Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'Mexican'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • Society Announcements
    • Announcements
    • Member News
    • Welcome Our New Members!
  • Society Support and Documentation Center
    • Member Agreement
    • Society Policies, Guidelines & Documents
  • The Kitchen
    • Beverages & Libations
    • Cookbooks & References
    • Cooking
    • Kitchen Consumer
    • Culinary Classifieds
    • Pastry & Baking
    • Ready to Eat
    • RecipeGullet
  • Culinary Culture
    • Food Media & Arts
    • Food Traditions & Culture
    • Restaurant Life
  • Regional Cuisine
    • United States
    • Canada
    • Europe
    • India, China, Japan, & Asia/Pacific
    • Middle East & Africa
    • Latin America
  • The Fridge
    • Q&A Fridge
    • Society Features
    • eG Spotlight Fridge

Product Groups

  • Donation Levels
  • Feature Add-Ons

Categories

  • Help Articles

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End


Group


LinkedIn Profile


Location

  1. 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
  2. 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.
  3. 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
  4. Am going to Oaxaca soon - I've been doing research, cross referencing, reading reviews and have almost finished composing the list of restaurants I plan to try. While I will have a few margaritas while there - straight up, with salt (no, not frozen - I've had more than enough snow this winter) I'm wondering what types of wines would be a good match with Oaxacan cuisine. I've had oloroso sherry with some spicy dishes that I thought worked well. I'll be trying various moles, stuffed chiles, etc.. Not really sure what would go with armadillo or iguana - any ideas?
  5. I feel like Ponce De Leon roaming south America in search of the fountain of eternal youth (was it Ponce De Leon, or someone else?)...when will I find good Mexican food in London!? Certainly it can't be that rare, especially now that everyone and their grandmother is jetting off to Cabo San Lucas on package holidays. I have been hoping that Mexican food would be the new Thai - a cuisine that is discovered after a country becomes a trendy travel destination. So far, nothing. I did pass a place in Sheen, however called Mexifresh. It looked promising but I was unable to stop at the time and the opportunity to explore it was lost. Anyone tried it?
  6. We've been singing this small restaurant's praises for a while now on the North Jersey Mexican thread, I can't believe we never gave it it's own. Here's some pertinent quotes from the previous thread: "For a basic taco stand El Gran Mexicano in bogota is great." - finker99 "The chimichangas were actually fried much more lightly than I'm used to and it was a welcome change....perfect Mexican rice and black beans." - 201 "I will also add that their mole ... is some of the best I've ever had -- very powerful, bitter taste, like good mole should be." - Jason Perlow "I love those tacos too much, esp. the chorizo and flank steak versions." - jhlurie Then there were a bunch of posts about how the place closed for renovations and made everyone very nervous that they would never reopen. Fortunately, on November 22, 2002, they did. Yippee!!! "El Gran Mexicano has reopened! .... I hope you will all head out there and show them how much you missed them." - Nick Reingold "that mole is really something special." - pnapoli We went back again last night, all is still yummy. I particularly noted the flavor of their corn tortillas. I don't think they are made in house, but are still a worthwhile wrap for the tacos and other dishes. We also tried their stuffed jalapenos, just for the heck of it. They are the same poppers you can get anywhere, but an excellent version of them. For some reason we thought the black beans were new (like they previously served refried beans), but after reviewing the previous thread, I saw 201 mention having them months ago, so I guess not. Also, they now have a website in the works, El Gran Mexicano.com.
  7. I was in Old Town recently and I stumbled upon a Chipotle location. I'd never heard of the place before, but it seemed to be doing a brisk business, so I gave it a try. Judging from the decor, I would have guessed it was a small regional chain, maybe 10 stores or so. It's corporate, but in a funky Whole Foods kind of way, and even serves beer. I have since learned that Chipotle has 200 stores around the country and is majority owned by McDonalds. I might not have gone in if I had known that, but luckily, I didn't and tried it. The menu at Chipotle is very simple. It's basically all burritos, but there is also a taco option and no-tortilla just-fillings-loaded-into-a-bowl approach. You choose beef, chicken, or as I did, Niman ranch pork carnitas. It's rolled up in a big tortilla with rice, beans, salsa, sour cream, and/or lettuce. I was very happy to see that they offered a choice of pintos in addition to the black beans that everyone but me seemed to be ordering. I'm a pinto man through and through. I just can't understand how or why black beans found their way into the Tex-Mex lexicon--maybe it was an Austin hippie thing. These pintos weren't refried mush either; they were the genuine cooked-once with smoky bacon, boracho-style article. The pork itself was tender, juicy and flavorful--not like the "lean as a chicken breast" garbage that has started to flood the market. I topped it off with a nice medium-hot (advertised as hot) tomatillo salsa. I was also impressed with the assembly of the burrito. It was properly sealed and rolled so that I could eat the entire thing without spilling a drop. My only complaint is that the default amount of rice seems like overkill. After seeing several other burritos assembled, I asked for a half-portion of rice. It ended up being just the right amount. There are some better burritos out there, but the majority, especially at this price point, are in a league below what Chipotle is offering. Don't even get me started about the Sino-Tex-Mex takeouts that have spread like a plague across Manhattan with their scorched sawdust plus chili powder equals chorizo formula. I'd generally rather not support McDonalds, but in this case, at least I'm getting a decent quick meal, and hopefully pointing them in the right direction. So, what do ya'll think? Anyplace else I should try in the DC area when I need a burrito fix?
  8. I'm going to Mexico in a couple of months and I want to start doing some hardcore learning about the food. If you had to pick 2 Diana Kennedy cookbooks, what would they be?
  9. 3 CHICAS Mexican Kitchen - Wyckoff NJ Eat in / Take out Seats at bar to watch cook Sep 3rd, 2002 Dinner - shrimp burrito, pork quesadilla, chips, salsa, guacamole Cost - $26.00 Rating - 1 LIMA BEAN --------------------------------------------- Everything on the menu is a la carte including the chips Food is served on paper plates, bowls. Have you ever tried to eat a burrito in a paper bowl? The pork was not shredded but chunks of fat, the shrimp was old and over cooked. The red salsa was home made, slightly boring and served in a very small cup that I couldn't get the chip into. The chipolte sauce was good, but I dont think it was homemade, the same for the guacamole. ___________________________ They serve the basic "fast food" mexican fare with bergen county prices. ____________________________ We prefer the Blue Moon Cafe in Wycoff for variety, and good food. or Mamacitas in Ramsey (former owner of the small mexican diner on rt 4 in Paramus). The menu is basic, but I think she makes one of the best mole and tomatillo sauces around. Her red salsa is more like tomatoe paste/sauce. We eat there once a week and can always count on the food.
  10. snowangel

    Carnitas

    Anyone have any great recipes for making pork carnitas?
  11. I remember reading a post by somebody here (a regular i think) that mentioned a very good mexican place that seemed casual (perhaps even take-out) that had a "schooled" chef from some fancy schmanzy culinary school, but i'm not well versed in that sort of thing to recognize or remember the name. It was in the North Bergen/West New York area. I tried to search using key words, but couldn't find what i was looking for. Does anybody remember or perhaps was the original poster? Thanks.
  12. RockADS21

    Mexican...

    I am heading to a Mexican BYO tomorrow night and was looking for a few suggestions as to a good wine to bring. Thanks.
  13. I made mole for the first time on Saturday night/Sunday morning. I've eaten it a few times in restaurants and bought a jarred version after reading an article that said this one brand was acceptable (it was good), but never made it from scratch before. I had a pot luck lunch/meeting scheduled for Sunday afternoon. They chose Mexican, so I was stuck. I scoured my three Mexican books, Cantina by the Two Hot Tamales; One Plate by Bayliss, and Border Cookbook by the Jamisons. For some reason, Bayliss' Apricot-Pine Nut Mole jumped out at me and once I thought about it, I couldn't do anything else. Didn't matter that I've never made anything like it before. Didn't matter that I've never used dried chilis before. Oh, and did I mention one of them's a professional chef? Once I thought of it, I had to do it. I made the grocery list: tomatillos, sesame seeds, dried ancho chilis. I had the dried apricots, pine nuts, garlic, chicken stock and chocolate (I thought). Store #1 Safeway had tomatillos and sesame seeds, but no whole dried chilis. Store #2 Albertson's had whole dried California, New Mexico, and Guajillo chiles, but no anchos. No way was I driving to another store this late. I bought a bag of each kind thinking maybe one of them was a regional synonym for ancho. I found a bag labelled Pasilla Ancho in the cupboard too. But a quick google search led me to a site that explained that probably none of them were real anchos. Oops #1. I decided to use the bag of Pasilla Ancho (3 oz.) and then half California and half New Mexico with a coupld of Guajillos thrown in for the hell of it. Oops #2: procrastinating on egullet, I notice it's 9:45 pm and decide I probably should get started. I assemble some of the ingredients and stem and seed the dried chilis just to get started doing something. I did remember to use gloves, but didn't think it would take as long as it did to do the 6 oz of chilis. It's now 10:30. I get the rest of the ingredients only to find oops #3, the recipe calls for Mexican chocolate and not only do I not have any of that, I'm out of all forms of baking chocolate too. But I do have some Williams-Sonoma sweet chocolate and Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder. And there's really no way I'm driving to the store again now. I plunge ahead, roasting the tomatillos without incident. I toast the dried chilis, learning not to put a lot of small pieces in at once because they're really hard to fish out before they over-cook, cover them with boiling water to soak. Back to the tomatillos, I mix them with the sesame seeds (toasted), fried pine nuts, fried garlic, bread and spices. Since I don't have chocolate, I try to figure out how much powder to use. I end up with 4 tablespoons of the sweet chocolate and one tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa, plus an extra 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon because that's in Mexican chocolate. I don't know why that worked, but it seemed to taste "right" though I don't really have a clue as to what "right" is. Back to the chilis. It said to taste the soaking water and if it's bitter not to use it. I had tasted it earlier and it wasn't bitter at all. I measured 2 cups, tasted it again, it was a little bitter, then as I added 1 cup, the bitterness kicked in. Oops #4, but at least I didn't add the whole 2 cups. I added 1 1/2 cups plain water after that. I blend it up and then strain it. I hope a lot of the bitterness is in the solids, so I don't press down very hard on it, discarding a fair amount. I add the tomatillo mixture to the blender and find I have to add 2 cups of chicken stock to get it to swirl. It's supposed to be smooth, but it's thick and chunky and since it's supposed to be cooked down, I don't want to add too much liquid. I don't strain it, deciding that I'm making the rustic variation. Oops #5. I reduce the chili puree and then the tomatillo blend without incident, add the rest of the stock and simmer away. After an hour, I taste it and it's bitter. And needs salt and sugar (both in the recipe). I add the salt first and it intensifies the bitterness. Oh oh. . . . I add the sugar which tames it a bit, but there's still a definite bitterness to the sauce. I keep it on low while I sautee some boneless, skinless chicken breasts sprinkled with salt, pepper, and chili powder in the left over oil from frying the chilis, garlic, and pine nuts. One last taste and the bitterness is still there. I clean up the kitchen and by the time I'm in bed it's around 4 am. I'm tired and annoyed by the thought that I'm going to have to get up early and get some butternut squash tamales from Picante's Cocina on the way to the meeting. And that I still have to serve the mole if nothing else so they can tell me what I did wrong (though I have a good idea I screwed up the chili toasting/soaking). I get up and heat the sauce on low, resigned to failure, and lo and behold, somehow overnight, the bitterness vanished! It's actually good. The other people thought it was good too. Now I want to make it "right" and also to try other versions. It seems, at least to my uneducated palate, to be a resilient dish. It takes some effort and time, but nothing really that difficult or complicated to do. Does anyone have any other versions they'd like to share?
  14. Does anyone have a good recipe for Tortilla Soup? I am cooking for friends coming in this weekend (from New Jersey of all places) and they asked for Tortilla soup? I can look it up on recipe web sites, but thought someone might have a proven recipe.
  15. I am posting this post as Jaymes is being bashful. StellaB, Toby and Jaymes were each very generous on a thread on regional differences in the cooking of Mexico. This is a post I have pulled from there. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did and some others have. ************************************************* ".......I got my recipe for chilaquiles from a Mexican friend, a housewife, in Querétaro. My daughter went for a visit a while back and, although I had asked for the recipe many times, got the typical "home cooking recipe" answer: "Oh, just a little of this and a little of that. I can no say exactamente, it is the recipe de mi mamá y mi abuelita (little grandmother)." I told my daughter she was to go into Lita's kitchen and not come back out until she knew how to make them. StellaB, I am including here an excerpt from an email my daughter sent to me during her stay in Querétaro. I am including it because of your fondness for Mexico...I think you will enjoy my daughter's impression of Mexican grandmothers: "Mom, I am staying at Jaime's mother's house that is close to downtown Querétaro. She is wonderful....and calls me 'mija.' I love that. I want to be a Mexican grandmother. They hug on you and kiss your cheeks, and make such good food and call everyone Mi Amor, or Mi Vida or Mija. It is so cute!" So, anyway, mi amiga Lita, has four children. The family eats chilaquiles for breakfast at least three or four mornings a week, so Lita has to be able to make it fast. And she does. This is how she does it: CHILAQUILES: Salsa verde (tomatilla sauce); torn tortilla chips (Lita uses Fritos and told me not to laugh before I tried it and I didn't and I did and she's right, they work just fine); queso manchego (or asadero, or ranchero, or fresco, or any other Mexican white cheese that you like); and sour cream. In bottom of microwaveable dish, spread a little tomatilla sauce, then layer of Fritos, then more sauce, then sour cream, then "bastante queso." Repeat, until dish is full or ingredients are all used up, finishing with cheese. Microwave one minute, or till chilaquiles are heated through and cheese is melted. You'll probably have to experiment a time or two in order to get all of the proportions just right. TOMATILLO SAUCE: (Stellabella, you said you make your own, so you proably don't need this recipe but here it is just in case. I should also add that Lita often just buys Herdéz brand Salsa Verde in the small cans if she is pressed for time.) 1 tsp or so cooking oil (just enough to cover botton of saucepan) 6 or so whole tomatillos, paper skins removed jalepeños, or other chile peppers, to desired "pica" water to cover Put tomatillos and chiles in saucepan and water, just to barely cover. Bring to boil and cook just till tomatillos are soft (not too long, don't want them "mushy"). Put tomatillos and peppers (do not discard cooking water) into blender or food processor along with: 2 small cloves garlic 1 tsp salt 1/4 cup chopped onion "handful" cilantro 2 tsp "caldo de pollo" (which I interpret to mean powdered chicken boullion, but I don't know for sure...should have asked, but never did...that's what I add and it comes out fine) Blend in food processor very well. Add cooking water to reach desired "sauce" consistancy...you want it fairly liquid, but flavorful and not "watered-down" tasting, so use your own judgment. ............."
  16. For the last few years I lived in San Francisco I worked three nights a week, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. My sleep schedule became very skewed, as did my meal schedule. I got into the habit of coming home from work and waiting until 8 a.m. or so when the taqueria around the corner from me opened so that I could have burrito de tripas (or buche) for breakfast before I went to sleep for the day. The guys working in the taqueria thought it was hilarious, but it was very comforting food. My favorite combination was chopped up pork stomach, yellow rice, black beans, monterrey jack cheese, finely chopped white onion and cilantro, tomatillo-chipotle salsa, and sliced avocado all wrapped up inside a big flour tortilla. The smoothness of the black beans and avocado were so delicious alongside the slightly chewy, but smooth, texture of the pork stomach. I recently found a recipe for cooking the stomach that sounds authentic. The method is rather like confit. Pork stomachs are sold whole and can usually be found in Chinese butchers. They're football shaped and need to be cleaned carefully. Remove all the excess fat from the stomach, wash, rub with salt and rinse again. Sometimes I rinse it in some white distilled vinegar to get rid of any strong odors. Then melt a lot of lard (enough to cover the stomach) in a big pot. Add a cup of water (or more) in which some salt has been dissolved. Water allows the lard to boil; also, salt won't dissolve in lard. Bring the lard-water mix to a fast boil; try not to get splattered. Add the stomach and simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 2 or 3 hours, until the tripe is very tender but not crisp. Drain well, blot with paper towels and chop the meat.
  17. In the "Mexico" chilaquiles thread, I was asked by Snowangel to share any tips, recipes, etc., that I might have for enchiladas. So - For starters: Although I am no expert, and do not claim to be, I will say this - every recipe I’ve ever seen for enchiladas that comes from a Mexican source combines a few simple ingredients that are either pre-cooked, or otherwise require little additional cooking after assembly. So, the instructions are invariably to just pop into oven for twenty minutes or so to heat through. Most “U.S.” or TexMex concoctions have gloppy, heavy sauces (often one of the “cream of” soups) and one must cook these for much longer. Now, I’m not berating these “American-Mexican” type of enchiladas. They have their place. And I have a couple such recipes that call for ground beef, chicken, etc., that my family loves. But anyone searching for “authenticity” would do well to err in the direction of less is more. I am giving two recipes here. Both are quite simple. But they are wonderful. The first is the traditional rolled enchilada that most of us are familiar with. The second is the type of stacked enchilada typical of Sonora, northern Mexico, and New Mexico. And both of these were given to me by Mexican friends who got them from mothers, and grandmothers, and greatgrandmothers. Convenience foods are used when appropriate (“Just BUY the tomato sauce, for heaven’s sake,” one friend told me that her mother had replied after she complained that she didn’t make enchiladas much because granny’s recipe started off by cooking down fresh tomatoes to make the sauce and that was so much trouble.), but these recipes are authentic, and have been handed down for generations. Chicken Enchiladas Stew 1 nice big fat chicken (in grocery stores, I used to send my children to the "chicken case" with orders to look at every single one and get me the biggest and fattest - it was a chore I had done when shopping with MY grandmother years earlier) with seasoned salt, couple cloves garlic, an onion, bay leaf, sprig fresh oregano, in water just to cover. Remove chicken (reserving broth for another use), cool and pick off meat, tearing with your fingers into large bite-sized chunks (large bite-sized chunks - whatever you do, don't take a knife and chop the chicken into small little-bitty pieces). Simmer 24-oz canned tomato sauce, 3-4 Tbls 100% New Mexico Red Chile Powder (accept no substitutes), cumin and seasoned salt to taste, stirring and simmering till all spices are thoroughly blended and sauce is smooth. Take about a half-pound or so each of good-quality mild Cheddar and jack cheese and grate and combine. (Of course, if you live in an area where you have access to good Mexican cheeses, and have a favorite for enchiladas, use that.) In skillet, heat unflavored oil (I just use canola or Wesson or something tasteless) until warm but not smoking. Dip corn tortillas, one at a time, first into the oil, then the hot red sauce, quickly, just to soften and coat with sauce. (This is very tricky. I had a hard time with it for years until finally a Mexicana friend of mine told me she could never do it either, so she got a pie pan and dipped the tortilla into the hot oil, then laid the tortilla in the pie pan and SMEARED it with the red sauce. She did these one at a time until she had four or five in the pie pan, then made her enchiladas from the tortillas in the pan. MUCH easier!) In your enchilada baking pan, smear a little red sauce over the bottom, then one of your dipped tortillas. In the middle of tortilla, spread in a straight line about 1 Tbls of the mixed grated cheeses, 1 Tbls sauce on top of the cheese, then finally, several chunks of the chicken. Roll up the enchilada and place in the pan, seam side DOWN. That should mean that the cheese and sauce side is now UP. Repeat this until all your ingredients are gone. You will be better off if you put your enchiladas in a nice arrangement, snugly side by side, but don't fill up all of the nooks and crannies. If you just shove them in any which way, it won't taste worse, but it doesn't look as pretty and is much more difficult to garnish attractively. Now, pour the rest of your red sauce crosswise over the center of the enchiladas, like you're laying a red carpet down their middles. Sprinkle cheese in the middle of the “carpet.” Your ingredients are already cooked, so you don't want to leave the enchiladas in the oven too long or they will dry out. Just long enough to heat through and melt the cheeses. 350 for about 20 minutes. This makes about 15-18 enchiladas, kinda depending on how big your chicken is. Remove from oven. Garnish with sour cream, then sprinkle with sliced black olives and chopped green onions. Sonoran-Style Stacked Green Chile Enchiladas Prepare your green chile sauce first: For sauce: 12 medium green chile peppers (of course, fresh are way best, but if you must....), peeled, seeded, deveined and chopped 2 medium tomatoes (or 1 cup canned tomatoes), chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 2 small garlic cloves, smashed and chopped 1 tsp salt Roast chiles over gas burners, or on outdoor grill, or under broiler until blistered. Put into plastic baggies and allow steam to permeate. This makes the chiles easy to peel. Remove peel, core, seeds, and visible veins. (Edit: Should have added that if you are using canned green chiles, you don't have to take this step of roasting, peeling, etc.) Chop into half-inch pieces. Place into saucepan and add tomatoes, onion, salt and garlic. Pour in enough water just to cover and simmer ten minutes. For enchiladas: 1 doz corn tortillas 2 C grated cheese (again, if you have a fave Mex cheese, use it; if not, half good quality mild cheddar and half jack) 3 C green chile sauce Allow two or three tortillas per person. Fry tortillas quickly in hot fat just to soften, then dip into hot green chile sauce. You are going to assemble these on the individual serving plates. I usually have my plates stacked in a warm oven. One at a time, place a prepared tortilla on warm plate, sprinkle with cheeses, another hot tortilla, more cheese, top with hot tortilla. Pour over as much green chile sauce as you like for desired wetness. Serve immediately. You can top it with a dollop of sour cream if you’d like. That turns it into an Enchilada Suiza, or Swiss Enchilada.
  18. I'll be in SF from 27-29 October. It's my first trip to the West Coast and I'd appreciate some restaurant recs from those in the know. Having scanned the board I thought I'd try Cafe Panisse and Zuni. I also want to try some decent Mexican food, as the Mexican scene in London is dire -- crappy all-you-can-eat Tex-Mex where the best places are those that don't poison you. Any pointers? We're staying fairly centrally (Hotel Rex near Union Square) and aren't going to have a car, so only places that are walkable or on public transport please. Thanks!
  19. I am going out to LA next weekend and would like recommendations of authentic mexican food. Something which is difficult to come by here in NY. Anyone ever hear of Juanitas Tamales? All suggestions greatly appreciated.
  20. My husband isn't an avowed Luddite...in theory, quite the opposite. But he's still mastering the touch-tone phone, so he asked me to post this. Anyone have a good choritzo recipe? Anyone actually made it? We've got all the equipment. If anyone has made it him/herself, we would love to benefit from your experience.
  21. I had always used the drive to and from Tahoe as an excuse to eat In-n-Out Burgers. Double-Double, fries and a soft drink (diet coke, of course). The problem is, I don't really likt InO Burger. I fail to see any difference between the sauce glopped on these and the sauce glopped on a Big Mac. While I appreciate the toasted bun (best buns in the bidness), there is no mistaking that this is a greasy burger. And the fries suck. I don't care if they're "fresh cut". They're undercooked and undersalted and underflavored. And have you every seen a black person working at InO? Not me. Never. Not once. So on a recent trip with a friend we took an exit near Dixon (on the SF side of Davis) and looked for the InO. Didn't see it. We got back on the highway and got off at the next exit because, well, because women have small bladders. There was a Carls Jr right in front of us. Decent burger, in my opinion. But across the road, set back in a dusty, heavily potholed lot, was a rickety building proclaiming "Mexican Food". The weathered wood betrayed some history of green and red paint; there was a "booth" outside that looked something like a tomato or a sombrero and seemed out of place without a pool. But there were about six beat up old pickup trucks in the lot. Looked good to me. And the lady had charisma. So we went in. I'm no expert on Mexican food, and I can't tell you the difference between Mex and Tex-Mex. Hell, I'm a Jewish kid from NY. But this is the best Mexican food I've ever had. I've been twice now, feeling justified in my judgement. Each time, I and my guest were the only White faces in the place. Not much English is spoken. Lots of heavy denim, white straw cowboy hats, and faces deeply etched by the sun and wind. The menu is written on the wall, and it includes just about every thing you'd expect, and a whole bunch more. The first visit, I had a Molcajete. (I've probably mixed up the progression of "l" "c" and "j".) Unbelievable. It was a large bowl chisled out of volcanic rock. Filled with a steaming stew of sliced beef, chicken, pork and, new for me, shreds of nopales. I've had these cactus's before as a side dish, and thought they were rather bland. Simmered in this stew, they added color, crunch and a great peppery, herby flavor. The dish was amazing. Hot, well-spiced and chock full of stuff. It was served with flour and corn tortillas and sides of guac and sour cream. More than enough for two. Yesterday I had the carnitas plate. Heads and shoulders above anything I've had in SF. I've been to El Toro, Farolito, etc., etc. Not even close. Mr. Taco served a large plate heaped with diced pork that had been slow simmered and then sauteed in fat. The result was tender, toothsome pieces, brimming with roasted flavor and accentuated by a slight crispness on the surfaces. Wonderful. And, I was happy to see, not a hunk of fat or gristle to be found. Just meat in all its glorious porkiness. This too was served with a pile of guac, a healthy side of rice and refried and tortillas. My friend had two chicken tacos. The chicken (i only had a bite), was moist and surprisingly flavorful. It appeared to have been simmered with peppers and other spices, not just grilled. Served in tortillas that had been freshly fried to a crisp and pile with lettuce, tomato and a healthy (unhealthy?) dollop of sour cream. Yum. Most entrees seemed to be $7.99, and well worth it. The Molcajete, which could feed two easily, perhaps three, was $14. Location: Difficult to say, because the great state of California doesn't number their exits. Why? I don't know. I assume that making it easy for one to find stuff would somehow further the fascist expansion of capitalism. However: Look for the "Dixon/West A Street" exit. I think it's the middle of 5 "Dixon" exits, about 60 miles outside SF. The restaurant is jut to the south of the highway.
  22. Am I asking the impossible? We would like Mexican food while in Houston and don't want the predictable Tex-Mex smothered in melted cheese, but more in the realm of regional Mexican food or "real" Mexican food. I know there must be places like that and we are willing to drive to find them. Any suggestions? Thanks!
  23. Do you prefer your quesadillas with flour tortillas, corn tortillas, or made with masa? My favorite are the masa ones, though I've never seen these in the US. They're like empanadas, a little half moon stuffed with cheese and other ingredients and then fried in a comal. Has anyone ever made this type? I have a masa aversion because of its stickiness. Any tips? My favorite stuffings are mushrooms (especially huitlicoche), rajas, browned onions, and flor de calabaza.
  24. Hi Mark! I'd like to first thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to participate in the Q&A here at eGullet. It is very much appreciated. I was wondering which region of the world (and style of cuisine) has your heart. Does French cuisine appeal most to you? Maybe it's Italian? I'd love to know! And in the same vein, how do you feel about the recently-emerging "avant-garde" style of cooking? Trio, WD-50, et al. jump immediately to mind. Have you dined at these establishments? How do you feel they fare against other cuisines? Thank you very much for your time, -Chris
  25. Decided to have a pre-Restaurant Row Fest breakfast at Taqueria Veracruzana Saturday morning. Upon entering, I saw a sign taped to the door: "No alcoholic beverages permitted by order of the police", including a photocopied logo of the Phila Police Dept. The side door had the same sign in Spanish. Huh? I had a late snack there on Thursday, complete with my usual BYO beer. No problemo. I swear I've never seen the sign before (I eat there maybe half-dozen times a month), but my friend, who is also an avid TV fan, says he's seen it "a couple of times". I tried asking, but no one spoke much English and hence didn't understand the query. This raised a couple of questions with me: (1) Can the police issue such an order? I always thought it was L&I that made these calls, and then only for nuisances/violations/taxes. For the record: I got up and checked their licenses. Everything for food prep/service seemed in order, so no apparent violations there. Obviously I have no idea about tax status. And as far as I know, TV is a pretty quiet place (no rowdies, drunken workers/partygoers). (2) Does a restaurant w/out a liquor license require some additional license to permit BYO? I've never heard of such a thing. (3) Can a restaurant w/out a liquor license refuse to permit you to bring in alcohol? The obvious answer would seem "yes," but this is something that I've also never encountered. Then again, I've never seen anyone drinking beer, wine, whatever at a fast-food chain (here in the U.S., anyway). Anybody know what gives?
×
×
  • Create New...