that GrubHub told me delivery would take 60 minutes. But I got my food in less than 40 minutes, So I was pretty happy. Food was great. Only problem was I wrote that I didn’t want the onions and pico, but they proceeded to put it on. Not a big issue. Definitely ordering from here this winter.

Nice people, my tacos were pretty good. Everyone else had Guatemalan fair and seemed to enjoy it. Small, family, restaurant. I was the only non-​local in the restaurant. Fun.

The pupusas here are great! I would say that 90% of the food I’ve eaten from here have been pupusas, but the other dishes I’ve had have been pretty good too.
If you like sweet corn in drink form, ask for the Atol de Elote. Sometimes they have it and sometimes they don’t.