Tag Archives: Mexican Food

Guisados – Los Angeles – Duck Confit Tacos

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Here’s one you don’t see every day… duck confit tacos.

Now that the East LA Meets Napa fundraising event for AltaMed is nearly 2 months ago, I can admit that this was the best thing I tasted that evening. I’m a fan of Armando De La Torre’s Boyle Heights and Silverlake restaurants, as you can see from my previous posts. Never shy to make tacos with unexpected ingredients, Armando outdid himself with this combination. Duck confit, cucumber chile, and duck chicharron (!) were balanced wonderfully with a reduction of jamaica (the hibiscus tea, not the island.)

It was a great night of food and wine, and these tacos stood out in a field of truly delicious dishes.

Here’s the website: http://www.guisados.co/

Taquería Michel – Hermosillo – Tacos al Pastor

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I arrived in downtown Hermosillo in the evening, and the hotel staff weren’t very helpful when it came to restaurant recommendations. I struck out on my own in a nice residential area, and found a lovely park, one of many in Hermosillo, where the local families were eating. I reluctantly passed up a popular hotdog stand in favor of tacos at Taquería Michel.

Every place has its own versions of this popular dish. It’s always spicy marinated pork cooked like shawerma on a vertical grill, often with a piece of pineapple on top. But the variations go from there. At Taquería Michel, the tasty meat was sliced generously onto thick tortillas, and I even got slices of the warm, juicy pineapple. There was a self-service bar with a wide range of embellishments, but I try to stay away from unpeeled vegetables like tomato and lettuce when I’m traveling, so I just went for a couple of dollops of hot chile salsa. The spicy flavors, washed down with an orange Fanta soft drink were a perfect light meal on a hot night.

Los 5 Puntos – East LA – Tacos de Carnitas

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Drive by Los 5 Puntos on Cesar Chavez Avenue in East L.A., and you may see me outside, singing its praises.

I’ve been in this legendary grocery store, tortilleria and pork specialty store many times, but never when I was hungry… until today. There was every imaginable cut of pork available, from pork stomach and kidneys to ribs, but I was conservative, and just ordered a couple of Tacos de Carnitas. What I got was a generous helping of beautifully moist and flavorful chunks of pork, served on some of the thickest and richest hand-made tortillas I’ve ever had. Some spicy red salsa, guacamole and chopped cilantro and onion made for a perfect balance of textures and flavors.

I know I’ll be planning my next trip to East L.A. around lunch at Los 5 Puntos.

Here’s the website: http://www.los5puntos.com/Los5puntos.com/Home.html

Tortilla Soup

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The first time I ever heard of Tortilla Soup, I was in Guadalajara in 1992. I thought it was a joke, so I ordered it as a novelty. What I got was a rich, beautiful soup with big chunks of chicken, avocado and dried chiles, generously supported with toasted tortilla strips. It was absolutely delicious. The Belair Hotel in Los Angeles is justifiably famous for its Tortilla Soup, but it’s something I rarely see on a menu.

It seemed appropriate to have Tortilla Soup on my recent trip to Guadalajara, 21 years after I had it for the first time… It was still great.

Border Grill – Santa Monica – Ceviche

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I first tried ceviche in Venezuela when I was 18 years old, and was fascinated with the concept that lime juice could cook the outside of the fish. Since then I’ve eaten it in many places, including Peru, where it is virtually the national dish. About 20 years ago, in the face of a widespread cholera epidemic, the Peruvian health minister warned the population against eating ceviche. the following day, he was relieved of his post, and the president was shown on TV eating ceviche… That’s how seriously they take ceviche in Peru.

I had a spectacular ceviche recently at Border Grill in Santa Monica, a long-time favorite restaurant. Fresh and delicious, with a variety of vegetables, and a not-too-citrusy dressing, it was beautifully balanced by avocado slices and a crunchy tostada shell. Just to day, I spotted a recipe for ceviche by Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, celebrity owners and chefs of Border Grill. It sure looks like what I ate in the restaurant.

Enjoy!

Here’s the recipe: http://food52.com/blog/7573-all-about-ceviche

Here’s the website: http://www.bordergrill.com/bg_sm/bg_smwel.htm

Juan’s Restaurante – Baldwin Park, California – Mole Velo de Novia

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Here’s one of the most delicious things I’ve tasted this year. Juan’s Restaurante was serving at the East LA Meets Napa fundraising event for AltaMed, and like the other participating restaurants, brought one signature dish for everyone to try. They chose Mole Velo de Novia.

Mole Velo de Novia (Bridal Veil, probably named for its color) is a lovey white color, and made from a pine nut base. At their restaurant in Baldwin Park, they serve it with sauteed shrimp, but this time, it came on tacos featuring big, juicy pieces of turkey on green tortillas. It’s hard to describe how the sweet, almost almondy flavor could be so rich, and yet fit so well with the savory flavor of the turkey. I went back for 3 servings, and insisted friends try it too… everyone was highly impressed.

Juan’s Restaurante features many Pre-Columbian menu choices, including Mole Velo de Novia. It is located in Baldwin Park, a bit far from Santa Monica, where I’m living, but I know I’ll be going there soon to try more of chef Juan Mondragon’s creations.

Here’s the website: http://www.juansrestaurante.net/

Mango with Chamoy

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So, how do you get 20 Mexicans at an outdoor market to stop and stare at you with expectant smiles on their faces? Order your sliced mango with chamoy.

I’m certain I once had an ice cream in Mexico City with chamoy, and it was sweet and tasty. But the one I had at the Olympic Mercado in Los Angeles came as a big surprise. It turns out to be plums or apricots pickled in salt and vinegar that Mexicans use to enhance the flavor of mangoes and other fruits. In this case, it was served very warm, and heavily laced with dried chile.

With so many amused faces watching me, I decided to take a big sip of the chamoy through the straw that came with it. Unwilling to admit my shock and surprise, I smiled and declared it to be “muy interesante.” I guess it was pretty interesting, but I couldn’t eat more than a few bites, and threw it away once I was out of sight.

I suspect this was just a bad introduction, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for another opportunity to try this popular delicacy.

El Borrego de Oro – Tacos de Barbacoa

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There are a lot of great meat experiences in Los Angeles, ranging from Argentinian steaks to Shanghai style pork shanks, but I’ve just added a new favorite to my list.

El Borrego de Oro serves lamb barbacoa style, in which the whole lamb is steamed in an underground oven, covered with maguey cactus leaves. The result is a remarkably flavorful meat so soft that it falls off the bone. This is the style that has been perfected in the Mexican state of Hidalgo over many generations. They sell barbacoa by the pound, and will even cook an entire lamb for you by special order, but I went for the tacos… despite my good intentions, I can only eat so much.

The meat is cooked essentially without spices, to preserve the rich meaty flavor, so I was slightly surprised to receive two tortillas, each with a generously large, but unadorned piece of meat on top. Accompanied by cilantro, chopped onion and lime wedges, all I needed was a liberal splash of smoky, spicy chile sauce for a perfect experience.

With all 3 locations in East LA, I had to drive for this experience… I’m looking forward to doing it often in the future.

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

Carnitas Uruapan – Santa Ana – Conchitas

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Carnitas Uruapan is famous for its meats, and especially its carnitas. That’s why I was surprised when I visited their location at the East LA Meets Napa event last week. Every participating restaurant chose a signature dish to serve, and Carnitas Uruapan chose… baked goods.

I had been eating enthusiastically all evening, so I just asked to try the coconut cookie, and I couldn’t resist the heart-shaped peanut butter cookie. Both were delicious, with the natural coconut and rich peanut butter flavors highlighted by just enough sweetness, and perfectly executed textures.

My little surprise, though, was the Conchita that had been slipped into my bag. No great expert on Mexican baked goods, I tend to think of a concha as being a bit bigger, kind of dry, and served at breakfast in the hotels I visit. But this was something very different – absolutely the best version I have ever eaten. It was light and sweet, more like a beignet, even dusted with sugar in the same way.

Thank you to Carnitas Uruapan for this nice experience.

Here’s the website: http://www.carnitasuruapan.com