The Local Dish - Tacos at Mi Pueblito

Monica Cerventes rounds out the handmade maza shells by hand this morning getting ready to make sopes for later in the day. She said they make hundreds. Orders from orchards are also starting to pile in as cherry harvest is getting underway.

Three taco meal for $8.

Editor’s Note - We are introducing our new food columnist today who will be out and about monthly looking for great menu items around The Dalles. Their Column, The Local Dish, will review plates too good to miss. In the meantime, squeeze a little lime on some savory tacos at Mi Pueblito.

By Charles Childs (nom de plume)

The ingredients in the tacos at Mi Pueblito come together in holy matrimony to create the perfect meal. I ordered the three-taco meal for $8, and it did not disappoint. The service was very friendly and quick even with a multitude of folks placing their order. The tacos came with a generous serving of meat on each tortilla with a side of rice and beans. This was a great price for a beautiful filling meal.

The Carnitas

Carnitas is pulled pork that is usually braised and slow-cooked with Central American spices. The carnitas tacos at Mi Pueblito are something truly special. The large pieces of succulent braised pork balance the salt and fat necessary to make the meat tender and seasoned from within. I topped my carnitas tacos with both red and green salsas alternating for an unforgettable bite. 

Cerventes grilled some tripe this morning as well. She said it is very popular as well as the lengua or beef tongue. They serve some 30 pounds of it a day. She and her husband Juan own Mi Peublito, but rely on four other cooks to complete their taste sensations. Reyna, Santos, Sarahi and Claudia all provide support in the cocina.

 To accompany the carnitas tacos I ordered one carne asada taco. While that did not steal my heart and soul like the carnitas did, it was amazing nonetheless. The taco was filled with chopped steak that was juicy and tender in the best way that a steak can be. The carne asada paired wonderfully with the red salsa that provided a pop of vibrant red color and seriously spicy flavor.

Each taco comes with two soft corn tortillas. Two tortillas are necessary given the generous meat portion that each taco is tasked with carrying. Warm, soft, and inviting these tortillas provide the perfect vehicle for succulent meat. 

The tacos were topped with cilantro, onion, radish slices, and cabbage to provide added texture and color, which lifts the richness of the meat. These accompaniments come on the side of each taco. I highly recommend that you find space for all the provided accompaniments in your corn tortilla to add an aromatic crunch to each bite. 

A squeeze of lime over the tacos was a necessary source of acid that brightened the overall dish and enhanced its flavors. 

These tacos came with a side of beans and rice. A lot of people love to overlook a simple side such as this. The beans rounded out the dish with a buttery softness that can only be provided by a gaggle of large pinto beans. With a splash of their red salsa on top... the beans were, as a Gen-Z would describe them, “fire”. 

I would recommend pairing this dish with a cold Mexican pale ale and sitting outside in the sunshine- at least that is what I did. 

Mi Pueblito is located on Chennowith Loop Road near the Home Depot in The Dalles, Oregon. They are open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 pm. I would recommend their carnitas or carne asada tacos. However, they have a variety of dishes on the menu such as tortas, sopes, burritos, and more. I am looking forward to returning to Mi Pueblito.