The Carneceria - Mexican Meat Market and Restaurant

On the corner of Joshua and 9th in Parker Arizona is the Carneceria Tierra Caliente, a Mexican Meat Market and restaurant. We stopped by there looking for lunch and were not disappointed. It is not a tourist trap but rather an authentic Mexican establishment with fabulous food. The place is not fancy and not very large.

They have an extensive menu board that you can order from or you can buy items from the counter display cases. They have Carne Asada for $7.99 a pound, pollo asado for $3.99 a pound and several other items. Carne means meat and pollo means chicken and both items are marinated in various sauces. An assortment of Mexican cheeses are on the shelf above the meat and chicken.

Since we came here for lunch this is what we ordered. On the left, Deanna got the chicken fajita plate and on the right I got the chili Relleno plate. The chicken fajita was fabulous and Deanna could not eat all of her lunch, The chili relleno was, without a doubt, the best chili relleno I have ever had. The lunch came with chips and salsa. The warmed tortillas are in the foil wrappers at the bottom of this picture.

On the wall opposite our table was this picture. What you see is what you see and once you realize how the painting was constructed, can you not see again what you now can see. It is a fascinating optical illusion

The market had other items for sale. Here is a great selection of sauces of all flavors. I think what sets the better Mexican dishes apart from the Gringo bland food is the sauces that are either used in cooking or added after the food is served. This is quite a selection.

They did have items other than meat and sauces for sale. Here are a few vegetables and in the right hand corner is Tilapia, a fish. Assorted beverages are in the cooler as well. There wer other coolers but no much on the way of dry god or shelf foods. As I mentioned it was a small market.

In one of the small isles they had this charcoal. If you want to barbecue you might as well use the good stuff. Mesquite charcoal from Mexico. I know it is not barbecue weather as of yet in Walla Walla but soon it might be. The Carneceria is a great place and if you get to Parker and have a hankering for Mexican cuisine be sure and stop here, the food is fabulous, it is the real deal.