Saturday mornings at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market are sort of a rite of passage for both folks who live here and tourists that come to visit. It's a fine line for locals as we want to support the local farmers but are intensely put off by the gawking tourists, people pushing multiple kids in strollers and folks who bring their dogs even though dogs are not allowed in the food market stalls area. All of it produces a mass of people in a small space--it is not for the claustrophobic or people who don't like crowds. But when friends say they want to meet up there we dutifully go and just roll our eyes at the machinations and outfits of those who don't live here--hey it passes the time. One goal of going is to grab a bite to eat and there are any number of outside stalls offering the standard "local, organic, sustainable," blah, blah, blah food. I've eaten at a fair number of them before, but one I hadn't tried for whatever reason, was Primavera Mexican Food.
They are really just a local tamale company from up north that comes down on Saturdays just for the Farmer's Market. After all the times we've been here I can't really say why I haven't tried them before, though most of the time we are here it's earlier and usually I want something more breakfasty but since it's after 1pm I'm willing to give it a shot, plus the line is moving pretty quick as their kitchen is pumping out the orders which is a plus considering the lines at some of the other places seem to be moving at a small crawl. The menu changes slightly from Saturday to Saturday--
Since they are sort of known for their tamales I go with tried and true and get pork tamales.
Two shredded pork tamales with mole pablano sauce served with refried black beans and pickled vegetables. Two fairly large tamales fresh and hot out of the steamer, the shells were firm, moist and soft with a hearty, slightly sweet flavor of yellow corn. The pork inside wasn't so much shredded as in soft chunks that pulled apart easily. The pork had a bit of tomato sauce mixed in with a touch of heat but the main flavor came from the mole sauce on top. It had a nice smokey flavor and the chocolate was more like a compliment to the chiles as opposed to the overwhelming flavor you can sometimes get with mole. I've had a few around town and they are all slightly different depending on how the individual ingredients are portioned and prepared, this one I did enjoy as it seemed to achieve the right balance between heat and sweet. I don't know if I was the biggest fan of the mole with tamales, maybe it's the corn flavor and the chocolate flavor together, either way, I liked the parts separately but not mixed. The pickled vegetable array--carrots, green peppers and cauliflower were pretty good--tangy but not too tart and a hint of sugar, they were a nice side. The beans were, well, beans--cooked and mashed without being gummy and a sprinkle of queso fresco--decent.
As an alternative to some of the other Ferry Plaza fare and the perpetually crowded and pricey Mijita, Primavera is tasty spot to get a quick bite so you can sit and rest from the thronging market crowds and try to decide who just rolled out of bed in what they have on and who thinks they actually put some thought into looking like they didn't put any thought into what they have on.
