Illusionaire

It’s safe to say that the cuisine offerings in downtown Oregon City are limited. With a finite number of people working in the downtown area, the demand for a decent lunch isn’t as high as for say… downtown Portland. And when area restauranteurs go on a much needed vacation or a local favorite like Super Torta is out of commission due to a kitchen fire, our choices are narrowed down that much more.
Desperate for a meal that didn’t involve sad sandwiches or mediocre Chinese food, a co-worker and I struck out to locate a Taqueria supposedly located about a mile from our office. We didn’t make it there, as Mitzil Panaderia y Loncheria caught our eye first. Beautifully and brightly painted, they promised homemade Mexican food with a twist.
They delivered.
Intrigued by the unique combination of ingredients, both of us ordered the Burro Loco. This is described in the menu as, “Overstuffed with shredded pork, ham shanks, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, catsup, mustard, and wrapped in a flour tortilla.”
Usually when there is catsup involved with a burrito you’re stranded in the Midwest, so I had to taste how ketchup and mustard would be applied in what was billed as authentic Mexican cooking.
Served up with a kicky chipotle chile salsa, this burrito was really good! I’d be back for the salsa alone. Very smoky meats with a good balance of ingredients. I couldn’t really taste the ketchup under the tasty salsa, but the mustard added an unexpected zest.
I was also very pleased that Mitzil carried bottles of one of my favorite beverages, Sangria Senorial, which is a Sangria-flavored soft drink from Mexico.
Mitzil offers very reasonably priced Desalluno (breakfast), Almuerzo (lunch), and Cena (dinner), as well as a selection of pastries and sweets. They also feature daily specials, and encourage you to call ahead for the night’s specialties. Great staff, too — and family run! I’m definitely stopping there for dinner while the weather is still blazing to take advantage of their misted patio.
Update: When I find a place I like, I’ve been known to go back multiple times within a short time frame. I’m having the special today, which is pork in a green chile sauce served with fresh corn tortillas. YUM!
Had a great talk with Paolo, one of the owners, while I was waiting for my order. This guy *gets it*… We talked about slow food (AKA it takes a while because it’s made to order, not off a conveyer belt), the lack of flavorful options around OC, and most importantly… what’s up with the ketchup and mustard on the Burro Loco? Paolo explained that this is what would be considered “deli food” in some regions of Mexico, and ketchup and mustard have made the transition into informal Mexican cooking. In his opinion, many of what I would consider to be “authentic” Mexican restaurants are actually closer to Tex-Mex on the cuisine horizon.
Mitzil Panaderia y Loncheria
212 Molalla Ave.
Oregon City
503-655-7197

Later update: I visited a year or so after I posted this, and much to my dismay they were using processed American cheese on their burritos!  They are dead to me now, and I will never go back.

I’ve been looking all summer for popsicle-making containers, and outside of one lucky break in Seattle where I should have bought more than one set, I’m coming up with zip. There *has* to be someplace in Portland that carries them. Doesn’t anyone make their own popsicles anymore?
Sure, Kitchen Kaboodle, has a few hoity-toity numbers, but I’m thinking simple, cheap plastic things where I won’t be overly upset if my dishwasher decides to eat them. Checked the Dollar Store, Fred Meyer, Rite-Aid, and a few other places, but no luck. Nothing even came close, outside of doing the old Dixie Cup and flat wooden stick bit.
I’ve had a craving for pudding pops lately, and rumor has it that they’re back. Until I can find a box of my own (and since I’m trying to follow one of those notorious LC diets) this is what I’ve been making for a cool treat.

Ingredients
1 box sugar free pudding
1 box soft tofu
1/4 cup 1/2 & 1/2
3 TB Splenda (or other sugar substitute)
Directions
Combine all ingredients with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Spoon into freezer molds and chill until solid. Enjoy!
Flavor Variations
Add one of the following:
- dash of cinnamon
- several tablespoons of peanut butter
- finely chopped nuts
- vanilla or almond extract

They are wickedly easy to make, and really tasty. I think with the tofu added they might even be considered sort of good for you.

Delta Cafe
There is nothing more frustrating than when one of your favorite restaurants makes changes ? and they aren?t for the better. While still good, I think Delta Caf? has ?jumped the shark? in the restaurant world and is moving past its prime.
We ordered our food for take-out since they wouldn?t let us dine outside and there was no way we could eat indoors without melting in the heat, and when we first approached the counter the first thing we heard was, ?Our menu has changed? let me get one for you so you can take a look.?
Turns out the major difference is that they raised their prices again. Fried green tomatoes are gone, too. One of the great things about Delta used to be that the food was cheap and there was tons of it. Over the last few years they’ve scaled back on portion size and increased the prices, making it less of a candidate for cheap eats.
I think they’ve changed their recipe for breading, too. It’s good, but seems to be toned down. Potato cheese casserole is less cheesy, as is their mac and cheese.
I’m grateful that at least their heavenly mashed potatoes are still as tasty as ever. I’m terribly disappointed that Delta Cafe is not nearly as good as it once was, but the food is still worth trekking out to Woodstock for.