It was way back in April, 2023 when I got the first alert from Frank “Sugar” Hudson.

“I don’t know if you’ve got him covered but this guy offers the best in SMA. He is under a tent on the road out past Fabrica Aurora. Second tent on the left as you pass the Pollo Feliz on the right. His name is Luis and it’s the best prime rib sandwich in town.”

I so wanted to go but I had to pass when I got Sugar’s message. I was about to make like the birds and flock back to my second home in Toronto for six months.

Fast forward now to a couple of weeks ago and a message from Janet Rouss.

Hey Glenn, friends of mine took me to a little roadside grill near Mexiquito that serves up amazing sandwiches and natural aguas. Thought you might want to check it out for the blog. Not sure if Don Day’s Wife is into roadside sandwiches but great if she could join us. Mark and Dean would also like to tag along.

Three more guys had also joined the group when we finally met up at what is officially called Trakaloso Pepitos Prime. It was well worth my almost year-long wait.

OK, first, my attempt at explaining the name of this low-rent, side-of-the-road, not-too-easy-to-find, canvas-covered place to eat courtesy of the chef/owner Luis Garcia and a website called oldtimemusic.com starting with that Trakaloso word:

“La Trakalosa de Monterrey is a popular Mexican band that has gained immense recognition for its unique blend of regional Mexican music. Known for their captivating performances and heartfelt lyrics, the band has successfully captivated the hearts of millions of fans across the globe. With their distinct musical style and energetic stage presence, La Trakalosa de Monterrey has become an iconic name in the music industry.”

So, I said to Chef Luis, “Why did you name your place after this band?”

“It’s my nickname”, he replied and lifted his forearm to show me the tattoo.

OK, so I now knew the history of Trakaloso. I understood the adulation. But what about that second word in the restaurant’s name? What about that pepitos word? It was a word that I was a little familiar with. I’d seen pepitos on a few restaurant menus in San Miguel. I’d seen it on more than a few restaurant menus in Mexico City. I knew it was a steak sandwich served on a French baguette. But I must admit I’d never had one. 

I went on-line to learn a little more. The earliest mention I found was by the chef and culinary historian Teodoro Bardají Mas in an article in the weekly “Ellas” on May 7, 1933. At Café de Fornos in Madrid, one of the founder’s sons was called José Fornos and was affectionately nicknamed Pepito. One day he asked for a hot sandwich and they made him one with a whole steak. It became popular and soon clients of the restaurant wanted “one like Pepito’s”. In time, it just became a pepito.

OK, the words Trakaloso and Pepito in Trakalaso Pepito Prime had been explained. How about that last word? How about Prime? 

That word needed me to experience, to eat one of Luis Garcia’s pepitos to understand it.

As you probably know, the USDA grades beef based on the amount of fat is streaked through the meat and the grade at the very top, the one with “slight to abundant marbling” is Prime.

Prime steaks are the tenderest, the juiciest and the most flavorful. They’re also, of course, the most expensive.

When I took my first bite of Trakaloso Pepito Prime’s ribeye pepito, I was wowed by the taste and the tenderness. Could this be USDA Prime beef? Impossible! A 10 oz steak at retail costs me $300 and Luis Garcia was selling it, with all the trimmings for half that. Where was he getting it? What was he doing to it?

I asked Luis where the meat came from.

“From Monterey, a big ranch in Monterey”, he told me. “I get really good prices and I pass them on.”

“And are you using something to tenderize it? Are you marinating it?”, I inquired.

“The arrachera is marinated but the picaña and the ribeye just get salt, pepper and a little garlic”, he replied.

Watching Luis (or should I call him Trakalozo) is a little like spending those Sunday nights watching the Sullivan Show and the jugglers tossing those skinny bowling pins in the air. Luis first takes the baguette and splits it in half, then slims it down by peeling out some of the bread from the inside.

“I get my bread from La Buena Vida”, he told me. “The first delivery comes early in the morning. The second comes now (it was about 11:30) so they’re always fresh.”

We ordered and the baguettes went on the grill and Luis started dressing them. Mayonnaise, chipotle sauce, fried onions, cucumber, lettuce and tomatoes were piled on as I stood there humming Carly Simon’s “Anticipation”.

Next, the now nicely-browned ribeye (or arrachera or picaña) was chopped into about half inch chunks and all of it squished and squeezed in between the two slices of bread.

Finally, there was a wrap of brown paper to help hold it all tightly together and a slice down the middle to make it a little easier to handle.

I was the only first-timer taking their first bite. And it’s not exactly easy to get a mouth even as big as mine around a Trakaloso Pepito. I lifted my head and at least three of them were watching me struggle. I nodded my head and smiled. I lifted my phone and caught a couple of them in their attempt to manage these monsters.

I got my teeth into another bite, took another photo and thought to myself is this the best sandwich in San Miguel de Allende. I looked at the Menu del Dia that hangs on a rusting metal fence. 150 pesos for the ribeye. For the price and the quality of that beef, it’s certainly the best deal.

Now in most raggedy roadside stops, in most taco stands, in most cheap and cheerful restaurants, the drink of choice is cola. At Trakaloso Pepito Prime, the only cola I saw was the logo on the don’t-lean-over-too-far, white plastic chairs.

As Janet Rouss mentioned when she invited me, and as she was now drinking, Trakaloso has their own liquid pleasures. Learning about their origin is almost as enjoyable as drinking them. 

The fruit waters are made by Luis Garcia’s mother Hermelinda. They are bottled by Luis’ father Jose Luis then delivered by him on his bright white Honda.

You never know what the flavor of the day might be. When we were there it was watermelon but it could have been honeydew melon, cucumber, mango, pineapple, strawberry, lemon and chia, horchata or maracuya.

What’s so good about them? Hermelinda goes very easy on the sugar. Why are the bottles so big? There’s a lot of sandwich to wash down.

As we were sat there, I became fascinated by the amount of cars that were stopping on the street. I finally figured out why when I saw Luis’ wife Evangelina running out with a brown paper bag. They were pick-up orders. And delivery orders? They went via dad’s motorbike.

There’s already another generation at work as well with son Dilan helping to serve. And I’m sure it won’t be long before Demian and Luciana have joined the team.

Carrying on the tradition might be Luis and Evangelina’s 17-year-old son Valentin. He is studying to be a chef, currently getting some valuable on-the-job training, apprenticing in the kitchen at Live Aqua.

“There’s one more daughter that we should also mention”, said Luis. “She’s our angel looking down on us. We lost Viviana to cancer when she was sixteen.”

There were a lot of sandwiches on the blackboard, including chicken, sausages and pork but I didn’t see anyone order them. There are french fries but I didn’t see anyone order them.

Trakaloso Pepitos Prime is all about steak sandwiches, all about pepitos.

“This dream took me 25 years working in restaurants all over Mexico”, said Luis. “Money is important to live but for me it is more important that you try my food and that people…my family, my father, my friends…are proud of me.”

While I was at Trakaloso, there was a guy in the group I hadn’t met before. His name was Bill Biniasz and he obviously loved sandwiches and obviously knew where to find the better ones in San Miguel de Allende.

“The best of them all”, said Bill, “you can find right where we’re standing.”

Trakaloso Pepitos Prime Is open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm. To order for pick-up or delivery, call or message 415 113 2868.