That turned out not to be the case. Cabo is a Corona town. Literally, the area around the marina is coded “the Corona Zone” and everything in it caters to Americans.

I don’t know how to summarize my feelings on this kind of travel without going sideways on a rant, but let me just say that travel to me is exploring other cultures. I do not consider America to be an ‘other’ culture.

My first meal was a carne asada that Salsa and Agave in Vancouver would have put to shame. I considered it lucky we planned to spend so much time underwater. Also that we had a lot of readily accessible tequila.

But slowly a few gems started to reveal themselves. We ate breakfast at Cafe Canela every day, including on the last day when I had the most delicious dish, huevos divorciados:

Huevos Divorciados (Divorced Eggs) is “two fried eggs separated by a column of chilaquiles (although sometimes, refried beans with tortilla chips are substituted). Typically, one egg is covered in salsa roja, while the other is covered in salsa verde, giving them distinctly different and complementary flavors”. Chilaquiles are fried tortilla chips and the whole thing is just so good. I’m going to make it at home soon.

We had a lot of fish tacos, which I discovered I don’t actually like that much. The ones above were at El Caballero at Cabo Pulmo, a dive site, but Matt reports that the best ones were at Tacos Gardenias. I can report that the ones I had: chicarron (pork rind), nopalito (cactus), carnitas (shredded pork) and shredded beef (pictured at the top) were also excellent. Yes, I ate 4 tacos in one sitting. Leave me alone, they were delicious.

Probably the best restaurant we found in Cabo was Mi Casa, recommended to us by our dive master. Here was a carne asada worth its salsa, BBQ’d short rib in sauce, huge glasses of tequila and an afternoon nap waiting to happen.

La Mesa Poblano proved to be another after-diving find.

I had the mole combo; chicken mole, tortilla with salsa and machaca (dried beef strips) and cheese, cucumber, avocado and refried beans. I also had a clericot to drink.

Matt had 3 al pastor (marinated pork) tacos and beer and I’m pretty sure we had another afternoon nap.

Edith’s was not particularly delicious, but it did have a beautiful bar under a palapa roof, and a fine tequila selection:

La Fonda was similarly beautiful and it had chapulines.

Just when we were starting to despair again, we headed up the peninsula to La Paz to go diving with whale sharks. We were buoyed up by the fact that this town actually looked like Mexico (well, more like Mexico anyways) and people spoke Spanish and there might actually be good Mexican food here. But my face drooped and then drooped some more when we were referred to a sports bar, an Italian place and finally a steak and seafood joint.

We took matters into our own hands and just started walking out of down until we reached Super Burro – casual taqueria chain that translates as “super donkey”.  It was so good! It reminded me of Tacos Guaymas in the U.S. except you could smell the smoke from the BBQ out back at this one. Just look how happy Matt is and he hadn’t even started eating yet.

It was a fantastic trip. Can’t say we’ll be back but I’m definitely glad we went.

More photos of food here and the whole trip is here.

The first was a lunch menu that served up the treat above – a giant goblet of clericot. It appears to be the Central American version of sangria with red wine, apple juice, and mineral water – and tequila. It was so boozy and fruity I thought clericot must certainly be Spanish for “panty-remover”.

This blog post is the best explanation that I can find (no entry on wikipedia yet), describing it as:

a drink the British took to South America as “claret cup”, which later became “clericot”. According to Darcy O’Neal it was the punch of choice for parties and the drink most enjoyed by the British in the 1800′s. It’s very similar to the Spanish “sangria” and it basically consists of wine with some sort of fruit and a sweetener (usually white sugar). Hundreds of different “sangria” and “clericot” recipes can be found on the net. Actually in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, as far as I know, the main difference between “sangria” and “clericot” is that the later is prepared with white wine (regular and/or sparkling), while in the former reds are used.

No mention of tequila in this recipe (or in any of the other googled ones, in fact) but experience has proven that cocktails are not as they are supposed to be in Cabo. A few days later I had a hankering for a Michelada, a drink that I’ve had at the Diamond in Gastown and which is supposed to contain beer, lime juice, sauces, spices and tomato or Clamato juice. What came to the table was a shot of tequila in a pint glass with a can of Tecate on the side. Not classy, but no one goes to Cabo for the culture.

One can go on and on about the authentic Mexican restaurants but sometimes people just want Mexican food with an American flavour, also known as Tex-Mex. Also known as cheese.

Tex-Mex is a style of fusion cuisine, combining the flavours of California and Texas with Mexico. It is characterized by heavy cheese on almost everything, loads of sour cream and guacamole. It’s the kind of cuisine that causes first time visitors to Mexico to do a double-take at their near dairy free-fish tacos or chicken mole and wonder what’s going on.

I love cheese, don’t get me wrong. but in Vancouver I most often end up at Doña Cata or La Taqueria with their homemade sauces weighing down juicy tortillas but one weekend after diving, Matt and I were starving and cold and the thought of bulging, cheesy burritos was very comforting. In Vancouver, the best place for these, in my estimation, is at the Topanga Cafe.

Two cervezas, chips and salsa, a tamale and an enchilada later and we were sated. Under the cheese and sour cream layers, the tamale had shredded chicken (my favorite) in the corn dough coating and was quite tasty while the enchilada had chunks of white breast meat wrapped in a tortilla. I pretty much hate white breast meat and even under the dairy blankets, this one was dry. Luckily I had ordered the combo, so between the Corona and the refried beans covered in cheese, I was very happy. All the same, next time I’ll get the beef, or make sure the chicken is shredded.

And with that, we’re off to Mexico, where we will have many more cervezas and hopefully some excellent ethnic eats as well.

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Topanga Cafe
2904 West 4th Ave, Vancouver

The first time I walked into Barrio in Seattle, it was late at night, raining and I was by myself. The sleek grey decor and wall of candlelight were beautiful and inviting, but it wasn’t meant to be – they were just closing and so I found myself a block farther down at Cafe Presse (Le Pichet‘s Capitol Hill establishment) with an Armagnac and a plate of charcuterie. I’ve been trying to get back and a late summer sun-soaked afternoon after a scuba dive in Edmonds was the perfect opportunity.

I ordered a trio of tacos – pork loin al pastor, shredded chicken in adobo sauce and Tecate beer-battered cod – without realizing that they meant you to have three of the same kind of taco. No matter, they were more than happy to honor that request, as well as the one for a ceviche and crudo sampler. The raw combo came out first; raw scallop & prawn and halibut “cooked” in lime juice for the ceviche and tuna crudo with salt and lime. It was refreshing and suited the evening, but the ramekins of each type were quite small and difficult to get the goods out with the delicate plantain chips.

Sun streamed in through the open doors and I didn’t even care that my hair was full of sea water. To drink I had some lovely summer cocktail – the special – with gin and lemon and angostura. Matt had less luck, first trying a jalapeño marg that muddled the sour notes of both chili and lime, rather than the flavourful ones. This was followed by a Pacifico in a bottle – Pacifico only because they were out of Corona and Tecate. Guess they used it all up on the beer-battered cod.

By the time we got our mains things were looking up. My tacos were excellent, being the right mix exactly of sloppy and juicy without falling apart, although I could have used some more traditional variations of filler. The side of beans that came with, though! Traditional or not, I will take them. They’re baked beans in sauce with more of that Tecate beer and bacon and they were just heavenly. Matt had a cazuela - chorizo, egg and cheese with fried potatoes, guacamole and tomato and hot sauce baked in a clay dish and served with tortillas. It didn’t pique my interest all that much (possibly because I think I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had eggs for dinner) but it was sure tasty.  The smoky sausage / fluffy eggs / piquant hot sauce combo is one I could definitely get behind. Especially at breakfast.

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Barrio
1420 12th Avenue, Seattle

Around Vancouver in 52 Restaurants > Americas > Mexico

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!

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

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

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

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?