4B - Thursday, January 24, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4B - Thursday, January 24, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom I' 4 Daily nanages Pilar's Tamales o Pilar's, which is family-operated, has over 30 recurring tamale favors, n Airicanii oo anai 1maz these establishments, meet their ria bring owners and, of course, try some delicious food. itiC flavor When I arrived at Pilar's Tama- les, which is located in a small IN LYNCH plaza a bit of a jaunt down West Arts Editor Liberty away from downtown, I parked in one of the few spaces :he early 19th-cen- located in front of thebuilding and n Keats, the phrase walked toward the restaurant's bility" has come to door, completely unaware of what bility to hold two to expect as I entered., leas in the mind Opening the door, I was imme- i it comes to Latin diately enveloped in color and d, I'd like to think sound. The walls are painted a certain negative with sharp shades of yellow and red, and the air is permeated by e, I am both a fan of appetizing smells and exuberant Chipotle and a rela- dance music. The restaurant is customer of Xochi- larger than it appears from the -ant, an authentic outside and includes a sizeable arant in downtown dining area in an attached room eat a quesadilla at to the right of the kitchen and South University cash register. the quesadillas of The woman running the reg- atin American res- ister - who I would come to find t do, in fact, crave is Sylvia Nolasco-Rivers, the res- Doritos Locos Taco taurant's owner and manager - ll (gasp!) despite was greeting every customer that ware that what lies walked in and enthusiastically >oritos shell could describing the menu items to all e death of me. who looked unsure. this negative capa- Nursingjunior Allie Van Zoeren insatiable hunger was standing in the front room :o visit two of Ann looking like a seasoned veteran of authentic Latin Pilar's, and I asked her about her staurahts: Pilar's history with the restaurant. mous for, well, its "Well, it's pretty close to my Salvadoran cuisine house. And it's really tasty and Taqueria - a taco pretty inexpensive," Van Zoeren versatile menu of said as she awaited her sweet . open to expand- plantain tamale and drink. ns and awakening Her drink was horchata, a , I was enthusias- brown-colored rice concoction pportunity to visit that I had always been curious about since hearing the Vampire Weekend song of the same name. I ended up ordering a glass of horchata and a chicken pupusa, which Sylvia described as a little Salvadoran pizza. The pupusa was shaped like a hand-sized pita bread, filled with a tasty meat-and-bean stuffing. It came with a side of salsa, which I dipped the pupusa in, relishing in the delicious flavor. The horcha- ta, which was chilled and tasted creamy and almost chocolatey, was equally delectable. Afterward, I sat down with Joe Rivers, Sylvia's husband - as Sylvia was busy expanding her brand and meeting with potential clients about catering a wedding - and discussed the restaurant's cuisine, an homage to Sylvia's homeland of El Salvador. "Salvadoran food sort of has a particular style of its own," Riv- ers said. "It tends to be alot more grains. Because of the dynamics of El Salvador itself, there's a lot less meat in things. There's virtu- ally no dairy." "And Sylvia does very much believe in locally-produced ingre- dients," Rivers continued. "So, we do as much.organic as we can." The restaurant, Riversawent on to describe, was founded 12 years ago and named after Sylvia's aunt, Pilar, who ran a successful tamale business in Ann Arbor in the'80s and'90s. "There's definitely sort of a lin- eage with these tamales," Rivers said. "The tamales that we make are the same family recipe that (Sylvia's) grandmother made in El Salvador, the same ones that they grew up with." Pilar's is completely family- run and operated, and the vibrant dining room area is decorated with Salvadoran paintings and memorabilia and is populated by a nuniber of assorted customers. "We have a very diverse cli- entele," Rivers said. "Sometimes we get academics who are having- staff parties or parties at home. But, like I said, I think people just recognize the quality and the fla- vor, and if it's within their pock- etbook, they do iton a consistent basis." In their 12 yearsof business, Sylvia has created over 40 differ- ent flavors oftamales, 30 of which come back each year. This Valen- tine's Day, the restaurant is even introducing a strawberry and chocolate tamale.. Overall, Pilar's Tamales has high-quality, flavorful food at an inexpensive price and a rousing, Salvadoran atmosphere. On the complete opposite side of town, Tmaz Taqueria is a- small Mexican restaurant in a plaza on Packard. After finding a spot in the crowded parking lot, I entered the restaurant and was greeted by Cesar Hervert, the owner and manager. Compared to Pilar's, Tmaz had a very relaxed atmosphere. The yellow walls are not quite as vibrant and the music is certainly calmer than the upbeatsongs that echoed through Pilar's, but the food smells just as delicious. After looking at the menu, which is filled with countless taco 0 4 was t chee incre in downt vert said. everyone ~rc c~ Hervert went on to how he ended up openin Arbor," he said. "And since the Latino community isn't located in one specific place - it's really spread out - I decided that some- where between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti would be a good place, and this location ended up work- ing out." The word "taqueria," Hervert explained, is the Spanish equiva- lent of "taco place," and fans of Chipotle and other chain restau- rants might notice something missing from the menu. "People ask why I don't have burritos," Hervert said. "And it's U I / MARLENE LAcASSE/Daly traditional burrito, focusing instead on tacos and other Mexican cuisine. I I I a ogically placed between Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor and named after the Mexican town of Temascalcingo.