El Caso Tequila – F.G. Haghenbeck

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My rating: 4 stars

A fun read! In 1965, Mexican American private detective Sunny Pascal is hired to be Johnny Weissmuller’s bodyguard at the Acapulco Film Festival, after the aging actor’s drinking and gambling habits put him on the wrong side of local gangsters. Sunny can’t leave well enough alone, and develops some gangster problems of his own, leading to a confrontation with nobody less than Frank Sinatra himself. In this well-told detective story, Haghenbeck follows the traditions of the genre, but places it in a lively, star-studded period atmosphere. Adding to the fun, each chapter starts with the recipe and history of a famous traditional cocktail… and wouldn’t you know, someone in the chapter invariably drinks one.

Es 1965, el mundo se esta recuperando del asesinato de Kennedy y baila al ritmo del rock. Su amigo, el productor de cine Scott Cherries, contrata a Pascal para que vuele a la turistica playa y sirva de guardaespaldas de Johnny Weissmüller, alias Tarzan, durante el afamado festival de cine. El viejo campeon olimpico y estrella de cine, se ha metido con la mafia local y debe una buena cantidad por su aficion al juego y bebida. Sunny debe sacarlo del embrollo, pero su afan de meterse en problemas lo envuelve en un trama de caracter internacional contando con la ayuda del mafioso mas seductor: Frank Sinatra.

A Delicious Lesson in Moles – La Huasteca, Lynwood. Los Angeles

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They went out of their way to be sure I had a memorable meal at La Huasteca. I was having such a great time eating my pork chops with mole mancha manteles (appropriately named “tablecloth stainer”) that manager Irma Vera brought me samples of the other moles available on the menu. Clockwise from the upper left:

Mole de los dioses (mole of the gods) is made from the highly prized delicacy huitlacoche. Only because I knew what it was, a fungus that grows on the corn plant, I was able to identify flavors of both mushrooms and corn, but the taste is absolutely unique and wonderful.

Mole de tamarindo, which they serve with duck, had layer upon layer of flavor that transformed from sweet to chile to smoky hot… Beautiful.

Mole poblano, possibly the most famous mole, can be a bit sweet for my taste in some places, but this one tasted like smooth chocolaty smoke, with a hot, spicy finish. A welcome variation.

Red pipián and green pipián. I think the world is divided 50/50 on the subject, but I think the red sauce better suits the toasty flavor of the pumpkin seeds. Both were beautifully executed.

Meanwhile, the mole mancha manteles that was on my plate, and not in this picture, surprised me with a vague resemblance to some of the very best barbecue sauces in Kansas City. Rich and spicy, with a reddish brown color, it outdid anything from the midwest in complexity and layers of flavor, while not overpowering the pork chops. It did, however, have the same satisfying comfort that we find in the best barbecue.

Here’s the website: http://lahuasteca.com/