Catch me With CNN's Nick Valencia Exploring the Outlaw Bacanora Trail

Backyard still used in the production of bacanora

This is my second segment with CNN's Nick Valencia; this time, we headed to the northern state of Sonora to eat some of the most flavorful food in Mexico before drinking outlaw Bacanora in the Rio Sonora. Here, oil drums and used out parts serve as makeshift stills to refine cooked agave Pacifica, foraged in the Rio Sonora region. Check our story out in CNN's The Search for Mexican Moonshine.

Taqueria Jaas Light, Hermosillo, Sonora: Carne Asada's Lightweight World Champ

I have been a regular commuting customer of Taqueria Jaas Light since around 2002; they've been the place for carne asada tacos in Hermosillo since they first opened back in 1987. I'm there doing shows at least a couple of times a year, in Hermosillo, Sonora, where the greatest carne asada tradition in Mexico can be savored.

Carne asada is everywhere in Hermosillo, from the grand parrilladas to to taquerias to street stands marked by small chimneys atop their grills. It's all done with local beef from Angus steers and has to be roasted over mesquite. This is northern tradition.


At 6PM, the desert air rings with sounds of testosterone driven banda music and the scent of searing meat becomes a component of the atmosphere. That's when Jaas Light begins the steady stream of tacos that doesn't cease 'til almost 4AM. This is where the band goes after the show, to check out the attractive Sonoran women, and have amazing carne asada.


Sonoran women are famous in Mexico for their beauty, and they are everywhere here, so much that it overwhelms the senses. At the palenque(multi-purpose arena)they are stunning in pink and baby-blue cowgirl hats, boots, and tight Brazilian jeans singing along with their favorite hits while waving diva hands in the air--it must be the carne asada!


A team of professional and apprentice taqueros tend to the business of tacoing.


The house blend of Angus New York steak, top sirloin, and chuck are cut and trimmed prior to cooking. Blending allows for tremendous flavor and keeps the taco economical. Sonoran beef is sought after in top restaurants from Baja to Mexico City.


Sonorans love a plenteous salsa bar; here you'll find chilled cucumber and radishes, various salsas and guacamole, but be one must try the local heat:chiltepin.Chiltepin chiles are BB-sized balls of dried chile with a rattle of seeds inside that bring stinging heat that rides just below this chiles bold flavor.


The menu at Jaas Light gathers the local taco stylings of Sonora. You can start off with a carne asada taco, but it would be a shame to stop there.Request flour tortillas, they are the natural pairing for steak tacos.


Th pellizcada is a unique member of the taco family. A sope(masa disc) is covered with melted cheese and carne asada, finished with the usual toppings. An icing of fresh guacamole wets this hardy, gooey stag of the taco kingdom. This taco needs no explanation; it's a greatest flavor hits compilation.


The lorenza is the Sonoran version of the Sinaloan vampiro, a toasted-until-bone-dry tortilla covered with molten-cheese and the tri-steak blend.


The caramelo(caramel)is a flow of local cheese inside a flour tortilla with the house steak combination.



The marquee taco is the Taco Light, the proprietary blend of steak wrapped in a lettuce leaf, if you feel so inclined, but the Taco Jaas is the showstopper, a taco that has made its way to Tijuana under the nome de taco of the taco hass.A roasted anaheim chile, melted cheese, and Jaas's signature carne asada will seem familiar in concept, but this is all quality product and cookery.

Carne asada shines at Jaas Light, grass-fed steak, simply seasoned with coarse salt, and tenderized by the craft of polished taqueros.

This taqueria is the undisputed lightweight world champion of carne asada, a lighter charge into Sonoran steak culture. A few taco Lights and you'll still be ready to take on the heavyweights, the local parrilladas. Ladies and Gentlemen...let's get ready to taco, Sonoran style.

Jaas Light
Ignacio Mariscal #23 Esq. Gomez Farias
Col. Constitucion
662-214-0746

Taqueria El Chino-Hermosillo,Sonora:The Head of the Class

Saving face after a night of chelas, tacos de cabeza are para la cruda(hangover)



A pair of El Chino's tacos de cabeza, pure heaven on Earth

Every part of Mexico has their weekend breakfast foods and hangover cures. Menudo,barbacoa, birria,estofado de camaron,ceviche,siete mares,etc. In Baja it's tacos de birria de res, and nearby Sonora, it's got to be tacos de cabeza(head).

My good friend Gerardo from Hermosillo took me to a place many years ago for tacos de cabeza. He told me that it's what they do in Hermosillo on the weekends, "para la cruda", he bellowed. Well, the concerts I play at the palenques don't usually get out until 3AM or even 4AM sometimes by the time we get back to the hotel. Palomas and beers before and during the gig, more booze entertaining the local prey back at the hotel after a day of soundchecking, traveling,schleping gear, and performing, then the 8AM lobby call.Makes it hard to get one last food experience in before heading back to the states, but I always try if the hit is doable.

Gerardo told me that he would pick me up at 6:45AM to go have tacos to which I agreed with a wince, already contemplating how screwed I was going to be by the time I got back to LA. No time for a nap either.After the show and a couple hours of whispering strategic blandishments to a Sonoran girl,they only second in beauty in Mexico to the girls of Sinaloa, it was off to the lobby for some tacos.

I have to say that the tacos were amazing.But, sleep deprived, still drunk, and stung by the charms of a Sonoran girl, the experience wasn't fully digested but in that fog of a 24 hour cycle was the haunting memory of a taco so good, that it makes you tremble.

Last month, gigging at the Feria de Hermosillo, I had it on my list to get up and have some tacos de cabeza before I came back home.We had a later call, so time was on my side this time. I was referred to Taqueria El Chino by local consensus, and when I arrived I realized that this was the place I had been with Gerardo a few years back.Hangover free and armed with 3.5 hours of sleep, I was ready.Two tacos de cabeza were ordered and served rapid fire. The cabeza is steamed dark and juicy to the eye. I dressed one red and the other green and then, a rhapsodic smack hit my senses. The saucy and savory beef head meat is so balanced in its flavors, spicing, and texture, the red salsa worked fantastically.Everything fresh, the salsas, the toppings, the meats.This is the perfect taco.

The sesos tacos were levels above anything I've had before. And the taco de frijol made with frijoles maneados, Sonoran refritos, were laughingly good. "A bean taco? Really? "Oh damn, give me another one of those &%$!ing things"



Taco de seso, El Chino



This tacos de cabeza was famously paired with El Chino's salsa roja, a thing of beauty. Take care in finishing this taco, you want to pair, not drown this gem.


The condiments and tacoing at El Chino are standards of excellence


Taco de frijol, Sonoran refritos are addicting


These are better than my favorite tacos de birria de res in Tijuana, and remind me of what a taco should be. A homemade tortilla with subtle flavoring as a launching pad for a baddass filling topped with fresh and complementing vegetables and salsas.A taco should be an event in your mouth. It should be the subject of virulent debate alongside your favorite soccer team. The tacos at El Chino provide a standard that everything else you eat or drink that day has to match.


The menu



A refrescos and aguas station split the outdoor dining area


Taqueria El Chino

Taqueria El Chino is stand with covered seating area in a parking lot. It is right around the corner from Hermosillo's best tacos of carne asada, Tacos Jass.They have a few other branches, but the location here is close to downtown, the hotel district. It's walking distance from the Holiday Inn, where the band always stays when in Hermosillo.

You will see tacos de cabeza all throughout the state of Sonora, but you haven't had them until you've been here.When I was leaving they waved me back curiously questioning why I was taking pictures. After a brief and friendly chat the manager, he showed me their award, as 2008's best taco in Hermosillo. The 2009 awards are coming up,so, you'd better get over to Taqueria El Chino fast and cast your vote.These are some of the best tacos I've had in Mexico, and are a must when visiting Hermosillo.



Best in show, 2008

Taqueria El Chino
Blvd Morelos no. 16
right around the corner from Tacos Jass
Hermosillo, Sonora
Mexico

More Hermosillo pics....

The incomparable Tacos Jass.


Sonora Steak's elegant dining room.


Aged Angus steak with grilled jalapenos and onions.


A closeup of this tender and succulent treasure.


Queso fundido made with local Sonoran cheese,yum!!

My day in Hermosillo

The very rustic "cahuamanta" roadside diner.

Cahuamanta.


The street popular sushi roll chain, Que Rollo(What a roll!), in Hermosillo.Didn't try one, but it was a first for me, a sushi roll stand in Mexico?


The carne asada(L), and the al pastor(R) from Tacos Jass.


Carne asada tacos at Taco's Jass are made from a blend of three quality cuts of Sonoran steaks including the New York steak being prepared by the grill man.


Hermosillo is a true Mexico experience to encounter.It's a classic. It's a clean city, full of amazing carnes, perhaps the best in Mexico, mariscos, banda street concerts, and a real family atmosphere.It's located in the Sonoran desert and only about an hour from the sea of Cortez.Surf and turf!! That's right, a thriving cattle industry and a bounty of seafood all in the same area code.

I was only in town for a quick turn on business, so my planning had to be precise and my consumption disciplined. So much for that.How can you take a bite of this mind-blowing food and put it down and walk away?

I started the afternoon with the local and famed Caguamanta, a splendid soup made with manta ray. It used to be made with turtle, but was then substituted with manta ray as turtle became illegal. I found a real roadside shack.What this place lacked in aesthetics, it made up for in hospitality and sabor! After a little business related stuff, it was off to Tacos Jass. The best carne asada taqueria in town.They use a blend of prime new york steak, palomilla, and another cut that escapes me. These carne asada tacos were outstanding, tender, and moist.After walking it off, I explored the street options available on my way to the upscale steak house, Sonora Steak.Believe it or not, sushi rolls have become a fad as a street food in Hermosillo, Mexico. I know sushi has taken Mexico by storm in recent years, but this was new.Watching Hermosillo college students chat and devour street sushi rolls chased down by some pickled chiles was a sight to behold.

Finally, I made it to Sonora Steak for a taste.That's all I could muster at this point.I ordered their aged Angus steak priced by weight.I opted for 200 grams of tender succulence accompanied by roasted Mexican green onions and jalapenos, and a baked potato. Oh, i forgot to mention the queso fundido made with locally produced cheese topped with hongos(mushrooms). A little Herradura Anejo and sangrita to end my day of feasting followed by a cohiba while reclining in the desert air is alright.

My Hermosillo favorites:
Tacos
Tacos Jass
Don Chuy
Fine steakhouse
Sonora Steak
El Marcos

Steakhouse serving complete dinners(paquetes)
Xochimilco
Mariachissimo
El Lenador

Seafood
Los Arbolitos
Aquarios

Caguamanta
7 Mares Guaymas on the highway to Guaymas

Special foods:
Carne asada, machaca,queso fundido, tortillas de harina(Sonora style), chilorio, caguamanta, chiles de chiltepin(hot!!!), tripas de leche, mantarraya, Arrachera (steak).....

Beverages:
Bacanora(agave spirit made locally)

Hope to make it back to Sonora soon.