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| - There's something about a 24-hour restaurant that creeps me out a bit... You can't really apply the normal dining barometers, and have to guess: What time's the food freshly made? When's the best cook's shift? And when, pray tell, when do they clean the kitchen?
Pondered that when, while driving on a road consisting mostly of derelict auto dealership lots and liquor stores (Vegas, baby!) spotted blazing yellow Pepe's. Being from San Diego, thought I could sniff out a Mexican gem in the rough, and pulled in... Or maybe I just like bright shiny things.
Apparently, 11:30am is not rush hour at Pepe's. Parking lot had a few cars in it, but they must've been at the Pawn Shop next door, cause it was empty. Looked at the menu, typical enough. They were running a special 4 tacos (street-style, soft) rice and beans for 6 bucks and change. Not bad. But then saw the chile relleno burrito and had to order that. Found the Holy Grail of Chile Relleno burritos at Tere's on Melrose ave in LA, been trying to find another one since.
This wasn't it.
Decent. Good cheesy filling with a touch of the chile's smokiness, enhanced by some great salsa verde from the salsa bar (the red salsa tasted weirdly metallic) that I dollop-ed on each bite. Chips were hard and cold (maybe why that other previous reviewer pooped out a periodical element.) Beans were okay, a bit lardy but not in a great lard-olicious way...
I'm giving it three stars on potential. Maybe I ordered wrong. Maybe there was something soul-enriching simmering in a dented, over-sized aluminum pot back in the kitchen. I just know one menu item that wasn't.
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