El Fenix Carniceria, AND taqueria... right there in RSM!!!

[Priscilla]

I posted about El Fenix in the Best Mexican Markets topic, but since it is also a taqueria and that is perhaps its biggest gift to us, it should also have its own topic.

El Fenix meat market and taqueria, in Rancho Santa Margarita in the post office center on the corner of RSM Parkway and Empresa. (Address is Aventura, but that is the street at the back of the center... El Fenix faces the parkway.)

Tiny but easy to find, an unfortunate 2 doors down from the hapless Celinda's, which is mainly hapless due to its own deadly inconsistency, the occasional lucking into a well-prepared chile relleno burrito notwithstanding, El Fenix is a meat market with very good-looking marinated and plain meats, all sorts, and I mean ALL sorts of Mexican ingredients, incl. very good-looking produce like 3/$1 cilantro and crisp white onions.

It has everything much larger markets have, only in charming miniature. There's a teensy self-serve panaderia case complete w/tongs and trays, a teensy chicharrone case with both plain sheafs and the kind with a good slug of belly meat attached, and a food prep area where a nice lady will make your delicious choices right before your eyes, customizing as you wish with excellent salsa and fresh chopped this and that.

I got a chorizo burrito with beans and egg, my morning grail, and Ivan got tortas Milanesa and Cubana, the second halves of each going to Le Mangeur homeworkin' at home.

Stupendously good! I can't wait to go back for tacos and whatnot.

And to avail myself of the ingredients for home use.

The Universe has smiled on us with El Fenix and I do not intend to squander this gift.

[Priscilla]

Just now at El Fenix we got the range of their salsas, nice tortillas from Santa Ana's own El Metate, plus some prepared lengua for Le Mangeur to try since it's his fave taqueria meat. Truly, the most tender and toothsome lengua EVAR.

The very nice Alberto, usually at the meat counter but knows about everything in the store, was gracious and cheerful about answering all my questions about which chiles were in which salsa, etc. THAT is wonderful all by hitself, a cheerful and knowledgeable person behind the counter.

[samiam590]

Lengua in RSM? Yes, please! It's surprisingly hard to get for something as delicious as...well, itself.

[Priscilla]

I have been remiss in not talking up El Fenix more here, but only because we go there all the time and it might become tedious. Of course it continues to be sososo good.

In fact, just the other day Ivan and I stopped in for taco related, got their carnitas, steamy warm tortillas, cilantro, jalapenos, limes (for the accompanying margaritas)... I made salsa Mexicana at home, again was so glad to use El Fenix' jalapenos, which are legitimately hot, unlike some supermarket ones which are the unfortunate mild hybrid.

And the people who run it continue to be SO nice. I love seeing how bustling the tiny little place is. It's beyond godsend, now, it's a part of the environment!

[Priscilla]

El Fenix has been discovered by the OC Weekly food blog.

[ivan]

El Fenix is proving to be not just the best we can do this side of Santa Ana, but possibly the best we can do in OC and beyond.

[Priscilla]

You know what else we've tried from EF that's good? EVERYTHING.

[Priscilla]

New habanero salsa.

Yep.

Good.