88546 Sat Dec 24 21:50:54 -0800 2005 8 3 California 0 487680 This year's scramble for Christmas tamales was closer to home. Once again with all the other holiday preparation to attend to, I failed to place an order in time and had to hit the streets to take my chances on the spot market. Yesterday I drove out to Alisal (east Salinas) to see what I could turn up. I was relieved to see Julio Valdez's cart on East Market St. by the freeway. It now has the stickers on it for a City business license, County health inspection, etc., so I imagine he'll be here more regularly than in the past. He was already out of the cheese and jalapeno ones. I got a dozen of pork tamales and three piña for a buck apiece. He also sells chicken tamales and will have elote by late March again. He has Mexican-style hot dogs, which made the perfect afternoon snack. The bun was soft and hot out of the steamer cabinet. Though the hot dogs wrapped with bacon were pregrilled and kept in a warmer, they had a nice roasted character and crispy well-browned bacon. The condiments, which you add yourself, included chopped pickled jalapenos, tomato, white onion, pickle relish, canned sliced mushrooms (that's a first!), and then ketchup, mustard, and a mayo/crema blend in the squeeze bottles. One thing that another hot dog vendor taught me is to squirt the mayo right on the bacon-swathed dog for the best taste. A big cup of champurrado to-go kept me warm for the rest of the day's errands. Here are his current phone numbers for special orders. Julio Valdez Rico Tamal 831-235-1435 831-751-7984 My brother took the coast route home to Salinas and stopped in Watsonville last night to pick up a pork tamales at D'la Colmena. They're $14 per dozen. Last night we had a taste test of the fresh tamales. The Valdez product was larger with a thicker masa shell. The masa was smoother with the rich flavor of lard. The masa of the Colmena tamales was lighter colored and fluffier. The Valdez pork filling was shredded and hotter in its spicing. The Colmena pork was still in chunks with some tasty fat bits and had a more direct meat flavor. Not as saucy as I remember, the taste of the roasted chiles was more assertive than the hotness. The Valdez filling had a more harmonious flavor, whereas the Colmena rendition had a layered effect of masa, then sauce, and finally reaching the pork at the core. We liked both but had a slight preference for the richer flavor of the Valdez tamales. We also tried one of the sweet Valdez piñas. It had chunks of canned pineapple and currants. The masa was a bit dryish and wasn't overly sweetened. We liked this as well. July 2000 post on D'la Colmena - http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards/sanfrancisco1/messages/2388.html December 2003 post on Julio Valdez - http://chowhound.com/california/boards/california/messages/11049.html Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/33330#148613 Sat Dec 24 21:50:54 -0800 2005 0 Melanie Wong 1 487682 Is Mr. Valdez any relation to the original owner of Valdez y Rico restaurant across from the PG&E substation in Salinas? Sat Dec 24 22:48:34 -0800 2005 487680 0 toodie jane 2 487683 Wouldn't know about that. Are you referring to Gutierrez y Rico Drive-In? Sat Dec 24 23:06:07 -0800 2005 487682 0 Melanie Wong 3 487714 oops yes, a senior moment! A co-worker, Juan Valdez y Rico, is related to the former owner of Gutierrez y Rico, and I confused the two families! Still they might be related. Juan Valdez's family is from that area (Chualar) and his dad was known for his chivas BBq's in the community. He also sold roasted corn across from the market in Chualar for years. Was that ever good! Thanks for this post, I'll have to get a map and stop there next trip north. Mon Dec 26 19:05:23 -0800 2005 487683 0 toodie jane 1 487789 We ate all the Valdez tamales (guess that tells you which one was tastier). The only Christmas food I took away with me was a Colmena tamale and also a couple that my sister got from her sister-in-law in Santa Maria. Steaming these, the Colmena tamale was not worth eating. The masa was spongey and rubbery and the meat tasted even blander after a couple days in the refrigerator. The Santa Maria tamale, was smaller and had a more orange-colored masa from more chili seasonings. It had a hotter spicing and the meat was pulverized. The masa was firm and very tasty even on reheating. If you get Colmenas, eat them the first day, they don't hold up well. Fri Dec 30 11:55:37 -0800 2005 487680 0 Melanie Wong 2 2620785 Does Valdez always make tamales or only at Christmas. I'm putting this on my list to try the Mexican hot dog ... your more recent report. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/344164 Fri Jun 01 10:48:03 -0700 2007 487789 10264 rworange 3 2620796 He's our regular tamale guy, year-round. His summer hours are 5pm to 11pm, not sure if he works Sundays or not. I'm finding that many of the vendors take Sunday off. Fri Jun 01 10:54:00 -0700 2007 2620785 10039 Melanie Wong 4 2620915 Thanks for the update! Are the pina tamales the only sweet one he makes? I am a sucker for sweet corn tamales. I had a good one at the Alemeny Market last weekend from All-Star tamales, but I would like to branch out a bit. Fri Jun 01 11:24:33 -0700 2007 2620796 10158 susancinsf 5 2620952 You know, I should ask him about making tamales with sweet corn. He sells elotes during the summer (had one last night), so maybe he does. Here's my post on Christmas 2006 tamales dulces with pineapple and raisins. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/354282 William and I have been worried about what will happen to Sr. Valdez if the ordinance goes into effect and he needs to move off the public street onto a private parking space until all permits are revoked. Last time I asked, he said he hasn't been able to find a spot. Tamale carts and hot dog stands take up far less space than a full-sized taco truck/catering truck, and I think they should be allowed to continue on sidewalk corners. He's situated in front of a commercial office that has no activity during the time he's there and there's plenty of street parking to be had. Fri Jun 01 11:32:12 -0700 2007 2620915 10039 Melanie Wong