Lanny Lancarte

I hope you still check this. Sorry for the delay on the response. I think that Tex-Mex cuisine is an American Regional cuisine. It was created by immigrants to this country to accommodate the tastes of the local communities. It has roots in Mexican cuisine but separates itself (how ever you take it) with American ingredients. I am a little torn on this subject, I consider my great-grandmother a pioneer of Tex-Mex cuisine and have taken a lot of shots as to the bastardization on Mexican cuisine. I know that my great grandmother could anything under the sun and was born in Michocan in a Mexican Kitchen. With that said in her time she could have tried some authentic dishes on her clientele but what she ended up serving pleased her patrons and caused two things: repeat business and the evolvement of Tex-Mex cuisine. It is a hard answer on the city with the best Mexican. I do think Chicago has good food, Santa Fe is a little to Southwest for me, unfortunately I have not dined in L.A. and here in Texas, I always enjoy frequenting restaurants in Hispanic Neighborhoods. As long as someone is pouring his or her heart into the food, the city has no choice but accept an exceptional restaurant. My last meal would have to be about a 30 course tasting. Mainly Mexican, but there would have to be an Italian chef involved with some Italian wines. More specifically if I had to choose, which I hope I never do, Chicken in Black Mole. And lastly, being reservation only and knowing the menu, we have a pretty "tranquillo" kitchen. If I do curse its usually all in Spanish (as I am the only one in the kitchen who speaks English) it would have to be Chingado, ya; ya se quemo. I would entertain any more questions if you like. If not I enjoyed talking with all of you. Thanks. Lanny Lancarte

Thanks for the tip on the company in Dallas. Let me know if you have any other questions, I will check a few more times today. If not thanks for having me and feel free to contact me at any time. Lanny Lancarte

I get my huitlacoche from Chef's Garden or Earthy Delights. The both are on the internet. It comes in frozen but is great quality. On Mexican Cheeses, if I have the milk I will make my own Queso Fresco, or creamy goat cheese, if not I will use Mozzarella Cheese Co. out of Dallas or will go to the Mexican Super market. It is hard to find good quality cheese so you have to comprimise. I use Spanish cheeses as well.

Yes I have thought about contracting farmers, and I have also tried to grow some things on my own for the first time this year. With some success I have grown some herbs(hoja santa, epazote, cilantro, thyme, etc.) I have also grown peppers tomatoes and some lettuces. But I only have thirty seats in my place, so I can't buy in big enough volume to entice many farmers. So I rely on Chefs Garden and Earthy Delights. I get specialty herbs and vegetables from them. As for places I eat, just about anywhere, I do eat at some local taqueria's and marisco joints. The places in Mexico I have enjoyed are Izote, Patricia Quintatna's place and Abagail Mendoza's Restaurant in Teotitlan del Valle. I am a fan of lots of other food, Italian and Japanese might be my two other favorite cuisines. Right now we are working with of course lots of tomato and corn. Huitlacoche, Brussel Sprouts, Beets, and fresh beans. As for fish, we are using Sturgeon, Skate Wing, and Halibut. And we often use Quail, Duck, Lamb and any other meats that the diner would like. I think the similarities in Mediterranean and Mexican start with the ingredients. Tomatoes, Olives, Nuts, and Seafood. The use of beans and rice in the two cuisines also could be looked on as similar. There are some dishes that have parallels like albondigas and meatballs, fideo and the use of pastas in soup, and frijoles charros and bean cassoulets. I have noticed similarities for a while and if you read a Mediterranean cookbook and then a Mexican cookbook you can pick up on some similarities. I could never compare myself to any of these people that you speak of partly because I have taken classes from a few of them, but I do think that the direction that they are going with food, especially that of Izote in Mexico City is along the lines that I try to go. I am still trying to build a foundation in cooking and will continue learning the rest of my life. My future goals are to continue staying with current food trends and of course I would love to gain national recognition, I think that would be the ultimate sign of success of would be to gain recognition from peers across the nation. Thanks Again.

I do enjoy classic veracruz and yucatecan dishes, and the spices and ingredients of the regions and they certainly appear on my menus. As for tortillas, I do make my own but not with fresh masa. Sounds disappointing but I am not keen on the tortelleria in my area. I add certain ingredients to the masa to make it better quality that that of the tortellerias in my area. And people enjoy them. Mostly the masa I use is for tamales and sopes.

Aspiring chef, I would always reccomend cooking for a living if you have the passion and care for food. I would reccomend working in a kitchen for a while before you go. You can pick up some things that could give you an advantage over some of your class mates. Also you can see what a professional kitchen is like and see how deep your passion is for everything involved in the restaurant busineess. Good Luck.

Thanks Richard for inviting me on. Sorry for the delay I was in the kitchen as soon as I stepped off of the plane and finally go in front of the computer. I will start by talking about my cuisine. I call it Nouvelle Mexican; it is not a direct interpretation of Authentic Regional Mexican Cuisine. I use mainly Mexican and Mediterranean ingredients (which have a very strong resemblance to each other) and intertwine them into one cuisine. I definitely owe alot to everyone I have studied under and have taken tips good or bad into my style of cooking. All though I can't say that I am a mirror of anyone of my predecessors. I would like to think that I am going in my own direction with Mexican cuisine, which is also why I have chosen not to do Authentic Mexican. I believe I could recreate age old recipes (which are fabulous) and have good response but I enjoy trying to create and add some other dishes that I enjoy eating, staying with a Mexican focus. I have traveled extensively through Mexico, taking in different regions and to answer a few questions, I have to say that Oaxaca is the place where I often have to get back to, due to the intense flavors and smells of the Markets. I believe this will touch on the soul of Mexican food question as well. When ever you taste a mole prepared in Mexico it is definitely hard to recreate in a professional kitchen for a couple of reasons. First the ingredients used can be the same, but to use comparison in wine, a grand cru Bordeaux can not be created in the Napa Valley. The chilies that are used, the vessels that are used in the cooking process, the chocolate that is used in some moles can be hard to come by( I usually bring back 10-15 pounds of chocolate when I find what I like), and the preparation in some of the sauce work is quite time consuming. It is a rustic food that one might spend from childhood until death perfecting a good mole or recipe, which is why most of the great recipes in Mexico, unfortunately have been lost over time. To the point on why I think most restaurants which are considered upscale, try to "foofify" their menus. The mass public wants to see tenderloin and nicer cuts of meat on the menu to feel that their money is well spent. I would assume not use them, it would be more cost effective, but you would be surprised. I taylor each one of my menus to that of what the diner has requested, and most times if they after they have seen some of the menus, most will go for the same things. However thankfully I have people like you all in this forum that live to eat and don't eat to live. Local farmers, I would love to use more, but I have had a hard time seeking out some of the quality that I would like to see from local farmers. The only farm I drive out to regularly is one that I get unpasturized goat milk from to make my cajeta and goat queso fresco. Nopal Cactus and Risotto. If you have had Nopal (probably in a breakfast dish with eggs) you will know that is has an acidic quality and I think that the acid in that cactus and the creaminess of the risotto (I use Arborio) work well together. And it has been a crowd favorite. I hope I got all of the initial answers and look forward to more response. Thanks everyone. Lanny P. Lancarte II