Industrial sized

The industrial area of Sparks is not a place I visit much, unless I’m in need of things like a new carburetor or catalytic converter. I don’t tend to think of this as an area to dine. However, a recent visit to La Rioja had me reevaluating what industrial Sparks can do for me. Hungover after a night of too much red wine, I found myself looking for some Mexican food to cure me at La Rioja, which, ironically, means red wine.

La Rioja shares a building with a boat repair place, so a faint hint of diesel permeates the air. The restaurant is fairly sparse, with an ordering counter in the back, a small covered bar, and tables throughout. A fake palm tree sits in the center and a jukebox in the corner. There’s not much to look at here, but I came for food, not ambiance.

My friend Brett and I placed our order at the counter. The staff at La Rioja is friendly but not overly talkative. This was fine by me, and my pounding head wasn’t welcoming unnecessary sounds. We started with some chips and salsa ($1.50). The chips arrived quickly and were warm, crisp and thick. The salsa had a ton of cilantro and onions and a creeping spice. We had to stop ourselves from finishing the bowl of chips in order to save room, but I would recommend these to anyone coming here.

For the main dish, I ordered the ultimate hangover food, chilaquiles ($5.99). Chilaquiles are tortilla chips simmered in green chili sauce topped with eggs, onions and cheese. The green sauce was thick and spicy, and coated the chips perfectly. Because La Rioja’s chips are so thick, they didn’t get all soggy from the green sauce. The eggs were fried so the runny yolk broke onto the chips and blended well with the green sauce. This dish had some serious heat, which was exactly what I needed.

Brett ordered the three taco combo plate ($4.99) and went with one each of asada, carnitas and al pastor. I only got to have one bite of the carnitas taco because he shoveled the other tacos down quickly, but the bite I did manage was tender and flavorful, with large chunks of onion atop two fresh corn tortillas. Brett obviously liked the other tacos but said the carnitas was his favorite. Both dishes came with a side of rice and beans. The rice had peas and carrots in it, which I liked, and the beans had a nice sweet flavor.

I was starting to feel somewhat human, but knew that I wouldn’t feel up to cooking that evening so I ordered a chicken burrito ($5.99) to go. When the bag was brought to me, I wondered if last night’s adventures had left me weak, since I couldn’t believe how heavy it was. Later that evening, when I unwrapped the monster, I was blown away by the size. The burrito weighed at least two pounds and was crammed full of rice, beans and shredded chicken. Despite being in my refrigerator all day, the chicken was still tender. I quickly realized that not only would I have dinner, but enough left over for lunch the next day as well.

The bottom line is La Rioja has good, authentic Mexican food that will cure a hangover and fill you up, so I might find myself returning to industrial Sparks for food instead of car repair.