There is something to be said for consistency. Going to a restaurant and getting exactly what you expect. Such is the way of Tinga. A longtime resident of the Upper Montclair culinary landscape (since 2002); loved by adults and children alike. Hell, I think they have a side space where you can have a birthday party, complete with trays of cut burritos and bowls of chips and guacamole. It’s been there and will presumably always be there ad infinitum. And that’s a nice feeling.
To call Tinga Mexican is to not really understand Mexican food. However, that “fresh” is going a lot of work. It’s a euphemism for Tex-Mex or alt-Mexican, I guess. Or, Mexican-ish. All of that is fine, though. Because, truth be told, true Mexican cuisine that you’d find in Mexico in an authentic cantina or whatever isn’t probably what the American palate is looking for anyway. You want the giant burrito in a flour tortilla with cheese and stuff. You want your enchiladas and nachos and wraps. And, weirdly, ribs? Okay, that last one has nothing to do with Mexican food, but Tinga has it! Point is, there is something homey and familiar about their food. And I’ve been ordering the same completely-not-Mexican BBQ brisket burrito for going on twenty years. And I swear it tastes the same now as it did in the early 2000s. It’s the same size. The same ingredients. Everything about it is exactly what I expect. And exactly what I want. Granted, I can’t eat there as much as I did in the early days because I no longer have the metabolism to ingest a two-pound log of rice, beans, brisket and cheese wrapped in a giant red tortilla on a weekly basis. Despite the fact typing about this right now is making my stomach growl with desire.
Now, as much as I’m into that burrito, I can’t say their guacamole is my favorite. It’s a little too chunky with tomatoes and oddly watery for my taste. Their bag of homemade tortilla chips is embarrassingly small when you see it, but somehow lasts longer than you’d expect. But they’re salty and good. Ms. Hipster always gets the classic chicken burrito and I believe Hipster Jr. has shifted to the grilled steak quesadilla. They are both seemingly into it. Like most eateries, their prices have spiked of late, which isn’t terrific. I seem to recall paying under ten bucks for my burrito at some point, which has now exploded (sorry, bad word to use with Mexican) to a whopping eighteen bucks. Apparently brisket is expensive these days, despite being a cheap cut of meat. Making that smokey, stringy, juicy meat must be labor intensive, I guess. Worth it, but still $18 is a bit steep. Ultimately, it’s really nice to have a consistent and tasty experience to rely on when nothing else is sounding appealing. Just don’t make it a habit — your waistline and your intestine will hate you.
215 Bellevue Ave. – Montclair
973/509-8226
tingausa.com
