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room notes: “If you have reservations, you are at the wrong place.” To discourage unsavory clientele, a sign in the entryway advises: “We are not a bar. Beer/wine is only served to those who dine with us.” And on the menu, the management notes that daily specials are in limited supply, so customers who want them should come early; it is further noted that “It is impossible to debone the chicken entirely, so it is possible that you may find a bone in your chicken entree.” Finally, be advised that there is a limit of three drinks per customer, and “persons who seem to have been drinking will not be served.”

El Indio

3695 India St.

619–299–0333

San Diego, CA

BLD | $

A San Diego destination since 1940, El Indio is a quick-service, cafeteria-style taqueria adjacent to Interstate 5. Meals are served on Styrofoam plates with throwaway utensils. There are a few shared seats at a counter and some tables to the side of the order line, but many people choose to eat on the sunny, fenced-in patio across the street. Here, one is serenaded by vehicles passing on the raised highway.

The menu is classic Cal-Mex. An on-premises tortilla press turns out big, warm wheaty ones for burritos and chimichangas; there are freshly fried, hot corn tortillas and deliciously crunchy taquitos; and there are all sorts of combo plates topped with gobs of sour cream. One of the best things to eat is the San Diego specialty, a fish taco. El Indio’s version is a hefty meal served in a foil wrapper along with a wedge of lime. When the foil is pulled back, you find a double layer of warm corn tortillas loosely wrapped around a log of crisp-fried cod with a golden crust. The fish is nestled on a bed of ruggedly shredded cabbage, a few tomato shreds, and a faintly peppery pink sauce. Give it a spritz or two from the wedge of lime provided—an ideal complement for the sweet meat of the white fish and its savory crust.

Above the windows where you order your food at El Indio are portraits of fierce Mayan gods, including the god of war, the gods of rain and wind, and the god of Mexican food, who according to this portrait goes by the name of El Indio. We are not up to date on our Mayan theology, but there is no doubt in our minds that El Indio is indeed the reigning deity of San Diego Mexican food.

Far Western Tavern

899 Guadalupe St.

805–343–2211

Guadalupe, CA

LD | $$

The Far Western Tavern is a place to eat barbecue, California cowboy–style. The dining room features a spectacular suite of hairy brown-and-white cowhide curtains and meals are served on cowboy-fantasy dishware festooned with little images of brands, spurs, and cows’ heads. The wall across from the bar is one sweeping painted mural of ranch life; other displays include a portrait of Will Rogers, a poster that shows how to break a wild pony, an autographed 8 X 10 of Ralph Edwards (from This Is Your Life) praising the steaks, and a photograph of the all-woman bowling team sponsored by the Tavern along with a display of their trophies.

Specialty of the house is a bull’s eye steak, a boneless rib eye cooked over flaming oak wood, served Santa Maria–style, meaning sided by firm piquinto beans, French bread, and salsa. Fillets, strips, sirloins, and chopped steaks also are available, as are buttered sweetbreads, pork chops, rack of lamb, and baby back ribs. The bull’s eye is available for late-morning breakfast and Sunday brunch in a smaller version, served alongside eggs, hash browns, beans, and biscuits.

The Hitching Post

3325 Point Sal Rd.

805–937–6151

Casmalia, CA

D | $$$

The Hitching Post’s top sirloin is pungent with age, oozing juice, effortless to chew; but the filet mignon is even better. Its delicate fibers seem to glow with the flavor of burning wood, and with the smack of a wine vinegar and oil marinade that is applied as the meat cooks. “We’ve had people throwing $100 bills at us to try to get the recipe for that marinade,” proprietor Bill Ostini says of the magic potion developed by his father. “But the real trick is in how the steaks are handled. You