Monterey Sauce

[scott123]

A local (Northern NJ) Mexican restaurant claiming to serve Sonoran cuisine covers a good number of their entrees with what they call "Monterey sauce"

Is this an authentic Sonoran sauce? How do I make it?

[esperanza]

A local (Northern NJ) Mexican restaurant claiming to serve Sonoran cuisine covers a good number of their entrees with what they call "Monterey sauce"

Is this an authentic Sonoran sauce? How do I make it?

←

Hmmm...to start with, the city of Monterrey is not in the state of Sonora. Monterrey is in the state of Nuevo Leon, which is about as far to the east of Mexico as Sonora is to the west--nearly coast to coast. Their claim to authenticity smacks of saying 'authentic Arizona sauce from West Virginia'. We're talking at least a couple of thousand miles distance between the two places.

However, they may indeed be serving a real sauce from Monterrey. Tell us a little more about the sauce so we know what it is they're putting on their entrees. Is it red, green, chunky, smooth, hot 'n'spicy, mild...? There are so many salsas with so many regional variations.

[ExtraMSG]

Mexican restaurants often make lots of claims. Is this a nachos and fajitas restaurant? I'd be interested to see their list of specialties. And if they're covering everything in the same sauce, I'd be very suspect.

[scott123]

This is the web page for the restaurant

Here is the menu.

The sauce is red. Not a bright strong red, but almost a pale transparent red. It has onions (visible) and chili peppers (taste). It has a slight greenish hue that might be the result of tomatillos (or possibly jalapeno puree). It is mentioned on the menu 5 times, although I'm fairly certain the "red sauce" references mentioned are actually Monterey as well.

I have made sauces with tomatoes, onions and chili peppers and they are nothing like this. There is a depth of flavor there that is coming from something else. Chicken stock perhaps?

Although the sauce is phenomenal on everything, it really shines in the huevos rancheros.

[esperanza]

This is the web page for the restaurant

Here is the menu.

The sauce is red.  Not a bright strong red, but almost a pale transparent red.  It has onions (visible) and chili peppers (taste). It has a slight greenish hue that might be the result of tomatillos (or possibly jalapeno puree). It is mentioned on the menu 5 times, although I'm fairly certain the "red sauce" references mentioned are actually Monterey as well.

I have made sauces with tomatoes, onions and chili peppers and they are nothing like this.  There is a depth of flavor there that is coming from something else.  Chicken stock perhaps?

Although the sauce is phenomenal on everything, it really shines in the huevos rancheros.

←

Thanks for posting the menu. It's pretty much a nachos/fajitas place, but there are some interesting twists. I sent the owner an email asking about the salsa Monterrey--we'll see if he answers.

[scott123]

Thanks for posting the menu.  It's pretty much a nachos/fajitas place, but there are some interesting twists.  I sent the owner an email asking about the salsa Monterrey--we'll see if he answers.

←

Thank you for emailing the owner. It is exceedingly kind of you to do so.

[ExtraMSG]

The menu is both interesting and weird from what I can see. Not dominated by Sonoran specialties that I can see. The combination names, eg, seem to be just grabbed out of a hat. I don't know why you would have something called Oaxacan chicken and top it with a Monterrey sauce. Etc. If it's good, it's good, though.

[sladeums]

If you don't receive any feedback from the restaurant's owner you can try these guys:

click here for Casa Maya Mexican Restaurant

They seem to have identical menus.

[scott123]

If you don't receive any feedback from the restaurant's owner you can try these guys:

click here for Casa Maya Mexican Restaurant

They seem to have identical menus.

←

Yeah, I noticed that too. Considering that the menus are identical, I think the owner is the same.