I am very glad to report that our favourite restaurant in our little town, El Triunfo, seems to have weathered the pandemic fine so far. Business seems to be steady—makes sense as their food is as good as ever. I haven’t reported on our meals there since mid-May but we’ve been picking up food every once in a while, even as we’ve expanded our takeout range quite a lot since then. Their socially distanced pickup routine has changed a bit since my first pandemic report. Curbside pickup now happens via the front entry of the restaurant. Everything else more or less remains the same. You can still pay over the phone if you prefer to (as we do) or you can go in—with a mask on, naturally—and pay and pick up your food. The phone number and pictures of the menu are included in the slideshow below.

This report comprises two meals eaten a month and a half apart. The first, a lunch at home and the second, socially distance dinner on our friends’ deck. Given their compact menu I have no new dishes to report on but for those reading in town or those who might pass through, this will hopefully serve as a reminder of what they do so well. Their tinga de pollo, in particular, remains as excellent as ever—and as good a value for both quality and quantity—and you should always ask if they have tamales when you call in an order. And, of course, Alicia Hernandez’ green salsa remains an unrecognized national treasure.

Take a look at the food in the slideshow, take a look at the menu, make a note of the things you will order when you call and scroll down to see what’s coming next.

There will probably be more Mexican food in the pandemic report next week but not from Northfield. We are scheduled to head up to St. Paul this week to the backyard of friends for a socially distanced lunch. The plan is to pick up food from Homi. Hopefully, those plans will hold. Before that I’ll probably have another recipe and my last report from our India trip which ended [checks notes] in early February.