OK, so they have a bank of bubble gum machines at the entrance and they sell cheap mariachi cassettes and real stuffed frogs wearing sombreros from the glass counter where you pay. La Puente is not where you go for haute cuisine and ambiance. It's where you go for authentic, exceptional Mexican food in mass quantities, for a price so low it will amaze you.
Take for example, my absolute favorite dish, one I find myself craving whenever anyone subtly suggests south-of-the-border snarfing. It's the soft-shelled chicken taco, smothered, for an unbelievable $4.25. Roughly the size and shape of half of a regulation football, it's a meal in itself, containing a little something from each of the food groups: a supple flour tortilla enclosing tender, shredded chicken, tangy Cheddar cheese; tomatoes and lettuce, inundated in a picante chili verde sauce with succulent chunks of pork.La Puente passes my quality Mexican food test by serving only shredded beef, chicken and pork, with nothing ground or compacted into a "meat product." They also make their own tamales fresh, with soft ground corn, filled with spicy meat. If you, like I, have been on a quest for a decent tamale in Salt Lake City, you'll find them here and only have to pay $2.40 for them.
The small combination, which includes a full-size cheese enchilada, a tostada, a taco and a burrito, for $6.35, will do it for most. But for the really heavy eaters, there's a large combination, a huge platter containing all of the above plus chili verde, a tortilla and rice and beans for $7.35. How can they do that?
Many restaurants have problems with carry-out food, mistaking orders and packaging meals so that what once was crispy becomes soggy, what once was hot becomes cold. La Puente, however, has carry-out down pat, so your meal arrives at home in pretty much the same condition it would have been served to you on a plate in the restaurant.
Now, for those natives who crave truly authentic dishes, they do offer menudo, or a spicy tripe stew, listed, as printed on the menu "con pata." They've wisely given no translation here. Those who like it realistically served "with hoof," know exactly what those words mean, and those who don't speak Spanish will not be offended. Owners Viola Gurule Tovar and her family are savvy in that they know how to please nativos as well as inexperienced gringos.
La Puente is not the most refined or exquisite eatery in town. If you're searching for haute tamales, look elsewhere. La Puente is just down home Mexican cooking, certainly one of the most satisfying and reasonably priced places around.