kalypso

Chris, I am by no means an expert on chorizo, but I do really like the stuff. In fact, my eGullet avatar is hangnig chorizo that we made when I took classes with DK a few years ago. I have made her Chorizo de Huetamo and her Chorizo Verde at home and have a whole photo essay on both. About half the photos are really good, the other half are out of focus. Neither recipe is very difficult, but they do require some time and patience, and I discovered that the KA sausage stuffing attachment isn't well suited for chorizo (too chunky and too loose). The chorizo verde is outstanding. I've had the opportunity while in Mexico to visit two chorizo making operations. One was one of the last commercial vendors (Alianza) in Toluca making chorizo the traditional way and not just banging them out in mass production. This was pretty interesting. Their production room was subterranean and the the room chilled. Their production equipment was actually commerical bakery equipment for bread making that had been imported from Germany. The equipment had been chosen because of it's ability to incorporate all the ingredients efficiently without completely mashing everything up. The texture of the final product was extremely important. There was a master chorizo maker who watched every batch from start to finish but watched the blending phase like a hawk. He knew by sight and feel exactly when it was time to stop mixing. The casings were natural casings and they were stuffed in small batches and moved to the drying room as they were done. Toluca is famous for it's chorizos and as you walk around town you will see ropes of it hanging in various vendor stalls. With the chorizo verde you will see 2 types, one is kind of a muted, drab green and the other a bright and vibrant. Most people are drawn to the bright and vibrant colored chorizo and that's exactly what it is, colored. The drab green chorizo is the one made with fresh produce, the vibrant green is the one made with artificial coloring. The other was a butcher in Teotitlan del Valle who specialized in salchichas (sausages). He demonstrated his process for making chorizo. Our demonstration actually ended outside where he was making fresh chicarrones. I don't know which was better his chorizo or his chicarrones I like chorizo, it's one of my favorite taco fillings, but it's so much better made in Mexico than the stuff that passes for chorizo here. One type of chorizo that I've never seen NOB is called "Obispo" (which is bishop in Spanish). I was first introduced to it in Toluca where it's considered a delicacy. Mexican haggis might be a more apt description. It's similar in that it uses a lot of trimmings + additives and is cooked in (IIRC) the pigs stomach. My Mexican friends have told me it's an acquired taste and I suspect they are right. I've tasted (small tastes) it twice and while I didn't find it disgusting ro inedible, I also didn't find it especially appealing either.

He's making a wise move, San Diego isn't called America's Finest City without reason. But I may be prejudiced

Kim do you happen to know in what part of San Diego he'll be living. We're a pretty big area geographically and it'll be easier to make useful recommendations in his general area. Some of the most interesting and creative dining is actually not in San Diego, it's in Tijuana. That said, here are some local favorites Tender Greens in Liberty station might fit his "green" agenda Alchemy Urban Solace The Linkery is one of the only true fram-to-table restaurants in SD. It tends to be a little quirky but it's really quite good most of the time Blanca is a little further north but the food is very good Market in Del Mar A.R. Valentein Take a look at these and see if you think any of them are appropriate. They're all fairly well regarded in SD and solid choices and cover most of the region except for the dreaded East County where finding good dining is a challenge

I had dinner at Mision 19 last night and it was a delightful and delicious dining experience. I wasn't comfortable taking photos in the restaurant (maybe next time)so I have none to share. Mision 19 is a farm-to-table restaruant using ingredients within a 120 mile radius. It is the only farm-to-table restaurant sourcing and using ingredients from both sides of the border. Here are some of our impressions: Cocktails Short and sweet (literally) list of 6 cocktails, most with vodka. - Martini Tamarindo, a vodka martini made with tamarindo (slighly sour, slightly salty) and topped with a coco/piña espuma (sweet coconut/pineapple foam) - La Fresa, blackberries, strawberries and basil muddled with Cuban rum - La Pera de Loteria, pear puree, ginger and (vanilla?) vodka with a thin slice of pear as a float on top - El Mezcalero, kiwi, mango and banana puree, mezcal, rimmed with sal de capulines (grasshopper salt) - Horcata-Guayaba, horchata and guayaba (guava) and (vanilla?) vodka - And a martini drink made with pepinos (cucumber), which none of us ordered We were a group of 8 and we ordered the first 5 drinks listed above. All of them were quite good and I think all of us would be more than willing to order any one of them again with no hestiation. The drinks make great use of the abundance of ripe fruit found all over Mexico which was what contributed the general sweetness of the drinks, which was not unpleasant. * La Pera was the lightest and most refreshing of the drinks. * El Mezcalero was the most complex in flavor, which is certainly not a surprise given the use of mezcal. But the smokiness of the mezcal was bueatifully tamed and accented by the puree of tropical fruits. * Horchata-Guava was the sweetest of the drinks but not excessively so; this was probably the 2nd favorite drink around the table. The horcata used in it is house made * La Fresa was also sweet like the horcata cocktail, but once again, not excessively so. The strawberry flavor was very pure and the basil accent perfect * Martini Tamarindo was a very elegant, understated drink. The contrast of the coco/piña foam against the salty/sour tamarind produced a drink that went down very easily and very quickly Appetizers The app list was long and reading down it each app sounded better than the one before it. The signature apps are probably the Pinchos and the Oysters, neither of which we ended up ordering. The other app we all talked about ordering but did not was the pork belly with masa crepes. What we did order: - Tuna Parfait which was a layered blend of avocado meringue, minced serrano, yellow fin tuna, Asian spices and pulverized chicharron. Very clean presentation, very good. Also a fairly rich dish given the avocado and chicharron - Tiraditos de Lengua Tosaditos, presented on an oblong plate lined with tiny disks of masa and then topped with thin strips of tongue, arugula, radish, cute little beech mushrooms and dressed with a light vinaigrette. Even though I ordered the Tuna Parfait and enjoyed it tremendously, this was my favorite appetizer of the lot we ordered. - Enselada de Nopales was a generous portion of perfectly cooked nopales (cactus)with a little chile kick. Also served with this dish was one of the most interesting ingredients of the evening. A rinded cheese that was soft and curdy inside, almost like cottage cheese in a rind. It complimented the nopales really well. The menu did include the name of the cheese, but none of us could remember it after we left. Oops. There were also some shrimp on the salad. - Salad of Golden Beets and Artichokes was the one dish at the table that I didn't get to try, though the person that ordered it said it was quite good and had no trouble polishing it off. - Edamame Miso Soup was the other dish I didn't get to try, but heard it was very light and went down pretty easily - The foie gras app was also a hit and very well done. This one was also a case where we couldn't remember all the ingredients in the dish without the menu, only that everything on the plate worked well together. The overall flavor profile was a bit sweet and it worked well against the softness of the foie. Entrees The entree choices are less numerous than the appetizers. We ordered: - Milk fed Baby Chicken was incredibly tender and juicy and gussied up by being cooked and served with truffle and thyme. - Fish of the day was a white fish none of us had heard of but turned out to be quite good - Shortribs wrapped in fig leaves and served with mole negro and cacao is the chefs signature dish and at least half the table ordered it. None of use were sorry. It's absolutely delicious. The shortrib was fall-apart tender and the mole was the perfect partner for the meat. A few of the fig leaves were a bit tough but it was pretty easy to just push them aside. Entrees not ordered included: - Pork loin & Glazed Rib combination - Sauteed Duck Breast w/Kumquat Reduction - Lamb - Steaks - which included Arrechera, Rib-Eye in various sizes, Filet in 2 sizes, a Cowboy Steak for 2 and a laundry list of accompaniments and sauces to pair with the steaks. Portion sizes are not overwhelming so there was room left for dessert, we ordered: - Housemade ice creams in 4 flavors that come in little cones. A bit messy to eat but very good. - Chocolate Textures which turned out to be a tour de force of everything chocolate - Creme Brulee with Piloncillo cookies. The creme brulee was itty bitty, which was a good thing because it was very rich. The cookies were more like empanada dough filled with piloncillo, very flakey but not rich. The cookies were accompanied by 3 housemade marmelades, orange, apricot and piloncillo. - Chocolate ice cream over which a shot of espresso was brewed There are also several coffe/liquor combinations available for after dinner enjoyment. Service was very good. There is sufficient waitstaff and they all have been very well trained. Service was unobtrusive and there was no hurry to rush us out the door to turn the table. Our total bill with tax for 8 people was $396. That included 8 cocktails, 5 glasses of wine, 9 apps, 7 entress and 5 desserts. With tip each of us paid $60. All 8 of us felt that for the quality of the food, the ambiance and the service that $60 was a steal, not to mention an incredible value Since this is a farm-to-table restaurant the menu will change depending upon what's seasonal and available in all the local markets. This was one of the better meals I've had in the region in quite a while and I look forward to returning soon and frequently. Tijuana is not nearly as wild and wooly as it was a few years ago. We were perfectly safe the entire evening. We walked across the border and got a cab to the restaurant. It is a good idea to have the address and/or a map of the location as well as the phone number. Because it's in a new (and green, LEED gold) building not all cab drivers know where it is. The restaurant will call a cab for you to return to the border. We arrived at the border crossing pedestrian line at about 10:45 pm on a Friday night. Surprisingly, there was no line and we breezed through. Yes, you will need a passport or Sentri pass (unless, of course you live in MX)for a dinner trip down from the U.S. The downside of walking across the border is that the walk back is a little on the long side. If someone has mobility issues, this might be a problem. Mision 19 is open M-Th 1 pm - 10 pm and Fri & Sat 1 pm - 11 pm. It is on the 2nd floor with elevator access from the parking garage. They have elevator operators to make sure you get to the correct floor. Parking is available on site and valet parking is available. Mision 19 Mission San Javier 10643 Zona Urbana Rio Tijuana VIA CORPORATIVA building +52[664]634-2493 reservaciones@mision19.com If you are a local in SoCal I would strongly urge you to take a road trip to Tijuana to check out Mision 19. If you are in the San Diego area and interested in fine dining, this needs to be on your radar.

Depends upon whether the ownership remains the same in bankrupcy, or what the bankrupy courts order them to do. They could be purchased by venture capitalists or some sort of investment group. In that case they could do a lot of internal restructuring. The bankrupcy judge(s) can also specify what changes need to be made. They won't be allowed to come out of Chapter 11 until they've satisfied the courts and show that they have a viable plan in place for their operations. Bankrupcy more or less shows that the current model is flawed. I would think they're going to have to make quite a few changes in order to exit chapter 11. Thursday at work I got an e-mail from Sbarros proclaiming how wonderful they were and why I needed to consider a franchise or licensing arrangment with them. Yesterday they announced they were headed to bankrupcy. Passing on the franchise agreement

I agree. In the past the inspectors have always given us a reason, and if it's state law a sheet explaining the law. I'm pretty sure this is a new inspector and is interpretting everything very literally. She also told us we needed a hood over our display cooking station. I don't think so. When we were running rotisserie chicken alot we used our vacuum sealer for the chickens and the health department didn't say boo. So we'll see.

The inspector was not clear on what the exact problem was with it. She just asked if we had a HACCP plan for it and when we said no she gave us a "cease and desist" citation and said it had to be taken out of service until we did. She said something about a state law requiring it but could not be more specific about what the law was or when it was enacted. I've actually got a call into her supervisor to review a couple of the items on which she dinged us because I think they were pretty iffy citations. Our vacuum sealer is one of the issues. It may very well be there is a State law - California has regulations for regulations - but an inspector with the authority to take a unit out of operation also needs to be able to discuss the reasons why and provide the operator with some background (i.e. the state law) or resources. I did find a HACCP template on line that I'm going to check out in greater deatil on Monday and see if we can use it. I hear you, there have been times in our operation where the vacuum sealer was a real asset in production.

Thanks for the tip, I'll Google and see what I come up with.

We've had a counter top commercial vac sealer for at least the last 5-6 years. We've used it for an assortment of tasks that range from sealing batters and sauces for transport or freezing to sealing deli meats after slicing. About the only thing we haven't used it for is sous-vide During the last 2 inspections by the local health department, we've been told we need to develop, and get approved by the state, a HCCAP progam for the vacuum sealer. Both health inspectors have said that the State of California is now requiring this for the sealers. Has anyone had to do this yet? Does anyone have a HCCAP plan for a vacuum sealer they'd be willing to share that could be used as a template? This is not a critical piece of kitchen equipment for us, but I'd hate to have to take it out of service because it does come in handy. TIA

I can see it as a PR gimmick, but as a competitve (in it for the money) food truck? Not so much. Are you kidding, I think this thing will rock it out. The graphics on their truck rock, they're not going far from their target market (20-somethings who've spent the night drinking in the Gaslamp) and they're serving a very limited menu of their top sellers. I think they'll make a ton of $$$ off this venture. When I was that age and partied till 2 am, we used to hit up JITB for the tacos. Grease to absorb the alcohol...or so with thought

The 2nd episode was miles better than the first one. I think what Anne Burrell and Robert Irvine turned out with their baskets - canned haggis anyone - was great. I though Anne's haggis flatbread was brilliant and Roberts stuffed venison pretty amazine given the time constraint. I know I couldn't have turned out something as creative in that time. It seems like the skill level of the cheftestants gets ratcheted up a notch each week. This was easily one of the best episodes of Chopped.

Great article from todays NYTs about the resurrgence of the dining scene in Tijuana highlighting Chef Javier Plascencia More on Mission 19 from blogger Bill Esparza and his StreetGourmetLA blog. And even MSN is getting in on the action with this article about the blossoming hipster bar scene Tijuana has always been notorious for many things, most recently the unspeakable and unimaginable violence. There has been a substantial decrease in the violence and as all 3 articles point out, it is safe for tourists to return to go clubbing on Calle/Avenida Sexta or dining in the Zona Rio or Zona Gastronomica.

Chris, I am really glad to see you working with this book, I think it's a really good one for novice cooks to Mexican cuisine. (I know you're not a novice at cooking Mexican, I just think it's a good book for novices). The part with the 8 essential salsas is particularly valuable because it gives viable chile substitutes and 3 different yields for each salsa. I, personally, think this provides a great deal of latitude and flexibility in learning how to work with chiles and experiencing the various flavor profiles each one brings to the table. Several years ago we started with the Mellow Red Chile salsa you've been using and standardized it to yield 50 gallons. We literally had people bringing us quart containers and asking to buy it . Your observation that it isn't very hot is correct. That was the biggest issue we had when we started making the salsa in large volume. We eventually solved that by adding some dried chile de arbol along with the guajillos. The other thing to remember with some of these salsas is to add enough salt. The flavors will really bloom when the chiles get enough salt. It's been a while since I've cooked from this book, but I remember making the roasted chicken recipe on the cover and that it was good. This cookbook also includes his Mexican chocolate struesel cake, which is good too.

Yes, I have Larousse Mexico book. I think they're different enough to have both. I'll look at them side-by-side this week so I can give you a better idea of how they're different Just returned from the Yucatan and, yes, I had Marqesitos. Loved them. They've added Nutella to the options. It makes a great sweet snack for walking around. It's certainly hard to resist buying when a cart is in the area, they smell so good

What a marvelous opportunity to learn. Being able to observe these ladies in action and find out how and why they're doing things a particular was is really wonderful. Hang in there with the Spanish, I think you'll be able to pick up enough to figure things out

Another vote for Frida's Feasts. I'd add for consideration Mexican Family Cooking by Aida Gabilondo Cuisine of the Water Gods by Patricia Quintana Mexico: The Beautiful by Suzana Plazuelos and Marilyn Tausend (probably one of the more surprising coffee table cookbooks, beautiful photography and solid recipes) Seasons of My Heart by Susanna Trilling (I've never had a recipe fail out of this cookbook, including her mole recipes) Salsas That Cook by Rick Bayless (8 essential salsa recipes, scaled for different yields, with chile substitution suggesetions, follwed by 50 recipes in which to use the salsas. Surprisingly useful slim, little cookbook)

Thank you RG, definitely looks like a place to check out.

Please do post your recommendations. I'll be leaving on the 21st. I've traveled a lot in Mexico but this will be my first trip to the Yucatan. I've culled better suggestions for Valladolid and Campeche than I have for Merdia. Most of what I have for Merida so far is where not to eat. Go figure.

Anyone have an dining recommendations for these 3 cities?

Cooking a chile relleno with a capeado is truly an art and you're right, handling gently is a real key. I've done the "sandwich" method where you put some of the capeado battering into the hot oil and let it set, then add the chile and the top layer. It's easy and effective. A method that I learned from some cooks in Mexico also works and is easier than it sounds. Dip the chile into the capeado and set into a deep skillet with at least a 1/4" of hot oil. Once the bottom of the batter sets up a little, slightly tilt the skillet and begin basting the top of the batter by spooning hot fat over it. This will set the top of the batter so that it won't slide when you go to turn it. It takes a little practice, but not much and by about the 2nd or 3rd chile it gets a lot easier.

As well you should be. Those look great, like you've been making them for years!

Just 2 of us this year but I'm cooking for the leftovers Fresh salsa, Guacamole and Chips Assort salty cracker snacks Margaritas For half-time, or slightly later if half-time is too early on the West Coast Spareribs that have been rubbed with pimenton, granulated garlic, celery & kosher salts, toasted cumin & corriander, some cinnamon and brown sugar Baked beans Made the Ad Hoc Brownie recipe this morning. If you haven't made this recipe, these brownies are fabulous I'm off to pour a Maggie and prep the ribs to go into the oven for the first part of their cooking process. Happy eating everyone and...Go Packers! (Actually, I wish I could be saying Go Chargers!, but once again they failed to produce this year)

I don't think this will help Darienne because she's in Canada, but if anyone is interested in growing their own chiles you can get starts mail order from The Chile Woman in Indiana. I've ordered from her before and have been very happy with the plants when they arrived and once they were in the ground. She offers a pretty wide variety of chiles and you can mix-and-match your order. She parctices organic farming. Here's the web site

I've never covered them when doing the fry method. Usually I just dunk them in the deep fryer until they blister, drain on a rack or paper towels until cool enough to handle and then peel with my fingers. Often if I can find a good started point on the top of the chile where I can get the skinning started, I can wrap my fingers around the chile, gently pull downwards and get most of the skin off in one movement. Then I just go back and clean up the spots that didn't come off. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

May I be completely overwhelmed? I am grateful for your help so far. Thank you. I have very much enjoyed reading about your escapades in trying to teach yourself Mexican cooking. Major kudos for your tenaciousness