Carlito's Chicken

In these days of economic turmoil, one can not overestimate the importance of cheap mexican food. In the spirit of brotherhood and all that, I will turn you on to one of my secret spots, Carlito's Chicken in Oceanside.

Carlito's is on Roymar Rd., off Mission Ave., near the Oceanside Airport. Located right behind Yum-Yum donuts. I have been going there for years. If you like Pollo Loco you will love Carlitos, es la comida verdad. They grill it on a large grill behind the counter. There is a salsa bar with all the extras including lime and cilantro. Very tasty.

I got up at 3:30 in the morning and drove to Long Beach to pick up a painting at the swap meet. I stopped at Carlito's for breakfast on the way back. Today I skipped the chicken and ordered off the regular menu. I had chicken sopes that were the best I think I have ever had short of Superica in Santa Barbara. Excellent masa base. Then I had a big bowl of menudo. They gave me extra dry red chile and oregano and I scarfed it down to the last spoonful of broth. (Something I rarely do.) Menudo is traditional Mexican Hangover medicine but alas it came a day too late.

It's a long story but a glass of red wine got spilled over my MacBook Pro laptop the other night and it fizzled and snapped it's way out of this life and it's earthly coil. Will cost 1200 bucks to fix according to Mac. I headed to the bar and started pounding bloody mary's - something I rarely do, and like my old friend George Blake, woke up in the middle of the night with a drill turning slowly into my left temporal region. But since I rarely drink like that, I must admit that it provided me with a modicum of pleasure and it was nice to check in to the asylum.

Anyhow back to Carlito's, if you are starving for mexican grilled chicken, check the place out.