SCV Talk · Archive
Nine years of the Valley’s town square · 2006–2015
SCV Talk
September 18, 2013· santaclarita.com · SantaClarita.com (SCVTalk 5.0) · Wayback capture

Goodbye BroMex, Hello Cringe-Mex

By Mike Devlin

It's been a tough year from BroMex cuisine in Valencia. First you had the quick implosion of Chronic Cantina, then it's replaced by maybe the worst-reviewed restaurant in Awesometown history. Then today comes multiple confirmations that Wahoo's, the grandaddy of the BroMex scene, is taking its neck sunglasses and Volcolm stickers back to Orange County.

When their lease expires, they're leaving Valencia, and in their place will be Cafe Rio, one of those odd Mexican food chains that made its name in parts of the country where Mexican food is hard to come by.

They're based in Utah and with that, carry a strong LDS following, kinda like how Rita's attracts East Coast transplants. Their presence in California has so far been limited to Orange County and southern LA County beach towns you always assume are in Orange County (probably because of all the bros and Wahoo's).

Anyway, I'm burying the lead. You really have to see this commercial. It has to be one of the more bizarre, cringe-worthy spots I've seen in a while. It's like Los Pollos Hermanos meets Napoleon Dynamite meets the Jazz Singer. Something like that.

An embedded YouTube video appeared here in the original post. View the original — embeds are preserved as links in this archive.

Yeah. There's more:

An embedded YouTube video appeared here in the original post. View the original — embeds are preserved as links in this archive.

It's unclear whether this Red State taqueria will play to the BroMex crowd, but if you like Wahoo's, you're probably going to love Cafe Rio.

(For reals though, take the advice of our resident food blogger and check out El Pato and Sabor)


Comments (36)

  1. JoshPremakoWednesday, September 18th, 2013 at 11:23 pm
    We walked past the Wahoo's location by Whole Foods tonight and it's empty.
  2. ToddWednesday, September 18th, 2013 at 11:29 pm
    I've eaten at a Cafe Rio. Not awful. Not good, but certainly not awful.
  3. Lori RivasWednesday, September 18th, 2013 at 11:36 pm
    I don't get these commercials. And I am fighting the cultural accuracy of "more meat," when, clearly, they should be eating chapulines.
  4. JeffWilsonThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 7:40 am
    Cafe Rio is to Mountain West & LDS culture as Chick Fil A is to the south and Real American culture. So I doubt it's Bro Mex. They'll be hosting Boy Scout Meetings there the first week it opens. And you know what that means. Wholesome food + wholesome people = IHOP is on the endangered species list. Yes, soon the local GOP club will be dining Cafe Rio style in one part to shed the baggage that comes with being an IHOP fixture and in another part to do Latino outreach.
  5. JeffWilsonThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 7:40 am
    Tacos with Yellow Cheese = my kind of Messican food.
  6. JeffWilsonThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 7:44 am
    OH and it's yellow because I don't know what kind of cheese it is. Yellow is a flavor of cheese and it belongs on my crunchy tacos. But seriously, that commercial feels like an SNL skit done in the 1980s to make fun of the Juan Valdez commercials in which an enterprising and hard working south-of-the-border-man (they're all the same really) picks coffee beans fresh for me and my family with his trusty sidekick El Burro.
  7. IHeartSCVThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 8:15 am
    I think this is all much too self-aware to be cringe-worthy. If played after a spot where "Chef Lorena Garcia" talks about bringing her mother's authentic black bean recipe to elevate the burritos at Taco Bell (those played last year), these commercial would be more clearly read as parody of the attempt to sell Mexican food products via food lore/authenticity stories.
  8. MikeThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 9:15 am
    This *could* be funny. The cringe comes from the swing-and-miss. Or maybe it's more a #facepalm. #SMH? Re: Lorena Garcia: I heard that stuff isn't as bad as you'd expect (I'm not brave enough to try). Kinda odd that she's not Mexican, so the appeal to authenticity is a strange play. I yearn for the days when Taco Bell was in a price war with itself and kept lowering the price of tacos.
  9. IHeartSCVThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 9:34 am
    Maybe I have a little bit of the bro mindset, because I thought the last commercial was funny. Additionally, I have no sense of food shame, so I ate one of LG's burrito-y creations and it was fine, except there was a weird insistence on putting lots of dressing/sauce inside so there was a little bit of a salad vibe. Taco Bell's new churro, however, is straight up disgusting, and they should just stick to cinnamon twists, which are pleasant.
  10. MikeThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 9:54 am
    On NPR once, I heard a guy talking about something called "Vanishing Caloric Density" which is the idea that with cinnamon twists, you will eat more calories because it doesn't have the oral impact of regular foods (you know, like churros). Speaking of all that, and a true story, by the way...way back when, I did know a girl who worked at Taco Bell and would "hook us up plural" and she was once suspended because a secret shopper came through and ordered two tacos but she didn't ask if she wanted cinnamon twists, which was ostensibly the rule at the time. (oddly, I've never, to this day, been offered cinnamon twists at Taco Bell)
  11. larmccThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 10:42 am
    This is a fabulous article and talks about the science behind junk food and oral impact and all the good stuff: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/magazine Credit: Lori R. (IIRC)
  12. MikeThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 9:22 am
    And of course, the technique of putting mud on the face of Nordic-looking actors while depicting scenes in Mexico is, as they say on NPR, problematic. (Also, NPR, if you're reading, please stop saying 'Byzantine.' Outside of Manhattan, that's not a word, unless you're referring to the Byzantine Empire.)
  13. IHeartSCVThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 9:38 am
    It's to give the impression of a dusty orphanage. There is no probelmaticism to be found, I assure you. And I wouldn't know what they say on NPR. I like KFI, where "guy" is a preferred pronoun in news stories and John and Ken pronounce it "Cuh - stay - ick."
  14. MikeThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 9:59 am
    That's what I like about you. Originality. You project NPR, but you're KFI at heart. Judging by how many strangers assume it's OK to say racist jokes in my presence, I'm the other way around. Also a true story: just yesterday, I was talking to a bro truck driver from Castaic and he too is in the "Cuh - stay - ick" school. If find that outsiders are 90/10 trisyllabic and native Casticians are about 60/40. Leon, if you're reading, though you claim to be a "Cah-steak" sayer, I stumbled on video evidence to the contrary. Watch out!
  15. Timothy Myers, Sr.Thursday, September 19th, 2013 at 9:13 am
    I have eaten at the Cafe Rio in Costa Mesa and it is above average because they do make everything from scratch on the premises. You are also correct about Wahoo's. It is definitely "Meh" but every location in Orange County is always mobbed.
  16. MikeThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 9:17 am
    Yeah, I'm intrigued by the seemingly from-scratch approach. Although similar places (think Qdoba) do the same but everything is just a little off. Even Chipotle, though I've come to like it, has an odd approach.
  17. evitalc31Thursday, September 19th, 2013 at 9:18 am
    This is interesting. What exactly is BroMex?
  18. MikeThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 9:29 am
    If you click on the link, it's explained. It's a tongue-in-cheek phrase, a play on faux-Mex (which is used to describe your lettuce and yellow cheese places). It refers to Mexican restaurants, usually fast-casual, that sprung up in San Diego and Orange County that appeal to 'bros' (think big trucks, flat-brimmed hats, Ed Hardy, etc.) The food at a Bro-Mex is more authentic than a faux-Mex place, but it drops any pretension of cultural authenticity. As Arellano put it: "a certain type of restaurant, one patronized mostly by gabachos who grew up eating Cal-Mex food but don't exactly feel comfortable eating at a taqueria, not necessarily because they're racist (they're not) but because they want to eat in an environment where Sublime is playing on the speakers, not Los Tigres del Norte."
  19. InkGigoloThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 8:09 pm
    When you say, "Ed Hardy," I assume you mean the hideous tshirt and hat line he licensed his name to .. not the actual and legendary tattoo artist. Signed, HSTA
  20. MikeFriday, September 20th, 2013 at 9:45 am
    I could go either way. If dude is so good, how come his stuff looks silly on lighters and air refreshers?
  21. InkGigoloFriday, September 20th, 2013 at 10:08 am
    Most of it is not his actual stuff. Just people licensed to mimic his stuff. Plus, and I know this might not be consistent, but I wouldn't hesitate to have Ed Hardy tattoo me a sleeve whereas, I'll never wear a "sleeve" "designed by" Ed Hardy. But again, I'm a Hypersensitive Tattoo Aficionado.
  22. WalkerFriday, September 20th, 2013 at 10:43 am
    So maybe not a schmuck, but a sell out? Neither is particularly prize worthy :)
  23. InkGigoloFriday, September 20th, 2013 at 10:51 am
    I'm sure his intentions were good in the beginning. Sell-out? Judge not lest you be judged. We all have to make a living. ;)
  24. WalkerFriday, September 20th, 2013 at 10:57 am
    Oh I'm not judging anyone. I'm calling a spade a spade. It may be a hideous Tshirt and hat line, but it's a hideous Tshirt and hat line that bears his name with his blessing. Not that I give a flying fig either way, I'm just saying, semantics and all. It seems silly to argue disassociation when the reality is conscious association.
  25. InkGigoloFriday, September 20th, 2013 at 11:06 am
    Reality. Yeah. Not my thing.
  26. mikecThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 9:38 am
    I'm patiently waiting for freebird burrito to open in the mighty scv! Closest one is in granada hills! Based out of santa barbara, went to texas and took off. Now expanding in california.
  27. WalkerThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 10:07 am
    Welcome to town, Deliciousness! My kids love Cafe Rio, but I was slower to find the love. I found the love, though, and I'd say they're my favorite with Chipotle and Rubios close behind (though once they're an every day option, I suppose the 3 will be tied for #1). They have this sweet pork that is sugary deliciousness, and the freshly made tortillas are perfection. I can't wait to have me some Pork Barbacoa soft tacos. Yum....
  28. Jay StallingsThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 10:33 am
    Wahoo's cannot be replaced. They had something for everyone, including vegans.
  29. MikeThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 10:46 am
    As an aside, I really hated their food.
  30. JoshPremakoThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 10:36 am
    I believe I ate at Wahoo’s a total of 2 times. BroMex? More like BroMeh.
  31. R ValenciaThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 10:36 am
    There is one sure and easy way to tell if your "Mexican" food is authentic. Just check if your plate has a radish placed on it. No radish, not authentic.
  32. evitalc31Thursday, September 19th, 2013 at 11:55 am
    Lol. True. I rarely serve a plate without one.
  33. hsiawenThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 12:12 pm
    I think you're offbase on calling that 'other place' the worst reviewed restaurant in town. DId you not see THIS review? "This is hands down the best restaurant in Santa Clarita, knocking off Piccola Trattoria to a worthy spot in 2nd place, and unfortunately, after 30 years in the area, there still is no 3rd place... (well if you don't mind the $$$$$ price tag, there's good sushi at Maru)... a dearth of fine dining in our area I'm afraid." It' goes on, but I won't....
  34. MikeThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 12:26 pm
    Dude has a point. I guess it's time for you to retract.
  35. hsiawenThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 12:32 pm
    I genuinely almost pee'd myself laughing. http://www.yelp.com/user_details_reviews_s
  36. blutoThursday, September 19th, 2013 at 3:51 pm
    Does this mean you're retiring Lady Ducayne?

Preserved as part of the SCV Talk Archive. Text is presented as originally published; presentation has been standardised for readability. The original capture is available at the Internet Archive.

Support