November 04, 2024
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Mystery Diner in Spring Valley: Tamaleria Rosy is a welcome addition for Mexican food aficionados

Menu features all freshly prepared house-made ingredients

By MYSTERY DINER

Quesabirria, a weekend special at Tamaleria Rosy, features braised beef and melty cheese sandwiched inside a hand-pressed, fresh tortilla grilled to perfection.

Tamaleria Rosy, located at 210 E. St. Paul St. in Spring Valley, is the area’s newest take on popular Mexican favorites, with everything house-made and served by a mother-and-daughters trio.

The menu, tightly edited, features tamales available in a half-dozen options, including a sweet, strawberry-and-pineapple dessert variation that is the perfect way to end a meal, along with a selection of burritos, tacos, quesadillas, gorditas, tortas and a weekend quesabirria special.

Meat choices are steak, chicken, pork, chorizo and pulled chicken – my crew sampled all the varieties and found them to be well-seasoned, abundant in quantity, and of high quality.

Quesadillas, available with steak, chicken, pork or pulled chicken, are a favorite appetizer, made even better by a thick, hand-pressed tortilla. All of Tamaleria Rosy's tortillas are hand-pressed and cooked to order.

We ordered a dozen assorted tamales, including that surprising sweet option of strawberry and pineapple, as well as a taco assortment, a burrito, pulled-chicken quesadilla, the weekend special quesabirria, which is a braised beef and melty cheese grilled taco, and the Tamaleria’s specialty drink: champurrado, a slightly thick, chocolaty Mexican cocoa.

Tamales, a traditional Mexican favorite, are the specialty of Tamaleria Rosy. Made fresh throughout the day, they're available with chicken or pork in red sauce, chicken or pork in green sauce, jalapeño and cheese, beans and cheese, and, as pictured, sweet strawberry and pineapple, a delicious take on a dessert tamale featuring a delicate fruit flavor that enhances the masa that makes up the tamales.

We opted for carryout, and the food was freshly prepared in the open kitchen, with each item being made with a house-made freshly pressed tortilla. It doesn’t get more authentic and homestyle than a freshly prepared tortilla, and the difference in taste and texture was notable.

Mexican-style tacos, featuring a choice of steak, chicken, pork or chorizo adorned simply with chopped onion and cilantro on a fresh, hand-pressed tortilla, are a highlight of a simple, but well-edited menu at Tamaleria Rosy in Spring Valley.

Each dish was hand-cooked by the owner, with her daughters serving as hostess, cashier and menu tour guide, explaining what went into each dish and showing me a preview of each item before packaging it. The friendly conversation and atmosphere were highlights of the wait for our food. Everything we sampled was the best combination of restaurant and home-cooking quality.

Whether dining in, or doing carryout, make sure to grab a conchas (or six). The traditional sweet breakfast buns are handmade by Tamaleria Rosy owner's godmother, and are a steal at just $1 each.

If you go, make sure to try a concha (or several), a lightly sweetened breakfast bun made daily by the restaurant owner’s godmother for just $1 each.

The restaurant is cash only, so arrive prepared, but prices are extremely reasonable, with the most expensive entree, the quesabirria with rice and beans, priced at $9.99. A dozen tamales is $14.99, and sandwiches, quesadillas and burritos are all priced at less than $8.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

The small Spring Valley storefront offers several booths for indoor dining, as well as carryout.

• The Mystery Diner is an employee at Shaw Media. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. The Mystery Diner visits a different restaurant and then reports on the experience. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a story.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Tamaleria Rosy

WHERE: 210 E. St. Paul St., Spring Valley

HOURS: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday

PHONE: 815-995-3690

Tamales y Champurrado is scheduled to host its grand opening Tuesday at 210 E. St. Paul St. in downtown Spring Valley.

File photo: Tamaleria Rosy, located at 210 E. St. Paul St. in Spring Valley, is the area’s newest take on popular Mexican favorites, with everything house-made and served by a mother-and-daughters trio. (Derek Barichello - dbarichello@shawmedia.com)