Pedro's

 You know a restaurant is amazing when other people are afraid to talk about it because it will make it  harder for them to get a table on Friday nights.  Well the secret is out now!  We found an excellent Mexican restaurant called "Pedro's" near 51st Avenue and Glendale.  This unassuming little hole in the wall left us with a big impression of what great Mexican food should be.  We arrived at 6pm without a reservation and there was already 10 people on the waiting list ahead of us.  It seemed that the more we waited the longer the list grew.  But after 20 minutes we were finally seated. 
One of the great things about Pedro's is yes, they do serve Coke.  As we munched on the endless basket of fresh chips and salsa, we browsed the menu.  We quickly ordered some appetizers while we made up our minds about the menu.  Our first choice was the "Miniature appetizer plate".  It included three tostados, three mini tacos, and three mini burritos with a bowl of refried beans, a dollop of guacamole and a dollop of sour cream on the side.  Since there were three of us for dinner tonight, this was perfect.  Our second appetizer was the beef taquitos  topped with guac, sour cream, tomatoes and cheese while laying on a bed of lettuce.
Our special guest was Lorie, who passed the secret of Pedro's on to a blabbermouth like me.  She gave us great ideas on what to order.  She went with the combination dinner of green chili beef burro and a taco served enchilada style.  These aren't your small frozen grocery store burritos.  This is a massive amount of meat snuggled into a fresh flour tortilla.  I was able to sneak a bite of the burrito but the taco must have been just as good because Lorie didn't offer up a sample of it.  All the combination meals also come with a healthy serving of rice and refried beans.

After Lorie told us that the "Sweet Corn Tamales" was a favorite of hers, Patti found them in a combination plate.  She ordered a combination of two tamales, a sweet corn tamale of course and a red meat tamale. When the tamales arrived at the tables, she was quite surprised on how large they were.  Possibly ordering just a single tamale would have been sufficient but most likely wouldn't have left any for taking home.  The red meat tamale was filled with shredded beef and a spicy kick that complemented its counterpart of the sweet corn tamale.  The sweet corn tamale was another melt in your mouth experience.  The sweet corn was so creamy that you felt it could easily be on the dessert menu.
At Pedro's I had an opportunity to try Fry Bread.  This was a deep fried flaky bread topped with green chili sauce, beef, beans, lettuce, tomato and a mexican blend of cheese.    A lot of entrees come with side dishes to fill up the plate.  But this behemoth of a Fry Bread took up the whole plate.  I took one bite and I couldn't stop going for more and more and more.  Even Patti wasn't satisfied with just one taste, she had to take a second bite.  I got half-way through my plate before I realized I was too full and needed a "to-go" box.
So now that the secret is out, I advise you to come to Pedro's early because it will fill up quickly.  But if you do have to wait it is well worth it.  And for those of you who have not tried the "sweet corn tamales" you should try it now!