A farmer met a chef worthy of what she grew. They married. Opened this tiny guisado taco box in Escondido next to a Little Caesars (due respect). It’s unsurprisingly pretty great.
Get “the Rosarito.” Don’t often see cast iron-seared NY Strip filets in tacos. But you do at Mesa Agricola. It’s wrapped in a chicharron de queso—melted Chihuahua cheese, browned and crisped. Black raven beans, Shaner Farms avocado and watermelon radish, cilantro criollo (the Wagyu of cilantro). For the tortilla, yellow cónico corn is ground and nixtamalized for hours, pressed fresh. Top it all with salsa tatemada (made daily from charred, peak-season farm veg) and smoked chili oil.
Guisados are common-core abuelita food. Mexican stews, simmering all day in pots, making houses smell like homes. Chef Juan González’ guisado menu is written in chalk and crossed out as they sell out. Get there early for the chorizo and nopales guisado, or wither in light remorse.
Megan Strom is the farmer. For years, she sold her crops to some of California’s top chefs. She came to San Diego and started farming with Mike Reeske. Mike’s famous as “The Bean Man.” He spent decades perfecting heirloom beans that grew best in SoCal soil. Then, one day, he retired and kind of gave Strom his life’s work.
An illustration of Mike hangs on the wall.
Beans are one of the three sisters, crucial DNA of Central and North American food. And Mesa’s are unbeatably good. Strom also grows some for chef Travis Swikard at Callie. They built this little place by hand. Their daughter is often in the back. Chef Jose is building it with them, having trained at Valle when they won their Michelin.
Can fit about eight people in here, if you angle the tables right.
Get there early.
