Elaina’s Cafe

Yes even before Richard and Angela mentioned, I had noticed they cut down on the amount of meat in the tamale. So we are in agreement. Still great, but I was not happy that they reduced the meat.

I bookmarked this place ages ago when Boris said they had the best tamales in the area. But I was never brave enough to go by myself or convince others to try it with me. Then they announced that my sector was spinning off and that we would be moving further north. I decided to take action.
On a slow Friday in the summer, when I was hungry and had no other plans and in the area, I decided to do it. The place is old and worn, inside and out. I said just enough to order 1 chicken and 1 pork tamale and a grapefruit Jarrito. I sat at one of the worn booths and waited. The tamales are already made and stored in the cold case with the drinks. They take them out to heat them up. There was a white board full of other items, all in Spanish, but I wasn’t confident in ordering any of those. Soon the tamales were out, and I was offered green sauce (spicy) and red chili oil (also spicy) as conidments.
The tamales were indeed awesome. Soft, fluffy masa. There wasn’t much meat, but at $ 2 each, there was enough to add some flavor. The pork comes in red sauce, the chicken in green sauce. Also, not much sauce, but enough to flavor the tamale. So good and so comforting.
I paid in cash (it was $ 4), and the server/​cashier said to come back with my friends.
So I posted a UYE and brought some friends back. This time, since there were four of us who were clearly not regulars, there were laminated picture menus. I chose the same 1 pork, 1 chicken, and an asada huarache (thick corn sope with refried beans, meat, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and avocado). The elder lady was waiting on us, and she got confused with the enchilada order, so we ended up with an extra order of enchiladas verdes (corn tortilla cooked in the sauce, wrapped with crumbly mexican cheese, served with more sauce, steak, lettuce, tomato, and avocado), and I ate a good portion of that.
Everything was tasty, but in the future I’ll stick with tamales. Per Richard’s review, the enchiladas are not what I’ve grown accustomed to, and the huarache, while very good just wasn’t as good as the tamale.
I’ve used cash both times, though I haven’t confirmed whether or not they take cards.

This was one of those food experiences than left me confused on exactly how to rate it, but I would say 2.5 is pretty accurate for my recent visit.
THE SCENE
I arrived here around noon for the fabulous Angela M’s UYE. My Unilocal darling Lindy F was there waiting, so we spent a few minutes catching up while waiting for the others. The interior is «cozy» in size and first impressions lead me to believe I was in for some truly authentic good food considering we were the only English speaking people in the place. Once we were all seated, we spent a little time going over the menu and placed our orders.
T H E F O O D
The masa used in their tamales is spot on! They even use banana leaves to shape them! However, there was barely any meat filling inside. My UYE tablemates had more filling than I, but still skimpy in my opinion. There should be a good ⁶⁰⁄₄₀ balance of masa-​to-​filling, but the balance here was around ⁹⁰⁄₁₀. Since masa is truly what makes or breaks a tamale, I will still give them a better than average rating. (3.5 stars)
The Enchilada I ordered on the other hand was nothing like what I expected. They were basically rolled & folded corn tortillas with some sort of clumping feta-​like cheese inside. It was topped with slices of avocado, lettuce, tomatoes and flank steak that tasted like it might have been on the verge of spoiling before they cooked it. Not at all like any enchilada I’ve ever had in the past. In retrospect, perhaps they misunderstood me and brought out the wrong dish. (1 star)
I expect an enchilada to look like this:

NOT this:

The rice was not flavored and the beans were bland. I felt so bad when the little older lady serving us asked if I wanted a to-​go container like others at my table. «You no like?» she asked. I tried my best to play it off and tell her I was very full, but she kept insisting I get a container since I had so much left over. So I gave her the truth, that I didn’t really enjoy it. She shrugged her shoulders and walked back into the kitchen (daaaaang)!!! I may never be welcome here again.
F I N A L T H O U G H T S
I swear if I keep being so picky I’m never gonna get invited back to UYE’s. It just goes to show although we are all food lovers on Unilocal,we also all have different ideas of what good is. For me, the enchilada was a terrible misrepresentation, but the masa used for the tamales was very, very good! Too bad the tamales didn’t have more filling. They would have easily been one of my favorite restaurant bought tamales ever.

You must stop here for a tamale! I love this place, ran by sweet mother/​daughter team who know how to make kick ass tamales! Get the pollo verde, and get more than one!

I ate the best tamale ever. Soft, moist and fluffy. Authentic Mexican (or Salvadoran?) home cooking.
Homemade corn tortillas in everything. Tlacolla is a black bean-​filled corn tortilla topped with salsa verde and chopped onions.
Small place, homey; language can be a barrier.