Mexican in Anderson at La Casa Cuevas

When Casa Ramos closed in early 2009, La Casa Cuevas immediately opened in the same spot. Childress not being a main artery, and La Casa Cuevas not being part of a chain, the restaurant seems to be somewhat out of sight, out of mind to potential customers who come off I-5 or are staying at a nearby motel. Femme de Joie has visited several times and it was never more than half-full at lunchtime. That's a shame, because the food is markedly better than before.

Customers are greeted and seated almost immediately upon entering La Casa Cuevas. Seating is in comfortable booths; there's also a room that can be reserved for parties. In addition to the usual chips and salsa, a small dish of warm refried beans topped with cotija cheese is brought to the table. Both Tapatio and Cholula sauces are available.

The menu is quite lengthy, exhaustive, and colorful, but it isn't organized well. It tends to fall into "Specialties" and "House Favorites" types of sections, rather than the usual "burritos," "tacos," "por los gringos" kind of sections. They probably have what you want, but it will take some searching on the menu to find it.

On M. de Joie's first visit she rashly ordered a margarita, which was brought in one of those glasses about the size and weight of a halved bowling ball. It was a bit on the acidic side so if you like them sweeter, be sure to specify.



Two mahi-mahi tacos with rice and rancho beans

These fish tacos were covered in a sweet creamy tomato sauce, like 1000 island dressing without the pickles. It pretty much covered the delicate fish, but wasn't so cloying that it was unpleasant. A small heap of tomato-lettuce-cilantro dice was available to garnish the tacos, which toned down the sauce and gave a fresh crunch contrast to the soft grilled fish. Rancho beans are simply pinto beans in their own broth. One or two were underdone, indicating these are house-made.



Chicken tortilla soup

A warming bowl of soup featured lots of crunchy tortilla strips, shredded chicken, diced avocados, and a little bit of cheese. The broth was some kind of canned or boxed broth with added puree of chile and a heavy sprinkle of dried herbs on top. This could be really delicious with a little more care in the making of the broth.



Burrito Dos Amigos, $12.50

Not two burritos, but one very large tortilla wrap cut in half, with one side filled with chile verde and the other with chile colorado, and a paper-thin scattering of cheese on top. A tiny deep-fried tortilla bowl filled with fresh pico de gallo was a nice touch. M. de Joie much preferred the chile verde with its tart, mellow sauce; while the chile colorado was beefy and filling with none of that acrid taste that red chile sauces sometimes have, it was also excessively salty.



Tacos Carbon

Amico del Signore chose chicken tacos carbon. Not the pick-up-and-stuff-in-your-face type of tacos, these were very tender and easily cut with a fork. They had been cooked on the flattop but weren't at all greasy and had ample cubed grilled chicken, light cheese, and diced tomato filling.



Chicken mole

Though the mole owes a lot to a jar of Dona Maria, it was still nicely prepared, not too sweet, with a good balance of chile and chocolate tastes, and tender strips of chicken. Served with warm tortillas on the side, this made a not-too-heavy lunch.



Notice anything odd here? Yes, that's right. There's an enormous empty space in the center of the plate. This shrimp and cheese quesadilla on a whole-wheat tortilla - advertised as low-carb - while tasty enough, simply screams DIET PLATE. While Femme de Joie liked the quesadilla, she was somewhat distracted off by a tiny amount of food on a giant platter. Either put it on a smaller plate, or fill that space with something edible.

La Casa Cuevas has food worth making a trip to Anderson for. Service is very fast and friendly, portions generally are fair for the money, and the very extensive menu provides something for everyone. Does it reach that ever-elusive "authentic" standard? Probably not for some folks, but overall, you won't be disappointed.

La Casa Cuevas, 2830 Childress Drive, Anderson, CA 96007. 530-378-2118. Open daily, 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM. Cash, cards; no checks. Full bar. Parking lot on-site. Vegetarian and low-carb options. Catering; private dining room. Follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Casa-Cuevas/399477242677

Sweetie’s Restaurant Stands Out On South Market Street

It might seem as incomprehensible to newcomers and young folks as journeying from Missouri to California via covered wagon, but once upon a time there was no Interstate 5. Instead, that ribbon of highway known as State Route 99 flowed through the center of California and right through the center of towns like Burbank, Sacramento, Yuba City, Red Bluff, and Redding. You didn't have to take an exit to get to a gas station or a motel or a store: they were lined up right next to the road. When Interstate 5 was more or less completed in 1968, those businesses along 99 that depended on high traffic volume were left to sink or swim. Many of them did sink, along with their neighbors, and formerly prosperous areas of town deteriorated like drywall left out in the rain.

There are those who shut their eyes and lock their car doors driving though the blight. And then there are those who see opportunity with the many vacant buildings and low rent. Think of Racha Noodle and Kanya Gardens, two fine restaurants that might not have been able to initially afford uptown rent but which have prospered and earned success. Now we add Sweetie's to that group of entrepreneurs.

You might have seen the barbecue wagon parked next to Eddy's Pub on Market Street - that's Sweetie's barbecue they use for catering.Their brick-and-mortar restaurant is the space where Denny's, the Lime Tree, and AJ's came and went on South Market Street.

As soon as you walk in, you realize this is not your average coffee shop. A sign near the front door advertises local tomato Benedict, line-caught salmon, and free-range eggs. Patrons range from nearby workers on their lunch hour, families with toddlers, and quite a few retirees, all enjoying the good food at low prices.



Amico del Signore ordered the local tomato Benedict - eggs Benedict sans ham, substituting fat slices of very ripe, very juicy tomatoes that actually came out of a local garden instead of being bounced around in the back of a tractor-trailer all the way from Calexico. Topping it was a house-made Hollandaise, smooth and lemony without the salty taste of packaged mix. The friendly waitress (who, it turned out, was the owner) told us that her husband makes the Hollandaise to order - even though that's more trouble than using a prepackaged mix or can, she said the customers react positively to it. Hash browns were also house-made, with a crunchy exterior and creamy interior.



Mipas is eggs scrambled with tortilla chips, and Sweetie's version was light, tender, and fluffy. Little speckles of egg white indicated the eggs are fresh - not scrambled-egg mix. A light amount of melted cheese enhanced the mix of flavors and textures, as did a small dish of salsa and pickled Jalapeno slices. This can be ordered with sausage (as pictured here), ham, or bacon, or with beans.

After that initial breakfast, Femme de Joie and Amico del Signore were eager to return for lunch, to see if it was as good as breakfast. It was.



The house-smoked pulled pork sandwich really showed off the owners' barbecue chops. At first glance, both A. del Signore and M. de Joie thought the sandwich might be dry, as there was no sauce on the meat or offered on the side. But one bite told the story: no sauce was needed. The pork was permeated with real smoke flavor - not from a bottle - and super-tender. Served on a house-made sweet potato roll, this was one of the best examples of fine barbecue available around the North State.



Mediterranean spinach salad with grilled salmon is the kind of dish you wouldn't expect to find in a diner. As the owner told us, they strive to use fresh and high-quality ingredients, and the presence on the menu of line-caught salmon (not farmed, which is often mushy-textured and lacking in flavor) showed they mean business. Fresh baby spinach leaves combined with tomato, cucumber, pitted Kalamata olives, thin-sliced red onion and a light scatterling of feta cheese was a great base for the buttery grilled salmon.



Rhubarb is considered by many to be a somewhat old-fashioned ingredient like gooseberries or elderberries, and you don't often see it offered in restaurants. But Sweetie's served up this luscious strawberry-rhubarb shortcake with a base of house-made yellow cake and a generous amount of not-too-sweet stewed fruit topping, made from homegrown strawberries. A winner and a serving that's big enough for two.

The South Market area might one day make a reversal of fortune. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, yuppies will start moving into this unfashionable area because of low rents and then open up boutiques and chi-chi cafes, and raise all the rents. Before that happens, drive down to Sweetie's and enjoy breakfast or lunch in a comfortable atmosphere.

Sweetie's, 3105 South Market Street, Redding, CA 96001. 530-244-2269. Open daily except Monday, 6 AM - 3 PM. Parking on-site. Cards, cash; no checks. No alcohol. Serving breakfast and lunch. Vegetarian options. Website at http://www.sweeties-catering.com/index.html