Entries categorized as ‘Mexican’
I hadn’t seen Raul in a while, or cooked anything delicious, so we got together and he showed me how to make a couple of his favorite Mexican dishes, sopa azteca and chili rellenos. Yum! They’re delicious, so I wanted to publish them for you.
To make the chili rellenos, wash the poblano peppers (as many as you want to serve…probably 2 medium-sized peppers per person) and cut a little “window” in them, for stuffing. Pull out all the seeds, so they’re clean inside and then make some rice – about 1 cup per 4 peppers, depending on the size. It’s possible to add ground beef as well but we made a vegetarian version. Preheat the oven to 350.
In the meantime, start making the soup by dicing a medium onion and 5 or 6 cloves of garlic and sauteing them until the onions are translucent. Purée 10 medium size tomatoes, adding a small can of salsa and then the onion and garlic mix. When it’s a consistent texture, transfer the whole lot to a stock pot. Add 1/2 L of chicken stock, 1/2 tsp of chili powder (we used chipotle), a dash of cumin, a dash of sage and some salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes (or keep warm until the chili rellenos are done).
When the rice is ready, scoop as much as possible into each pepper and top with some salsa verde and Mexican cheese. Pop them in the oven for about 45 minutes until the peppers are soft and tender.
Garnish the soup with some fresh avocado pieces, crushed tortilla chips and some shredded/crumbled cheese. And make sure to serve with plenty of Negra Modelos and tequila of course.
Salud!
Categories: Mexican · recipe
Tagged: cheese, chili, cooking, Mexican, raul, recipe, soup, vegetarian
I’m not really a fan of junk food – or “road food” as Tom Robbins calls it in Another Roadside Attraction – which makes heading out on a road trip somewhat less exciting in the eating department. Last year, however, a friend introduced me to Tacos Guaymas which has become a required stop on every trip south of the border. They’ve got plenty of locations, including several in Seattle, but Burlington and Everett are the ones that seem to tie in well after waiting in the border line up.
Tacos Guaymas is a chain of fast food (for lack of a better word) restaurants, but rather than serving up processed, wilted dishes, the food is fresh and very authentic. They’ve got one of those menus that goes on and on with specials on coloured paper tacked on to the bottom and sides and it includes all the standard Mexican fare like tacos, burritos, carne asada, chimichanga, and enchiladas, etc. but I’ve also had the meat plate (above) and ceviche and others and not once been disappointed. The portions are enormous – truly trucker-sized – so consider yourself warned. It’s easy to get carried away ordering and then have to stretch out in the car for a couple of hours until you get to where you’re going.
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Tacos Guaymas
590 S Burlington Blvd, Burlington
1814 112th St SE, Everett
Categories: Mexican
Tagged: burrito, carne, degan beley, Mexican, travel, US, usa, Washington
Around Vancouver in 52 Restaurants > Americas > Mexico
Despite what some people think, not everyone likes sandwiches. I, for one, think they’re kind of a boring necessity. That opinion has changed somewhat, however, now that Las Tortas has come on the scene.
According to their website, a torta is more like a hamburger anyways, and comes served on a soft bun called a telera with tomato, cabbage, pickled onions, jalapenos, guacamole, and refried beans. With that as a starting point you can choose from 11 different kinds, from schnitzel to Mayan style chicken breast.
To order, you pick up a bag and a marker, note your choices and then use that as transport for your lunch. It’s an efficient system that also saves some trouble on pick up orders and picnics.
The pierna sandwich checkbox has seen the most action from me. Pork thigh roasted with Mexican spices is mopped up nicely in the soft bread, although I’m quite fond of chorizo sausage and Oaxaca cheese too.
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Las Tortas
3353 Cambie Street, Vancouver
Categories: Americas · Mexican · Vancouver52
Tagged: Mexican, sandwich, ethniceats.ca, degan beley, Vancouver52, 52 in Vancouver
February 4, 2010 · 1 Comment
Around Vancouver in 52 Restaurants > Americas > Mexico
The first time I went to Mexico wasn’t to a resort, it was to a little town called La Colorada in Sonora. There were no umbrellas in drinks, but there were steaks the size of plates and tequila and tacos. With some local help we went in search of tacos one night, driving down a street that may have been busy during the day but at night was dark and empty save for a small cart and a group of savvy taco-eaters. Full of anticipation, we placed our orders for lengua, carnitas and asada and sat on the still-warm curb trying not to drip salsa on our sneakers.
More than any other Mexican restaurant in Vancouver, La Taqueria reminds me of that experience. On an empty block of Hastings, it feels like a taqueria has been transported straight from Mexico, complete with bottle cap decor and turquoise laminate counter. Except that this “pinche taco shop” as they call it (pinche is slang for Kitchen boy) serves up pastor with braised Chilliwack pork and Pemberton meadows beef tongue lengua.
They are $2.50 ($2 for veggie) per taco or $$9.50 for four, so I had the tongue, carnitas - pork confit with pickled red onions, pollo con mole – maple hills chicken in three chili mole, and rajas con crema – roasted poblano peppers with creamed corn, sour cream and Mexican cheese. They’re flour tortillas, served with the above ingredients plus cilantro and onion. Lengua was my favorite, although the tang of pickled onion against the meaty pork flavours in the carnitas is hard not to rave about as well. Chicken mole was ok but I regret the poblano choice. Creamed corn and cheese is just not what I expect out of a taco even though it was executed well. I should have had the cachete instead (braised Chilliwack pork cheeks) but I need to have something to save for next time, along with the fish tacos and the special that changes weekly.
Doña Cata has been held the taqueria title for a while now and it’s well worth a trip there as well, but I’m so glad we’re finally getting some more decent Mexican restaurants in town. A third option is Salsa and Agave.
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La Taqueria
322 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
Categories: Americas · Mexican · Vancouver52
Tagged: Mexican, taco, Vancouver, ethniceats.ca, degan beley, dining, dine out, project, 52 in Vancouver, Vancouver 52, tacos, taqueria
Photo Credit: ecstaticist.
So I’ve dedicded to start a new project for dining in 2010. The tagline of this site is “Sampling the World’s Cuisine Without Leaving Vancouver” and so instead of of traipsing around Vancouver’s culinary delights in the random way I have been for the last (almost) 2 years, I am going to present my finds country by country.
I still have a bit of a backlog of reviews, so I may post those interspersed with the project and if I feel really keen, I may even post some recipes.
First stop on the grand tour: North America. Got any favorites you’d like to recommend?
Categories: African · Asian · Australian · Belgian · Cambodian · Caribbean · Chinese · Cuban · Dutch · Eastern European · El Salvadoran · Ethiopian · Filipino · French · German · Greek · Himalayan · Indian · Indonesian · Irish · Italian · Jamaican · Japanese · Korean · Latin · Lebanese · Malaysian · Mexican · Nepalese · News · Persian · Romanian · Scandinavian · Singaporean · Spanish · Srilankan · Taiwanese · Thai · Tunisian · Vancouver52 · Vietnamese
Tagged: restaurant, cuisine, Vancouver, culture, travel, ethniceats.ca, degan beley, world, dining, dine out, project, Vancouver52, 52 in Vancouver
People have been telling me to go have tacos at Doña Cata for well, much longer than I care to admit, considering that I just went there for the first time last weekend. But even though I’m devastated to lose out on a year’s worth of tacos, it was worth the wait. They are exquisite.
I ordered one each of the the Al Pastor, Longaniza and Barbacoa de borrego tacos which are marinated pork meat with pineapple, cured pork sausage with chili and lamb respectively. They come in a no-frills basket with chopped onion and cilantro and you can mosey up to the salsa bar to choose your topping from 10 different homemade sauces.
They were so tasty! A little messy, to be sure, but all the best foods are. Tender, spiced meat balanced beautifully in flavour and temperature with the cold cilantro and onion and a little squirt of lime made it just exactly right. Try some roasted chilies on the side for extra smoky flavour.
Doña Cata is often voted Vancouver’s best Mexican, best tacos, etc, and Vancouver Magazine recently rated it best in the Americas. I’m astounded that such a small shop way up Victoria has managed to command this kind of attention, but I don’t disagree. The steady stream of happy customers more than the wall of accolades is proof enough that they’re doing everything right.
I know that Doña Cata’s has moved to a larger establishment recently and while I had not seen the old taquería , this one managed to be both homey and festive and…fun! The pink and turquoise walls, Mexican kitsch and friendly, happy staff felt like we were just on the verge of a party or some kind of fabulous family gathering. I love food and am often beside myself when getting to try out a new place, but there were a few times during lunch that I actually caught myself grinning. Of course, that could also have been the margarita…
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Dona Cata Mexican Foods
5076 Victoria Drive, Vancouver
Categories: Mexican
Now that patio season is upon us, there is just no excuse for drinking indoors and one of my favorite West Side patios is at Las Margaritas.
Dappled sunlight comes in through the copious greenery on the patio and splashes against the faux adobe walls and does a passable impression of a Mexican cantina…at least after you’ve had a few margaritas.
The drinks, however, are all American. There is a choice of 4 different sizes – regular $6.26, large $9.75, monster $13.45 and pitcher $27.95 – to ensure that you get the exact amount of liquid libation you’re looking for, as well as 9 different flavours: Lime, Strawberry, Peach, Banana, Apricot, Coconut, Pineapple, and Raspberry. Thankfully complimentary chips and salsa are dropped off soon after you arrive, in an attempt to soak up the alcohol. The food here is also quite good if you’re hungry. Inauthentic, mind you, but tasty.
According to their website, the fruit margaritas are all made with natural fruit juices and nectars, but after trying the Peach, Apricot and Strawberry, I found them to be exceedingly sweet and syrupy. There was no denying the flavour of the drink, but the thick mixtures were so perfumed and specific that they almost seemed bottled. A lime marg would have possibly been more up my alley with Triple sec, lime and lemon juice and house made sweet and sour mix. I will give that one next time, or else sample from the top shelf margarita list, where the choices seem clearer (less thick) and more cocktail-style.
At any rate, there is enough variation on the margarita page alone to keep a dedicated researcher like myself busy for several hot afternoons this summer, even considering that I will have to rotate heavily with the hand-muddled selections at the Tequila Kitchen. I shouldn’t even have brought the TK margaritas in here, because there is no way their complex, refreshing flavours can compare with the sweetness of Las Margaritas’ margs, but tequila is a friend that takes many forms and sometimes you want to hang out with your sophisticated friends while other times you just want to party. And if you’re the kind of person that likes serious friends, true tequila aficionados can take the Tequila Final Exam. Let me know if you can get it to work.
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Las Margaritas
1999 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver
Categories: Happy Hour · Mexican
I’ve been meaning to post about the Tequila Kitchen for a couple of weeks now, and in the meantime, instead of posting, I keep going back and eating there again. So I’ve had a few things from the menu…especially from the fantastic margarita list. Allow me to elaborate.
My first visit was at lunch, so I hadn’t anticipated dipping into the tequila and instead ordered the Special Lunch Platter (pictured) which is an utter feast. Guacamole and Salsa arrive with some chips for dipping and a small green salad with tangy citrus dressing. That spread of zing and spice gets your palate warmed up and thinking of Mexico and primed for the second course; a crispy chicken tostada, two pulled pork tacos in a spicy sauce, 2 poblano chili tacos topped with corn and onions and a nod to traditional Mexican rice and beans.
We were stuffed and happily sated but my crush on this place fully blossomed when our waiter, hearing my chagrin at our tequila-less meal, brought over a hand-muddled cucumber and serrano margarita on the house. Even given the rule that free drinks are automatically tastier than any other ones, this was still the best margarita I’ve had in a long time. Possibly the best one ever outside of Latin America. I don’t have much of a taste for sweet, syrupy cocktails, so the freshness of the ingredients, the mild taste of the cucumber punched up with the spice of the peppers and the quality of the tequila all make this a winner.
The only liquor served at the Tequila Kitchen is tequila, so you can be sure it’s done right. And after the cucumber serrano margarita, I knew I needed to go back and sample the other flavours. Hibiscus Rose (handmade hibiscus syrup and rose water) was the choice on a subsequent visit, followed by several Watermelon margaritas on another summer evening. Both were delicious, and while clearly sweeter than the cucumber, not even close to cloying.
Most of the responses I’ve heard about the Tequila Kitchen is that it’s not as authentic as Salsa & Agave around the block, but so what? It’s a fun and sophisticated place in the midst of Yaletown’s frippery, the service is impeccable and I for one will certainly be back. Often.
UPDATE: Tequila Kitchen is now closed.
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Tequila Kitchen
1043 Mainland Street, Vancouver
Categories: Latin · Mexican
Approaching summer makes me think of tacos and salsa and, ok, margaritas, so on a sunny day last week when I met a friend for lunch, I found myself suggesting Mexican. Specifically, La Casita in Gastown.
A cute little hole in the wall with kitschy decor (check out the chairs-as-cacti, below), La Casita has been around for a while, but never seems to make it onto the radar of top Mexican restaurants in the city. And, while we had a tasty and festive lunch, I would say that there’s a good reason for that.
It was a little soon after my morning coffee for tequila, so I started with a Horchata, an iced rice drink infused with flavours of cinnamon and vanilla and we munched on the chips and salsa that arrived with it.
For lunch I chose something that the waitress said was a “popular combo” and that was probably not a great idea. Because first of all, popularity does not mean quality and secondly, because I don’t particularly like chimichanga’s. My fault entirely. Combo #5 comprised 1 beef chimichanga, 1 chorizo quesadilla, rice, beans and salad, for $14. There was nothing wrong with it, but the quesadilla was a little dry and then the other half of it was a chimichanga. The beans and rice and salad were excellent, however, which leads me to believe that I would have been very happy with a veggie burrito. Ah well, next time.
The main advantage here is that with a huge space and an off-Water Street location, you can get decent food before a night out without waiting around for very long. There’s no patio, but a summer lunch is also a nice option because it’s quiet and light and again, not that busy. Service is polite but not outstanding.
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La Casita
101 West Cordova, Vancouver
Categories: Mexican
A couple of weeks ago while snowshoeing I put myself in charge of hot chocolate, but instead of using my new power to influence the winter drinking habits of those around me for good (rich, creamy cocoa) and not for evil (Carnation Instant Hot Chocolate mix), I promptly forgot about it. That is until a friend and I stopped in for gourmet Mayan hot chocolate at the Chocoatl Chocolate Boutique after healthy sushi last week.
Now I can fully command any situation that calls for hot chocolate expertise because not only does Chocoatl have a fine selection of thick and rich hot chocolate from around the globe, but they also have several specialty infused hot chocolates in flavours such as chili, rose, lavender, cornmeal, etc. I went for the Caramel concoction, a mixture of dulce de leche, vanilla and chocolate mixed with milk and although I was a little bit hesitant (because I don’t like anything overly sweet), this was a match made in heaven. Sweet without being cloying, rich without overpowering and arguably most important when dealing with hot chocolate – something warm to wrap your hands around on a cold day.
Tricia chose the Champurrado, a modern take on a traditional drink made with cornmeal, chocolate, vanilla and milk (soya milk and water are also available), which had a earthy, grounding taste underneath the sweetness, which we were also in favour of. On other visits I’ve had both the Aztec hot chocolate (with chilis and peppers) and the lavender one, and none of them have been too sweet for my liking – something that really surprises me because the trend in chocolate really seems to be to make it sweet enough to make your jaw hurt and that really leaves no room for the flavour to shine through. At Chocoatl, the balance is perfect, although I’m not sure I could have drank more than the small size.
I also took home a sampling of truffles for a mini-chocolate tasting, and since I am not the choco-holic that a lot of my friends are, I made them all take notes. After trying such obscure flavours (for chocolate) like Cuba (tobacco), Olive oil, Kalamata (fig), Matcha and Chipotle as well as the more traditional varieties of Espresso, Vanilla, and Dulce de Leche, we sadly concluded that we didn’t really like them. Whereas the flavour/sweetness balance in the hot chocolate was perfect, here it was overwhelming. Either the truffle was pure sweetness with only a trace of flavour, or else the flavour was overpowering and didn’t taste enough like a chocolate. Also, some tasters said they preferred a creamier ganache. The more suble flavours were the winners here. Olive oil was surprisingly good, as was the Matcha. Cuba didn’t taste anything like tobacco, Vanilla was too overpowering and Dulce de Leche just made my jaw hurt with sweetness. With lots of untried flavours, however, there’s bound to be a few more winners in there and I definitely know of a few people who are happy to keep tasting chocolate until they find them.
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Chocoatl
1127 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Categories: Latin · Mexican
Tagged: caramel, chocolate, cocoa, cornmeal, dulce de leche, hot chocolate, Mexcian, tricia, truffle, vanilla
I hadn’t seen Raul in a while, or cooked anything delicious, so we got together and he showed me how to make a couple of his favorite Mexican dishes, sopa azteca and chili rellenos. Yum! They’re delicious, so I wanted to publish them for you.
When the rice is ready, scoop as much as possible into each pepper and top with some salsa verde and Mexican cheese. Pop them in the oven for about 45 minutes until the peppers are soft and tender.
Garnish the soup with some fresh avocado pieces, crushed tortilla chips and some shredded/crumbled cheese. And make sure to serve with plenty of Negra Modelos and tequila of course.
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Around Vancouver in 52 Restaurants
