chefsteban

I love this bakery and have been going there for at least 20 years. They also bake their bolillos in the traditional meathod....the crusty rolls smell so wonderful when you break one open and slather it with sweet cream butter. Thank you for the post.

Thanks for blogging MIHO, they have been my favorite truck for sometime now...the food is always awesome and the staff friendly and always ready to chat. BTW thanks for the rest of your blog as well....you've written about some of my go-to spots....keep up the great work!

I am happy that TJ is returning to near normalcy. I miss going to Cien Anos. and the Old Guadalajara grill....Even loved Cafe Especial at the bottom of the stairs on Revolution. Many fabulous dinners at Chiki Jai, Fonda Roberto, The much missed El Zaguan and El Abejeno Guadalajara....Over 40 years of dinning memories.....

Kalypso, when will you be leaving for Mexico? I don't have time right now but I have plenty of recommendations for Merida....my fave mexican city. I will post my list as soon as i can...prob in aday or so.

*sigh* I am hopelessly addicted to the Carls Jr. breakfast burger. I have to have one at least once a week, but never more than twice in the same week--unless I am suffering from a nasty hangover.

There is a licor available in Mexico, and I have also seen in at Bev-Mo, called Agavero, A tasty blend of premium tequila and damiana---very delightful.

As a matter of fact...yes I did follow through and make the Pavo Horneado y Jugo de Pavo recipe form Zarela's Veracruz. While not the best turkey I've ever made, it certain was very good and I will probably prepare it again sometime. Our Thanksgiving menu looked like this... Guava & Chile Spiked Margaritas Panela con Oregano (from Mexico: The Beautiful Cookbook) Pavo Horneado y Jugo de Pavo Cornbread & Tortilla stuffing (Dean Fearing recipe from 11/2007 Food & Wine) Mashed Potatoes Steamed Green Beans Creamed Onions (Dean Fearing recipe from 11/2007 Food & Wine mag) Cranberries (Dorie Greenspan recipe from 11/9/08 Parade, which was a real DUD) Pecan Pie The absolute home run hit of the meal was the Panela con Oregano that I served as an appetizer. I substituted queso fresco for the panela. We were stunned at how good this very easy recipe turned out. The queso was marinated overnight in a combination of corn and olive oils, dried Mexican orgeano and severalcloves of minced garlic, then baked for about 15 mintues to heat it through. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it The chile paste for the turkey was easy to put together, though I can't say much for Zarela's tomato charring technique using a griddle on the range-top. I reverted to broiling them. Mind you, I am not a very good photographer; here's the bird finally ready to go It went onto a bed of aromatics that included the biggest white onion I could find, a whole head of peeled garlic, a bunch of bay leaves and some sprigs of oregano and thyme 2 1/2 hours later it looked like this The recipe called for turning the turkey every half hour. I found that a little cumbersome, so as soon as the turkey rendered some fat I began basting with that instead. The onions left in the roaster after the turkey was removed were pretty crispy and charred which caused a few moments pause for concern about whether or not the pan sauce would turn out burned and bitter. But... I went ahead and poured in the turkey broth that had been prepared with the neck, gizzards, tail, onions and other aromatics and proceeded to follow Zarela's instruction to "boil furiously" until reduced to sauce consistency. W-O-W. The "jugo" was fabulous. We had gravy left over. The next day when I took it out of the fridge, it had, of course, separated into the fat layer on top and the juice on the bottom since there was no binder in it. That juice layer is phenomenal. Extremely rich, meaty, rather like a turkey demi-glace. I'd make the turkey again just for this juice. The Cornbread & Tortilla stuffing was a departure from our usual tried and true dressing, but turned out really well. My 89 year old mother who is a real purist when it comes to Thanksgiving - and especially dressing - said "I'd vote for this again". It passed the old folks test The recipe uses tortilla broth as the liquid for the dressing and it was pretty fabulous. I think I'd be inclined to use it as a soup base rather than in the dressing. I liked it better than the finished dressing. The creamed onion recipe I'd make again in a heartbeat. It was super simple and didn't take very long. It's essentially caramelized onions, a few herbs and seasonings and heavy cream reduced down to sauce consistency. Heart attack on a plate probably with the cream, but if it's only once a year it probably won't kill you Not very pretty to look at, but quite tasty And last, but not least, the pecan pie So there you go, my Mexican-Southwest inspired Thanksgiving dinner ← wow is all I can say kalypso. What a wonderful meal that must have been.

Here is what it all boils down to: The true definition of a chef is "One who doesn't have to clean his own pots, pans and dishes".

Bittman is the only saving grace to this Pathetic PBS series. Mario is a bloated, self indulgent pseudo-chef with no fashion sense.....What is with those Bozo the Clown clogs??? Adding to this mismatch is a semi talented "actress" who is clueless about food and very rude. We watch the show for the laughs, and believe me, there are quite a few giggles in each and every episode. Overall the participants wallow in self importance. They don't need to travel to eat, they can feed off each others egos.

I have been fortunate enough to have eaten Hummies black cake and I can say that it was awesome! It was a nice way to begin a weekend morning with an excellent French roast coffee. I still have a bottle of browning that I bought for the bird but have yet to ship to her......

I took this news to my fellow chefs in our kitchen to get their take on moms milk ice cream.....well we went thru the usual disgusting jokes on gather the product. Then we got to the part of what name Ben and Jerry would use to market this confection......again we went thru the male humor names, but we all decided that a cool name for Mothers milk ice cream would be " Thanks For The MOO-maries."

There are just way to many people out there with too much time om their hands. Mothers milk ice cream? Naw, I prefer to get mine straight from the tap thank you.

well then, thats a bold statement. chefsteban, where do you work so I don't go there. Oh my...a card caring member of the politically correct squad. My opinion is just that...MY opinion. So you don't want to come to my restaurant because I dared to speak my mind.....I'm crushed. You just might be one of those folk who go to a discounted dinner affair and order water as your drink of choice.

San Diego's "Restaurant week week is tailored to those folks who live in trailer parks. As was stated earlier, the food presented during that week does not reflect most restaurants usual fare. I will go to those eateries on my own time of choosing. This must be a new ploy on the old Entertainment card scheme.

Please add my name to the reservation list for last meals at Lajas....and make my last bottle of wine A nice Nebiello from L.A. Cetto.

I beg to differ. I'm not sure that I'm a "purist" but I don't think that a taco can be filled with anything that's available. For me, it has to have a Mexican or at least Southwestern flavor profile. If you use a tortilla for other fillings, I'm sure it can be good, but I'm not sure I'd call it a taco. ← You are right..it is no longer a taco, but now what dorks and the ethnically challenged call a "wrap".

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm carnitas tacos ........no pictures to share??? Chef I am so bummed! ← Nope..no pics. I consider cameras to be a pain in the patoot.

Nice job amigo. You just can't beat good home cooking. your finished product had my mouth watering; and I just finished my carnitas tacos, which by the way, were superb. Again a high five fir a job well done.

WHAT??? you go to a shop and buy virtually everything ready made, then you say all you have to do is make guacamole??? I am surprised that you just don't buy the ready made Wholey Guacamole brand or some such.lol.

All of this talk about tacos made me do a mercado run.so tonight is carnitas taco nite at the chefsteban casa. The pork is slow roasting right now. The tortillas are fresh from Lily's tortillas on University Ave. here in San Diego. I am cooking pinto beans that shall become refries to go with the tacos. I've already made a tomatillo salsa.nothing, but nothing, is better with carnitas than a salsa verde con mucho sabor. I still need to chop onions, cilantro and tomatoes for the toppings, and, of course, ripe avocado rounds out the plate.........

I agree with the hummingbird.Ive got so many great tortillerias around my home that I never have to make corn tortillas.

awwww hell...there ain't nothing that comes out of the refridge that can top cold pizza, especially for breakfast!

I stand by my spritzing of butter on my popcorn..if Hummingbirdkiss wants to have a muffin top...well she may have to change her nick to Orcakiss.....

Oh Gawd.......gimme a bag of chicharrones (fried pig skin) with some limes and chile powder...and a cold Modelo especial...... But I can also manage to chow down on cheeto's and cheez-its. On the healthier side...A bowl of freshly popped pop corn....and not those hideious micro wave products. I mean REAL popcorn popped in the traditional fashion. lightly salted.....maybe a spritz of real butter