EatNopales

I don't have pics.. and I don't know how obscene you would consider it... but in the last year I coined the Ruben sandwich (not Reuben.. Ruben... imagine the girl from the Kahlua commercial pronouncing it)... Sliced Sourdough Bread Smoked Porkchop or Thick Ham Cabbage Sauteed in Butter Chihuahua or Monterrey Jack Cheese Pickled Jalapenos Thousand Island Prepare it like a Grilled Cheese

For what its worth... in Mexico where much of the beef cattle in the north is Angus (correct me if I am wrong but I believe most American cattle descends from the cattle brought by the Spaniards as well)... taste tests by the Cattle industry have generally yielded Limousine cattle (from French stocks) as the best marbling & flavor (although I am not sure if anyone in Mexico is raising Wagyu)... and for slow cooked cuts Grass Fed Sebu is the hands down winner (some of that might be cultural as mainstream American palettes tend to shy away from stronger tasting, gamier meats).

A note about tostadas... my dad is a master tostada maker... it is a serious art in the Highlands of Jalisco where the small plate epitome is a tostada of pickled pork feet & skin. The secret to making tostadas from hand made tortillas is to peel a thin layer of "skin"... typically you are working with day old tortillas... you let them soak in salted water and this will release a thin layer of skin on the surface which you peel by hand then find a clean place to dry the peeled tortillas in the sun. It is a multi day process. This is not just a more laborious way of making a thinner tortilla... the resulting texture is fantastic & superior to just making thinner tortillas or buying factory made. This procedure is also used for making superior taquitos or flautas (which are also a specialty in that region) Those of you with access to a Mexican grocer can save alot of time & effort by asking for Tortillas Raspadas... I can even get them here in Hawaii!

No tacos for dinner tonight, but a delicious meal from Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen. Ancho-marinated whole roast trout, Oaxaca-style (pescado adobado, estilo Oaxaqueno): Whole de-boned trout were marinated in a paste of ancho and chipotle chiles, roasted garlic, Mexican oregano, cumin, cloves, black pepper, cider vinegar, chicken stock, and a touch of sugar. While the trout were baking, I made the sauce - fried onion rings, ancho paste, chicken stock, and the juices from the baking dish. Garnished with radish slices and cilantro. Mrs. C is a tough fish critic, but declared the trout perfectly cooked. Green Poblano rice (arroz verde al Poblano): Poblano chiles were chopped, simmered with chicken stock, and then blended togethr with a bunch of cilantro. Jasmine rice was fried with white onion and garlic, steamed with the green liquid, and then garnished with roasted chile Poblano rajas. Boys loved the rice, even though they claim to dislike cilantro. Busted! Looks beautiful... well done. BTW, did you roll up a tortilla in your left hand to be used as a palette cleanser between strongly flavored bites?

Hello Wantttobe, I sent these recommendations to you via private message... but they might also be useful to others in the forum: Not a lot of gems in Waikiki.. you generally have to leave the area for the good stuff. Fortuantely, the 4 primary culinary streets (restaurant rows) of Honolulu are all within a few miles of Waikiki hotels. Kapahulu... this street actually ends at Waikiki (the intersection by the Honolulu zoo)... you walk half a mile away from the beach there is a cluster of about 50 places that locals enjoy... good mix of tourists & locals. Waialae... another 1/2 mile past the Kapahulu strip away from the beach is Waialae avenue in the Kaimuki neighborhood.. few tourists get here.. another cluster of about 100 eateries. Keeaomuku... this is a couple of miles from Waikiki at the edge of Ala Moana shopping center.. another cluster of about 50 eateries... good mix of Japanese tourists & locals King St.... several mile stretch between Downtown & Waikiki... with hundreds of restaurants... here you will find the top local gourmet places (Chef Mavro, Alan Wong's)... as well as low brow joints. In terms of Waikiki proper here are my recommendations: Miyako at The New Otani hotel for proper, multi course Japanese cuisine Morimoto's (as in the Iron Chef).. (the hottest restaurant in Honolulu at the moment) is solid for a weekday lunch with reasonable prices, and not too crowded. Arancino for solid, solid haute Italian cuisine (even my friend from Rome approves) Seoul Jung at the Waikiki Resort Hotel.. this is a hotel & restaurant operated by Korean Airlines mostly for their staff & Korean tourists Hot Dogs have become a local thing and the three most important hot dog joints on the island are all in Waikiki... Hank's Haute Dogs, Hapa Dog & Puka Dog... I'd say do a crawl and share a dog at each joint! Kapahulu Recommendations Zaratez taco track parked next to Waiola shave ice... ask for the Mulitas Campechanas (Steak & Chorizo, Melted cheese between two griddle corn tortillas with onions, cilantro & salsa) Irifune (Izakaya) Side Street Inn (local bistro type cuisine, very casual,huge portions) Rainbow Drive In (local plate lunches i.e., heavy, meat centric dishes served with two scoops of rice, 1 scoop of Macaroni salad)... the fried chicken & katsu are local favorites Keeaomoku Recommendations Orine Sarang Chae (Quality Korean with lovely patio dining a rarity in Oahu) Gomaichi Ramen (recommend the soup with pork belly) King St. Recommendations Skip Alan Wongs... go to Chef Mavro instead Sushi Sasabune (sushi nazi) Bac Nam (Jelly Fish Salad, Beef Stuffed Squid & Oxtail Pho are fantastic) Sushi Izakaya Gaku Sweet Home Cafe (Taiwanese) Spices (Thai & Laotian.. the Dill Curry is a favorite of ours) Waialae Recommendations 3660 On the Rise (Local Haute cuisine great for families, no longer hip so there are no excessive crowds... the Ahi Tempura roll is probably the best dish I've had in Hawaii... rare Tuna crusted in Panko.. served with chicken gravy & Japanese salad.. great stuff). Sabrina's.. Homestyle Italian, BYOB, casual, food lovingly cooked by a couple from Rome.. everything cooked to order.. be prepared for a long meal Soul... acceptable Southern U.S. regional cuisine Outside of these areas: Max's of Manila (This is a chain of diners from Manila... Filipino fried chicken & other regional specialties from the Tagalog region).. in the Downtown area Ahi & Vegetable (Spicy Ahi or Salmon bowl.. fist size ball of spicy raw fish served over baby greens with Ponzu dressing.. miso soup etc.,... simple, tasty, top notch ingredients <$10 per person) Haleiwa Joe's in Kaneohe (not the one in Haleiwa).. decent continental + local cuisine (Prime Rib, Grilled Local fish etc.,) but arguably the most spectacular tropical setting on Oahu.. with Koolau mountains in the back drop, lush tropical forest views etc.,) BTW.. the beaches on Waikiki suck.. the best local beaches are on the Windward side... highly recommend Kailua & Lanikai beaches.. as well as Waimanalo & Kaawa... if you get down to the Kailua / Lanikai side some decent eats to be had: Uahi Island Grill (casual bistro type food with local flavors) Chadlou's for Coffee & Ice Cream sandwiches or stop by Foodland for a tub of Poke, Fried Chicken, Pasteles (Puerto Rican tamales made from plantains with pork, olives & Recaudo), Salad Greens, Fresh Cut Papaya... picnic on the beach. Also for Hawaiian cuisine.. the best is at Helena's Hawaiian which is in Kalihi's restaurant row on School Street (this is a low rent Filipino & Pacific Islander immigrant neighborhood.. perfectly safe at day time).. other noteworthy places there are Mitsuba deli & Mitsu Ken catering... also worthwile would be a trip to nearby Liliha Bakery for locally flavored pastries (coconut sugar crusted puffs among other things). If you don't get to Helena's Hawaiian.. then Ono's on Kapahulu would be okay.

Eh...?!! Do you prefer to eat clams unshaven? BTW... Almejas Rasuradas / Shaven Clams are a real & popular / widespread dish of the Mexican raw seafood kitchen. Unfortunately.. most people nowadays take shortcuts and use the Maggi Mex style soy / msg sauces to provide the umami flavor instead of steaming clam shells & reducing into a cocktail sauce. http://www.maggi.com.mx/FrmReceta.aspx?Tipo=Ingredientes&IdReceta=1192&origen= As to the provenance of the dish name... all I can say is you need to listen to 19th Century folk music from Mexico: (Click on Show More for lyrics translation)

Manliest & America don't go in the same phrase. You have to go to Tijuana strip joints... pink tacos, shaved clams, fried chicken necks, lamb machitos (deep fried lamb oysters & intestines), calf brains with black butter, really cheap well "tequila" that can't legally call its self Tequila... oh yeah and salads made from Habanero chiles.

I would say its the primary sugar used in Mexico... hence why its not labeled. On a cultural note of interest... one of the terms for piloncillo is Panocha which is also slang for vagina.

You are very lucky my friend

Is it common knowledge on these boards that the traditional vinegar in Mexico is made from Pineapple? Banana does not seem like much of a stretch from that, and in Italy they make some pretty expensive vinagers from Mango. I've been to Rancho Gordo's home... he has a wicked Pinapple vinager mother going... among a gazillon interesting things.

Check this teaser for Third Root the Movie... staring Camilo Nu a Mexican of Levantine origins... halfway through the clip he is in Morocco and playing with local musicians a gnawu arrangement of La Guanabana (a traditional Son Jarocho whose lyrics are all about celebrating the cunnilingual arts)... doesn't get much more surreal than that. The whole clip is fascinating of course. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNBWIiSi57c

Oliver... I will not speak for Manhattan, NYers should chime in... I have noticed a huge number of diners there owned by Greeks and Italians... I vaguely remember some Greek influences but I've only been a half dozen times. In L.A. the Greek influences are certainly there... the burger patties are made by a particular Greek owned food service company that supplies most of the burger joints they come pre-seasoned with an addictive spice blend that also speeds up the charring process (I can detect garlic extract, greek oregano & paprika among other flavors). This same company provides preseasoned, pre-cooked Gyro meat that just gets griddled up for gyros, as well as well above average precooked Pastrami meat that just needs to be sweated... and many of the Greek joints will ofter monstrosities (in a good way) that include Gyro or Pastrami on the burger. Other things they provide are pepperoncini, these little pickled spicy yellow chiles (not part of the Mexican lexicon), as well as pickled cucumbers. Finally... 100% of the cooks at these Greek joints have been Mexicans or Central Americans for at least 20 years now... and I have watched as these burger joints have added Mexican dishes... Dino's in particular is well known for its Sinaloa style Chicken (Whole chicken marinaded in a combination of citrus & garlic juices, black pepper, Mex Oregano, a little cumin.. that is "split" and grilled over the same smoky burger crud crusted grails etc.,) I could go on & on about the various Greek, Mexican & other influences that have crept into their basic Burger & Fries offering.. these places have huge menus. To be clear... the ingredients are not fancy... they are better, more local more artisinal than Sysco institution crap but we are not talking wagyu beef, special rolls, homemade aoilis etc.,... these places just serve thousands of burgers every day... they have the secret to seriously juicy, charred patties full of smokey flavors.. good slathering of thousand island, onions, tomato, lettuce, yellow cheese, really fresh bread... the fries are pretty bad at most of these places (typical Greek style fries)... but they really now how to make Chili Fries... at Dino's they are so busy at lunch time that they just have their entire grill space packed with patties at every second... at the end of the lunch rush they take leftover patties, collect burger juices they trap under the grills... make a roux with ground Anchos, Californias & Arbol chiles and the juices... then they finely chop up the leftover burgers, blend them with the roux, water & salt... cook that down. The fries are swimming in this delectable chile studded with lots chopped onion & yellow cheese... damn they are delicious!

@ Heidi have you been to Dino's? I grew up a short walk away from the one at Main St & Griffin Ave in the 90031 (Lincoln Heights)... people come from downtown in their uppity office clothing at lunch to eat there.. I can't imagine any of those office workers doing the same drive for In N Out.

@ Heidi You are right.. no drive through... not so much diner though typically you place an order & pay at one window.. go find a table, and they dispatch your trays from a different window / counter... order usually ready in less than 5 minutes. Me personally I can't see the benefit of drive thru convenience outweigh the superior taste at the Greek ghetto burger joints... except maybe on a really rainy day with a full parking lot etc.,

Their burgers are okay.. certainly if your standard is McDonalds or Carl's Jr they are going to seem like a 4 star meal... but having lived in L.A. for 25 years I think I might have specifically craved an In n Out burger a couple of times. The local Greek owned chains that operate through out ghetto L.A. and the adjacent suburbs (Dino's, Troy's, Astros etc.,) were so far superior (cheaper & faster) than In N'Out... way overrated. Set your expectations low.

I should also note the Mexican phenomenon of the "3rd Root". In the rebuilding following the Mexican revolution (1910 to 1921), there was a nationalist movement to increase the prominence of Ancient Mexico in modern Mexican culture reversing 4 1/2 centuries of Anti-Native Mexican rhetoric... where Spain & later the Criollo (Spanish descendant) leaders of Mexico sought to make Mexico just another Spanish nation. By the end of the 20th century, this movement had succeeded in affecting the Mexican identity.. and Mexico was now a "mestizo nation" with two roots.. Native & Spanish (I am sure this much is obvious but can't be taken for granted). Following that accomplishment.. Mexican academics & cultural leaders have now been working feverishly to raise a 3rd Root... it mostly began with proponents of the African 3rd root... in the last decade or so there has been a big push for an Islamist 3rd root.. and to a lesser degree there is a Filipino / Pacific Islander 3rd root movement... all have historical merit particularly in specific regions African influence in the coasts of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Tabasco & Campeche, the North African & Levantine influence in Veracruz, Puebla, Mexico City.. and the Filipino / Pacific Islander influences in coastal Colima, Nayarit, Jalisco & Michoacan. So what I am getting at is there is a lot written from within Mexico, by Mexicans (not necessarily of middle eastern origin) on the "Islamic" third root.. there is even a music documentary out there about the connection between Son Jarocho & North African / Arabian / Levantine music

My pleasure

While its certainly true that there is an "Islamic" influence (although that is not a good phrase) in Mexico cuisine, the article is quite flawed and simplistic. Many said "Islamic" influences fall under three categories: Native Mexican Cognates Native Spanish Cognates Pre-Islamic Influences from the Mediterranean The article is written for an organization whose vested interested is promoting the impact of Arabian culture in the Western world, and there is a lazy assumption that any dish in the Spanish speaking world whose name is derived from Arabic can be credited to the various Moorish caliphates. It also assumes that Arabians invented everything that was in their cultural profile at the time of the Caliphates it ignores earlier influences from Berbers, Egyptians, Persians etc., Moles, for example, predate the existence of Islam by 4,000 + years. Is there a connection between Mole and the culinary traditions of countries which today practice Islam? Yes absolutely, Spain was obviously influenced by the Moors for what 7 or 8 centuries and of course made great contributions.. but prior to that Spain (and its European colonial masters of Antiquity... Greece, Rome etc.,) were influenced by modern day Tunisian, Moroccan, Algerian & Eastern Mediterranean cultures. But the real smoking gun is that the Spanish conventual & palace cuisines of the 17th Century were deeply influenced by Turkish cuisine... you see this in old cookbooks published in Mexico at the time the phrase Cocina Turka, or a la Turka to describe melanges of Spice Route ingredients with Dried Fruits & herbs etc., At is at that time that a certain style of Mole developed, nowadays immortalized as Mole Poblano, Mole de Xico, Manchamanteles etc.,that combined the Pre-Hispanic mole traditions with the "Cocina Turka" of baroque era European civilization. To make a long story short that article is full of naivete and lacking in academic rigour.. way overplays the hand of the "Islamic" influences in Mexican and Indian cuisine (the latter part of the sentence is even more laughable if you have a sense of the timelines of Arabian & Indian sub-continent cuisines... it is clear that India has long had the more sophisticated and varied cuisine of the two... it was the grand Abyssinian, Persian & Indian cuisines that influenced Arabian cuisine not the other way around).

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Tacos for dinner / main meal? Soooo... un Mexican The proper way to eat a main meal is to roll up the tortilla in your left hand, and eat your guisado / stew & side dish with cutlery!

Another great classic dish we enjoy regularly is Minestrone Verde... chickpeas, cannelinis, kale, onions & other green vegetables flavored with a parmesan rind & pancetta.

I gather you are referring to Dried Garbanzos specifically... Green Garbanzos are delicious.. like Edamame but better.. can be found at Mexican markets. The traditional way to prepare them in Mexico is do NOT shell, after you wash them, drain them very lightly making sure they are still moist.. put them in a clay pot with plenty of salt.. cover with a tight lid and let them cook in their own sweat for about 10 minutes or so over low medium heat.. just nosh on them as an appetizer and throughout the meal. As for dried Garbanzos.. they are fantastic in the classic Barbacoa Consome (soup made from the drippings of pit roasted lamb) Other than hummus & others mentioned on here... a delicious classic from Ethiopia is Shiro... pureed chickpeas with onions, clarified butter & the classic Berbere slow cooked to a very thick paste. If you can't find Injera.. the spread is great on a sour roll or a good quality wheat tortilla.

One note... the Abuelita / Ibarra stuff IS NOT for eating.. that is specifically made for Hot Chocolate... but the stuff made by Tazza, Maria Tepozteca etc., is specifically made for eating.

Its eating Chocolate. For people used to the idea that Chocolate HAS to be tempered then you are going to experience some shock. If you approach it with an open mind.. you will soon love the Stone Ground chocolate. I cannot easily find Mexican eating chocolate in Hawaii.. but there is a very authentic producer from the Northeast called Tazza (they imported rustic, very old equipment from Oaxaca) that makes fantastic organic, stone ground disks for eating. http://www.tazachocolate.com/ Its hard to explain... it is just a different paradigm in eating chocolate... give it a try. If you enjoy Mexican foods that are challenging to Euro phyllic tastebuds then you will also enjoy the Stone Ground stuff.