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I'm doing the Mexican cooking class for the the eGullet Culinary Institute. If anyone would like to assist/watch, they are welcome to come. I'm going to do the cooking on Sunday, August 17. I can accommodate up to 8 people in my kitchen. Volunteers will get to sample the food we are making .

7/23/03 NYT article: The True Flavors of Mexico, Hidden in New York not sure if the above link will work, but I hope it does, because if you haven't seen this article, then you may not know about tehuitzingo deli and grocery, where i had the BEST tacos today. this is the real deal, that's all i can say. chicken, carnitas, spicy pork, steak...and there are others. simply fabulous. check it out: 695 10th ave (near 47th) and yes, it appeared to be packed with NYT readers.

I somehow have agreed to host a very small get-together of NC eGulleteers (Thread Here), and it looks like we'll be focusing on the cuisine of Northern Mexico. OK, I need help. Please tell me what I gotta do. It's only 9 days away!!!!

We're taking out a guest who loves a good fish taco. Any ideas on the best place to order them in the Vancouver area?

I've recently been hearing about two new Mexican restaurant projects that sound intriguing. First, Jose Andres plans to open a Mexican restaurant in Virginia. Second, New York's high-end Mexican stalwart Rosa Mexicano plans to open a branch office in Jose's current backyard in the Penn Quarter. I've heard no dates for the former, but I've heard the latter is expected some time this fall. Does anyone have any further information on these two projects? I really look forward to trying both of them when they open.

Moderator Note: This storefront changed owners in August 2006, but it hasn't changed too much, so I just changed the name of the thread rather than close it. Rachel Jhlurie and I went into the Mi Pueblo grocery on 71 Washington Ave in Bergenfield today. This small Mexican grocery is stocked with all kinds of provisions - including good Chorizo and store-made carne enchilada and cecina (aged beef). A nice surprise is if you walk to the back of the store, there is a small counter where a friendly grill guy, Domingo, who speaks little to no english, will make you a dozen or so varieties of some of the best tacos mexicanos you will ever eat. They cost 4 for 5 bucks, and while not huge in size, are quite filling. They also have Tortas on the menu but we didnt have a chance to try those. We had the Carne (pork), Carne Enchilada (spicy pork), Pollo (chicken), Chorizo (spicy sausage) and Cecina (aged beef). We didnt have the chance to try the Bisteck (steak) because he was out. We were there at around 3:30 in the afternoon, which seems to be a good time to go to avoid the lunch crowds. By far, we feel these are probably the best tacos in the entire area that we have yet had, including those at either El Gran Mexicano in Bogota or Cinco de Mayo in Bergenfield, although those places are still quite good for other items. The tacos at those other places are also worth having, especially if you are going out to dinner, as Mi Pueblo closes down its grill at 4PM, but for a lunching experience or afternoon snack Mi Pueblo is perfect. A wide selection of Mexican sodas was also avaliable.

So the girlfriends are up for a roadtrip! I'm going with three friends, fun gals all. And I know what you're thinking, and no you can't go too. The car is full!!! But all of you that post so eloquently here on the Mexico boards, we're soliciting your advice. We're planning on going around January 5th or so, and staying about 10 days to two weeks. We'll be entering Mexico at Nuevo Laredo, and probably exiting at Nuevo Progreso, although no final decisions have been made. Cities along the route include Monterey, Saltillo, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Zacatecas, Queretaro (where I have friends). Any thoughts? Advice? What should we look for? What should we not miss? What should we take with us? What should we avoid? Caroline/Rachel is in Guanajuato, and is planning some outings for us. And we are actively seeking suggestions.

Anyone know when this restaurant is slated to arrive in DC?

So what, if anything, is the India-Mexico connection that so many of us think we perceive? My guess is that there's clearly an Atlantic connection. There may be a rather different Pacific connection. The Atlantic connection is not one of influence but of membership in a family of cuisines. They all descended from what you might call the Perso-Islamic cuisine that was created for the rich between the 8th and 13th centuries in cities such as Cairo, Damascus and, above all, Baghdad. Although there were lots of regional variations, certain common patterns can be seen: A preference for rice and white bread over other possible starches. The rice was usually cooked pilau/pilaf style by first sauteeing in fat or oil and then adding an aromatic liquid. It was often a main dish rather than an accompaniment. The bread was often leavened to some extent or other. A preference for the flesh of lamb and goat. This was frequently stewed or simmered, often manipulated by grinding, pounding etc. A repertoire of sauces aromatized by nuts, spices or herbs, thickened by the same plus bread, and quite often soured using citrus or other fruits or vegetables (but usually not vinegar). A passion for working out ways of using cane sugar very often in connection with fruits, sometimes with nuts or vegetables. Think lightly sweetened fruit drinks, syrups, jams, pastes, and confections (with an elaborate technical terminology that goes right across the region). An enthusiasm for fine and novel fruits and vegetables which were traded, smuggled and stolen across the region. From the eighth century on, the "Moors" established a version of this cuisine in Spain where it was elaborated for centuries. With the Reconquista that also went on for centuries and only finally ended when the last Moors capitulated in 1492 (big year) it was eventually christianized (pork, wine, etc.) to what I'm inclined to call Hapsburg Cuisine after the family that controlled most of South Europe and a good bit of the north too. Charles V, the most thrusting of the Hapsburg monarchs, was the ruler to whom Cortez reported. And it was the cuisine that went to Mexico. And in India, a series of merchants, missionaries and invaders established outposts of Perso-Islamic cuisine from the eighth century on. This series of incursions culminated with the Mughals who arrived from Central Asia via Persia at exactly the same moment that Cortez was marching across the central valley of Mexico. The various Mughal emperors established their version of the cuisine in northern India, albeit with some modifications to local circumstances. So, I think, pilaus in India and sopa secas in Mexico, "curries" in India and adobos, moles, etc in Mexico, sharbats etc in India and aguas frescas in Mexico. Subsequently many of the cuisines between Mexico and India changed more dramatically than those at the two ends of this culinary belt. Spain and Italy adopted more elements from northern Europe than Mexico ever did. The Ottomans who had the same roots as the Mughals never adopted Perso-Islamic cuisine to the extent that the Mughals did so that they transformed the cuisine of the eastern Mediterranean in a different way. And Iran and Iraq? They seem to be pretty much black holes where later culinary history is concerned. The Pacific connection is more speculative. Cross Pacific trade between Manila and Acapulco began in the late sixteenth century (at least as far as the Spanish were concerned) and as Sun-Ki has pointed out, the Filipino scholar (one-woman dynamo might be a better description), Doreen Fernández, traced lots of food connections between the Philippines and Mexico. We also know that Mexico adopted Asian pottery making techniques, imported silkworms and set up a silk industry (resbozos) etc. So a lot was going on. And Manila was a hub of trade in Southeast Asia at the time and Indian merchants were a major force. In Mexico the so-called China Poblana (Chino or China being a generic word for Asian, Poblano for the city of Puebla where she lived a distinguished life) is an emblematic figure even today. It seems she was a girl from a Hindu family from South India, a region that had evolved elaborate cuisines in palaces and temples. She might have been too young on arrival to have influenced the food of Puebla. But if she arrived, why not a fair number of others from her region? And it is crystal clear from culinary history that you don't need a mass migration to effect change. A few key individuals can do it. This is an embarassingly superficial take on about a thousand year history so please do point out all the flaws! Rachel

Lord, Lord, have I seen the light! I used to avoid this dish based on the truly awful, grey gelatinous stuff I saw going by on hotplatehotplate in restaurants, but I had it at a picnic yesterday made by someone's adorable abuelita, and damn that was good! Trouble is, I asked her for a recipe and she smiled enigmatically at me while the rest of the family giggled into their plates. Any help out there?

http://www.laweekly.com/ink/printme.php?eid=48458 Anybody been?

Was buying a couple dirty water dogs from Mrs. Rooney's Sabrette stand last weekend when I noticed a new place across the street called The Shack. Figured I'd try it today for lunch and was pleasantly surprised. Given the kitchy So-Cal colorful surf style interior, and the fact that there were no other patrons inside, I admit my expectations were not exactly high. The first surprise was the obligatory basket of chips and salsa. Instead of the standard cooked salsa that could have come in a jar that most places tend to, I was treated to an entirely fresh Pico de Gallo style salsa, that if mixed with lime juice & seafood would have made a killer Ceviche (Something the owner conceded he did as a special on occasion). For $3 a side of Guacamole was also right on the mark, none of the over creamed commercial type stuff, but chunky with diced chiles and onion. The entree I had was Enchiladas Del Mar ($8.95), Corn tortillas filled with shrimp and scallops, topped with a tasty version of ranchero sauce, cojita cheese (a hard Mexican cheese similar to Parmesan, but not as salty) and sour cream. It was a nice size portion served with rice and a choice of Black or Refried beans. Lunch portions generally have 2 items, dinner 3. Talking to the owner I mentioned I was surprised given the pacific connection that they did not offer fish tacos. He proceeded to point out the appetizer Baja Tacos ($7.75)... Douh!! Battered, lightly fried fish fillets on soft corn tortillas with shredded cabbage, a special white sauce, cheese, pico de gallo and a lime wedge. This will be my next sampling! For dinner, no appetizers are over $8. Only 2 dinner entrees exceed $15. Will post the menu on my site soon.

Jason and I went to dinner at Saigon Republic in Englewood tonight. We parked just up the street in front of this new store. A family party was just breaking up as we arrived, they had been having a "set up the store" party and the grand opening is tomorrow. After dinner we noticed a few people still inside so we stopped in to say hello and check it out. The grocery part is not huge, but a nice selection including souvenier trinkets from Puebla, all along one wall of the store. The rest is cold case & counter for prepared food. Soon there will be a few tables between the service area and the soda fridges in back, but they were not in evidence tonight. Jason got to sample the kick ass mole sauce that Jesus, the cook/owner (who formerly worked at Chez Dominique in Bergenfield), had served earlier at the party. We also learned they will be soon selling tacos, tortas, taquitos, etc. Saturday is their Grand Opening at Noon, featuring Free Tamales! El Paso Mexican Grocery and Deli 46 West Palisade Avenue Englewood, NJ 07631 201-567-3201

http://northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpc...UVFeXk2NDM4OTQ3 Staff Writer Victor Sasson wrote a pretty intersting peice about all the Mexican restaurants and stores in Passaic. Anyone try any of these places? Sounds like we have a NJ get-together candidate if we can find the right place.

Vivo’s Cocina Mexicana on Manor across the street from Hoovers is finally open! After suffering for the last 18 months without my beloved puffy tacos, Roger Diaz finally opened what I lovingly refer to as “La Fiesta Patio Café North”. I ate at La Fiesta in Universal City once a week for at least 10 years (maybe more) and I'd found nary a one puffy taco since moving to Austin. It was worth the wait. The beef puffy tacos and the cheese enchiladas with chili gravy at Vivo’s tasted EXACTLY the same as La Fiesta’s. And that’s a good thing. A very good thing. The place is nicely decorated (very earthy colors), the deck is great, and the women’s restroom is way nicer than La Fiesta’s. Run, don’t walk to Vivo’s--I don’t want to drive 60 miles for puffy tacos again.

I was having my favourite moan tonight with some workmates about hankering after good Mexican and not finding it. I bought some corn tortillas from the Chili Company (or whatever they're called) in Borough Market on Saturday but they just didn't taste right, even when filled with grilled marinated fish and salsa. What's the latest update? Any hope of a real Mexican place opening? Any rumours at least...? Help me out here, I'm desparate.

A California friend turned me on to fish tacos -- which are amazing when done well, and not worth the calories when done poorly. I've found a couple of places that do great fish tacos -- B Bar in the village and Dos Caminos (park ave & 28th, I believe). Is there anyplace else worth trying? I may have to make a pilgrimage back to CA if I can't get my fix here.

Well...it's been a few weeks since I came back to British soil, but work's been pretty unforgiving so I haven't been able to write up my holiday notes. Now that my tan is fading (but my freckles aren't, oddly), I hope that I've still got all the details down accurately! As mentioned before I went, I was lucky enough to be visiting someone whose boyfriend is Mexican and local to the Yucatan. So I had a great guide to all the best places to eat (not to mention the cleanest - I think Sian was the biggest neat-freak I've ever met) and an 'in' to his 80-year-old mother, a tiny lady with a great line in tamales. I have a LOT of things to talk about, so rather than writing one single post (which is going to take AGES), I'm going to do this is bits & pieces. At least that way it all seems a bit less daunting... First, my overall notes. I'm relieved to report that I didn't suffer even the smallest bit of tummy trouble, in spite of eating everything under the sun. I'm sure this was mainly due to Sian's hawk-like attention to cleanliness, although I joined both him and Tara in munching veggies washed in tap water with no ill effects. (My hosts were adament I wouldn't have any problems, so I thought it was worth the chance.) And Stellabella, I have to shamefacedly admit that I COMPLETELY disregarded your advice on the seafood, and not only indulged but paid special attention to the local cerviche. (Served with tortilla chips. Mmmmmm....) So anyway, without further ado here's Part One of What I Did On My Mexican Holiday: Tara & Sian picked me up from the airport after waiting for nearly two hours for me to clear customs. It seems that I'd booked just in time to coincide with the arrival of the North American Spring Break package tours (which I remember being advertised at my own university), which meant that EVERY new arrival was having his/her luggage searched for illegal substances. This took ages, and Tara and I consoled ourselves with jumping up & down and generally trying to communicate through the thick glass separating the customs queue from the arrivals area. We failed dismally, and in retrospect were probably lucky we weren't arrested on some set of charges or another - a really bored official might have thought we were arranging some sort of smuggling ring, or something... They live in Playa del Carmen, a fairly built-up coastal resort that used to be a sleepy little fishing village before Cancun's popularity started spreading to the rest of the Yucatan. On the way into town, we stopped at a supermarket to pick up some key ingredients for dinner, and I was THRILLED as snooping around supermarkets is one of my favourite things to do when I first arrive somewhere new. I was delighted by the huge carts of dried chiles in umpteen different varieties (so different from the UK, where having more than a couple types of chile is considered a bit excessive), and by the enormous piles of less-than-perfect limes. It was refreshing to see fruit with all the typical blemishes on them, instead of the gleaming and heavily waxed 'perfect' versions we usually find in our supermarkets. I was also interested in the in-store bakery. Tara picked up a big metal tray and a pair of tongs, and walked around selecting her choices. When she was finished, she took the tray up to a counter where the assistant bagged her goodies and wrote the price on them - hyper-service, or just an attempt to keep people from scoffing their rolls before reaching the checkout? I was never entirely sure... I was also intrigued by the huge vats of mole and spice pastes, all ready to be scooped out in bulk and packed home for dinner. As I was to discover later, the 'rojo' seasoning paste was ubiquitous at the pollo rojo (grilled rotisserie chicken) stalls, and unfortunately was so readily available commerically that no-one was really bothered to make it themselves. Which means that I haven't got a recipe for it, alas... I scored the extra room in Tara & Sian's small two-bedroom flat in the 'tourist' area (translation: the roads were paved), and within an hour of coming through the door Sian was preparing his famous chicken fajitas to 'give me an easy introduction to real Mexican food.' His mix for the filling was very simple (onions, green peppers, chicken, salt and pepper), and he made up a big pot of rice to go alongside it. He also produced a wonderful guacamole and fresh tomato salsa, also with a bunch of hand-patted tortillas from a bag of tortilla dough he'd picked up at the supermarket. According to Sian, the biggest problem with guacamole in the US & Canada is that we put far too many ingredients in it. His rule of them is to stick to six ingredients, stretching to seven if you fancy a bit of tomato in your buttery green dip. The five key ingredients are: perfectly ripe Hass avocados, white onion (a fairly mild variety), salt, pepper, a bit of lime juice and fresh habenaro chile.* Sian mixed everything into a still-slightly-chunky texture, and then finished the whole thing off with a few shakes of bottled green habenaro sauce. *The habenaro - cousin of the Scotch Bonnet and popularly known as the hottest chile in the world - is THE chile of the Yucatan, and it turns up in absolutely EVERYTHING. I saw our local empanada vendor carting home a 3-kilo bag of habenaros at the end of the day, which must contain enough firepower to light most of Western Europe for a week. Fortunately, I'm a chile devote and wasn't the slightest bit put off by the region's passionate habenaro-worship, but anyone who's a bit nervous about fire should be warned to be very, very careful about what you eat when in Mexico's "Mayan Riviera." Some of the most innocuous-looking red sauces (like the one that came with the empanadas) left my lips glowing with chile burn after just a couple of eager bites - no build-up required! Our salsa was a simple mixture of freshly chopped (and very ripe) tomatoes, white onion, cilantro (fresh coriander to UK readers), fresh lime juice and another whole bunch of chopped habenaro - deseeded for Tara. It just needed a bit of seasoning and a few minutes to sit so the flavours combined before we were allowed to snorfle it up. One of the first things I observed that night was how 'natural' tortillas are in a Mexican meal. None of the carefully pre-rolled, painsakingly presented stuff you find in restaurants (although admittedly most places are more casual with fajitas). And assembling a fajita was a very loose, off-the-cuff experience compared with what I've seen north of the border(s). Most of this was down to the size of the tortillas, which Sian made just slightly larger than palm-sized. This made it simple to pick up a warm tortilla in one hand and quickly fork just a little fajita filling, rice, guacamole & salsa in, and then fold it with a quick flip of your fingers & thumb before biting in. No complicated rolling, no knives, and just a fork required to move food from your plate to your tortilla-wielding hand - truly, poetry in motion. We accompanied our meal with lots (and lots) of lime-spiked Dos Equis, a local lager with an incredibly numbskulled sex-sells advertising campaign (as an Ad Girl, I feel allowed to criticise campaigns no matter where I go). Sian is fond of adding a bit of salt to his lime before popping it into his bottle, and it's quite common to add a few slices of fresh habenaro too. Figuring that my system was probably at its weakest due to air travel, I didn't give this a try right away. Sian pressed me though, insisting that it was really refreshing and not to be missed. :wow: Many, many fajitas later, I gave my thanks and made my excuses and headed off to bed. My hosts told me to rest well, as we were going to depart the next morning on a short trip taking in the Mayan ruin sites at Tulum and Coba before heading inland to the colonial city of Merida, where Sian promised to show me some of 'the real Mexico...' To be continued. (And don't worry, I'm not going to detail every day and all its meals to this extent!) Miss J

i know a few good places in bergen county. For higher end food Mexicali Blues on cedar lane in teaneck is pretty good with live music later at night. For a basic taco stand El Gran Mexicano in bogota is great. Small, byo with a nice counter, clean and authentic. Nice mole. It is located across the street from the bogota ambulance corps fink

I plan on making both beef (skirt) and chicken fajitas this weekend for @ 10 people. Any recommendations for great (homemade of course)marinades? I have tried quite a few over the years and am looking for something new. Apperciate your suggestions in advance. Cheers, JFK

We've tried blue and white and traditionally it is cooked in water with pork and peppers, etc. It's supposed to plump or open up and become soft. We had it going for a good five hours and it was still like eating gravel, and extra crunchy gravel at that. Does it need to be soaked? Did we get an unlucky batch of posole? Should we develop a taste for gravel?

Has anyone else made it down to South Park for Mexican? I went for the first time the other night; I'm not ready to talk about my meal, since it's going to be for a review, but I will mention that there's a pasteleria with sixty-cent pan dulce and other confections, including great palmiers and some pink frosted rolls that our accompanying friends haven't seen since they moved up from southern California. It's not exactly bursting with vibrant street life, but there is a taco van called Porky's Taco Wagon--there was a guy (Porky?) and a kid (his son?) working, and for an appetizer (we went somewhere else for dinner), I got a beef cheek taco and a taco al pastor. The pastor was flavorful, but a bit greasy and without much char (I'm too lazy to use italics at the moment, so feel free to laugh at this sentence). The beef cheek was rather dull. But I'd go back to Porky's and try a couple others--the tortillas had good flavor and the tacos were only $1.25.

Hello All. I just joined tonight so this will be my first post, but I've quite enjoyed reading all of yours for the last week. My question is: Is there any decent Mexican food in this city besides Fandango? Or Peruvian? Or any other Latin American cuisine for that matter. Or even Southwestern? My boyfriend and I have scoured the city and come up with basically nothing. We love Fandango, but would like to try someplace new. We'd been living in NYC up until September and went to Chicama, Patria, Maya, and Hell's Kitchen all the time and are looking for something similar. Thanks in advance for your help. Lauren

I had a late supper at this taco truck on 96 St. and Broadway: two tacos de lengua washed down with horchata. Delicious, cheap meal, really tasty.

Ye Ye Girl, Welcome! The Rinconsito on the corner of Central and Smith lacks the, uh, charm of the former dingy location, but at least there's more seating! The menu is pretty much the same. The counter help has changed. Some of them speak English now!!! Hey, I was going to do a lengthy post on the new taco truck on the East Hill. Have you been to the other new one over on Meeker yet? I'll post here if you want more details. It's a converted bus that has seating INSIDE! Food in south county has never been so exciting! haha The other day, I ate outside the East Hill taco truck. Some of the rain got in my taco, but it was still good. Thanks Tighe for the props, but I don't know if that's a designation I really want