I don’t get into the city by myself very often. There is laundry to do, a kid to tickle, a bedtime that must be kept to or a sleepless night ensues, and always more work to do. Time in the city by myself seems like a faint memory at times.
On Tuesday, however, I found myself near Pike Place Market, looking up at a warm blue sky, wondering what to eat.
My friend Molly and I were about to teach a writing class at Cornish College of the Arts, as part of their Food as Art summer seminar. I love Molly and talking about writing and meeting new people, so I was jazzed.
However, the class began at 5:30 and lasted until 8:30. As I stood on Western Avenue, in front of World Spice, it was 4:30 pm. I had one hour to eat, reach the school, look over the readings one more time, and see if I had anything to say.
It had to be good food. And it had to be fast.
Luckily, El Puerco Lloron is just down a set of stairs from World Spice. I ran.
If you’ve never been to El Puerco Lloron, you should start running too. This Mexican cantina-style restaurant has been making carnitas and homemade corn tortillas on the spot for over 20 years now. The room is light and the window overlooks Elliott Bay and the ships coming in. The entire place is filled with colorful, slightly cheesy decorations. Yes, the green, white, and red pinatas might seem tacky, but the food never is. Everything tastes authentic. Especially the carnitas.
The pull-apart pork is tender to the fork, with a bit of crisp fat and mostly meat ready to be shredded and savored. It’s seasoned well — not too much heat but not at all bland. It’s warm and comforting and always, always good.
One carnitas to go, please.
I hate eating in my car. I really do. I hate the rush, the spilling of rice and sauce on my shirt, the way I’ll find bits of food on the floor later that week when I vacuum the car. I can’t stretch out my legs. I find it impossible to sit back and slow down. (Of course, I don’t drive and eat. I’m talking about parked eating. The people who eat while driving astound me even more.)
These carnitas, however? I savored them. I parked near a green space on Denny and turned on some music, loud. I was alone in the city, going somewhere fun, without a kid in the back seat. I dug in.
El Puerco Lloron
1501 Western Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 624-0541
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
More astounded by those who get dressed and apply makeup while driving. I just made a great crock pot full of tender, tasty pulled pork using a simple rub!
Love this post, partly because I love carnitas, too.