(This is a slightly updated restaurant review I wrote in 2005 for the Northside San José Neighborhood Newsletter. Today I tried to link to it in a comment under a request in the neighborhood group about where to get good birria (goat stew), but Facebook decided that the old location on an archived version of geocities.ws was fake, or dangerous, or—whatever inexplicably annoys them.)
On the window to the right of the entrance door for Birrieria Jalisco, it’s hard to miss a quirky painting of a goat’s head in a bowl with its tongue hanging out. But I walked right by the painting without noticing when I first wandered into this little restaurant on 13th Street on the corner of Taylor on a hot Sunday afternoon after Mass last summer. Perhaps because the front window is crowded with neon advertisements for Mexican beers, I had the impression that the word "birrieria" had something to do with beer.
The menu at the time of my first visit was only in Spanish, but even with my limited grasp of the language, I was able to figure out that the specialty of the house is a kind of goat stew, called birria. While I’m at it, I would like to share a related insight with all other non-Spanish speaking foodies—that a birrieria is a restaurant that serves birria.
Don't be turned off by the idea of eating goat. If you've got an ounce of adventurousness in you, you've got to try it. You'll be glad you did.
Goat is not the only thing they serve at Birrieria Jalisco. A new very attractive menu with color illustrations was available at my most recent visit, in both English and Spanish. The menu offers Mexican dishes of many kinds to eat in or take out, including tacos, burritos, tortas (sandwiches), soups and seafood. “Caldo siete mares,” which can be literally translated as seven seas soup is translated non-literally as "mixed seafood soup" on the menu, and it, along with the shrimp and mixed seafood cocktails are the items at the high end of the price range.
Some important items not translated at all on the menu are the “tortilla de arina” (flour tortillas), “tortilla de maiz” (corn tortillas), and the choices for taco fillings, which include “birria” (which we all know by now means “goat”), “cabeza” (head meat), “al pastor” (lamb), “tripas” (tripe), and “pollo” (chicken).
I decided to be adventurous and try the goat stew, in the chica (small-sized) portion, and I liked it so much I ordered it again the second time I went back. The generous serving of meat in a good sized bowl is tender and the broth is intensely savory.
Birria sauce is typically a blend of many flavorings, with some regional variations: garlic, one or several types of chiles, tomato, bay leaves, fresh ginger, marjoram, and oregano. Like the best of similar meat dishes the world over, birria includes vinegar or fruit juices, or a combination of vinegar and fruit juices, which provide a needed edge to cut through the richness of the meat. The chiles don’t make the dish hot; they add dimension to it. The tenderness of the meat is due in large part from its being marinated in the sauce before long slow cooking.
Birria is served with hot fresh corn tortillas wrapped in a cloth in a plastic basket and with a condiments rack containing bowls of chopped onion, cilantro, and cut-up lemons. You can add the condiments to the stew to suit your taste. The stew goes especially well with cerveza ( beer).
Bebidas (beverages) range from milk, to “aquas frescas”: tamarind and the delicious cinnamon flavored rice drink called horchata (pronounced “orchata”). You can also get domestic and Mexican sodas and beers. Deserts include rice pudding (arroz con lecho), flan (Spanish-style custard), and gelatinas (gelatin deserts).
The first time I went, I was the only Anglo there. The wait staff speaks little English, but if you don't speak Spanish, you can point at the menu to let them know what you want. To get the check, try saying, "La cuenta por favor"(Lah quaint-ah pour fahv-oar).
A few words about the decor. A picture of Santa Maria de la Purification draped with a super sized black rosary, and a prayer to San Martin Caballero, popular patron saint of businesses in Mexico, are on the counter that separates the cooking area from the tables. An inflated beachball sized mock up of a soccer ball advertising Corona beer hangs from the ceiling near the juke box, and small flags hang over the tables advertising Pacifico. The juke box has a large selection in Spanish.
My first time, the place was very crowded with families there for Sunday dinner after church, and the room was hot in the early afternoon sun. The eight tables were full and there was a wait for a seat, but the energy was good, and the flavor of the goat stew when it arrived made the meal unforgettable for all the best reasons. The restaurant was much less crowded when I returned this Spring on a late Saturday afternoon to talk over northside news and this article with editor Don Gagliardi, and the birria was still very very good. And then when I brought my son with me another time, he agreed with me, it was good then too.
Birrieria Jalisco (since renamed and with new owners)
693 North 13th Street
San Jose, CA 95112
Orders to go or eat in.
Food: Specialty, goat. Also features seafood and other Mexican dishes.
Ambience: Narrow, eight-tables, basic small Mexican restaurant where real people eat, with authentic good food at reasonable prices.
"Eating around the neighborhood" will be back in future issues with reviews of other local eateries. Roseanne Sullivan is a writer and artist who has been a Northside resident for three years. She is pleased that this neighborhood has all kinds of amenities you don't find in the suburbs, such as restaurants within walking distance, not to mention sidewalks. Contact her with leads at: roseannetsullivan @gmail . com. For other writings see www.geocities.ws/roseannesullivan and www.catholicpunditwannabe.blogspot.com.
Upcoming Chances to Eat Around the Neighborhood
Wednesday, June 2, 2004. 6:30 p.m. Baby Back Ribs are being served with baked beans, salad, bread and desert at a fund-raising dinner put on by the Italian Catholic Federation in the Holy Cross parish hall. $15.00 donation. Everyone is invited. Park in the lot at the corner of 13th and Jackson and look for the entrance to the hall behind the back of the garage that is behind the rectory. Come at 6:00 if you want to get started with a drink from the no-host bar.
Saturday, June 5, 2004. 11:30 a.m. Annual Northside barbecue in Backesto Park. Hot dogs, hamburgers, and drinks provided. Bring a side dish, salad, or dessert to share.
