Crawling Lennoxico with the Pleasure Palate

Birds afire at Lennox Pollo


Lengua ranchera at Don Rogelio's


Aguachile Sinaloa style, Mariscos Chente


Camarones a la pimienta at Mariscos Chente



Trocitos en salsa roja and mole verde at Angelica's Restaurant, Lennox,CA


On Labor Day I was fortunate enough to spend the afternoon and early evening with Abby's Pleasure Palate for a restaurant crawl through the city of Lennox, a place I have affectionately called Lennoxico for it's strong Mexican-American and Central-American presence. We made it to four restaurants for a feast of regional Mexican food with a Mexican-American cuisine thrown in as well. Pleasure Palate always brings out a fantastic group of diners and epicurean adventurers, and last night was no exception.Nine of us met up to embark on a tour of an under the radar restaurant mecca full of surprizes.

Lennox Pollo

Our first mission was to hit Lennox Pollo to sample the rottiserie chicken specialty from Mexico. As a PP member pointed out, Lennox Pollo is pretty easy to spot with its mural of floating rotisserie chickens painted on its bright yellow exterior wall.Inside, the hard working duo of Tonio and Angel prepped, ran the rotisserie monitoring with vigilance, and handled the business of pollo commerce. Lennox is not accustomed to outsiders, people in line asked us what we were doing taking pictures.When I asked Angel if it was OK to shoot he referred me to Tonio, with incredulity. They didn't know why we wanted pictures and couldn't think of a good enough reason why not, so they acquiesced. When told of the huge internet stardom (yeah, right) forthcoming they smiled and let us have the run of the place.

Lennox Pollo's sabor comes from the state of Guerrero in Mexico. We got the special for $9.99, two whole birds with tortillas and salsa. You can also purchase sides of rice, beans, or macaroni salad from this little homey shack of chicken paradise.There's just enough room in the place for the line of clients, and you may sweat from the heat of the rotisseries.

Don Rogelio's was kind enough to let us eat the chicken in their outdoor dining area while we awaited our Tex-Mex feast, so we were off. The flavor of the tender birds was transendant, and as good or better than my best pollos rostizados experiences in Mexico.No salsa or tortillas needed, but you can't argue with such a delectable tradition.

Don Rogelio's

For our Tex-Mex tasting, the accomodating staff at Don Rogelio's brought us their best offerings. Cocido, lengua, barbacoa, carnitas in mole, and chile verde.Rice, beans, homemade tortillas, and some real homemade guacamole joined the cast of delicious entrees. I was already an enthusiast of DR's cocido, so no surprize that I love it; my other favorites were the lengua and the chile verde. Tex-Mex cuisine is all about the sauces. The lengua was cooked in a ranchera sauce, so tender it could be cut with a fork and the sauce was superb. The chile verde resonated with the natural flavors of tomatillo and braised then stewed pork, no canned green chile sauce here. I enjoyed everything else except for the carnitas in mole, which just didn't work. The barbacoa had a mild sweetness that while simplistic, was enjoyable. All that with a little Tex-Mex hospitality thrown in.It was not a bad start to our crawl.

Mariscos Chente

We opted for Mariscos Chente for our third stop since belts were becoming tight and some of us were about to hit the wall, and we didn't want to miss this opportunity to have some Mexican seafood. Our 4th destination would be saved for the optional encounter. Chef Sergio, his wife Angie, and owner Magdalena(Angie's mother who recently divorced Chente Cosio and opened her own branch of her husband's family business) are wonderful people. Magdalena, from Nayarit, gets her shrimp directly from Mazatlan, and Angie makes a great hostess/waitress. Sergio is from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, and learned Nayarit-style seafood working for with father-in-law, owner of Mariscos Chente's (now Coni'Seafood) in Inglewood.The seafood cuisines of southern Sinaloa, and northern Nayarit share dishes many, cooking techniques, and traditions, but with their own subtle regional differences. Nayarit borders Sinaloa to the south, but as Angie says, "one minute you are in Sinaloa and the next Nayarit."

I had to have our group try the iconic aguachile and the Sinaloan dish, camarones Culichi, but I left the rest up to Angie. Our tasting included the aguachile, camarones Culichi, camarones a la pimienta, chicharron de pescado, and camarones checos. I will do Mariscos Chente proper in separate post, but here's my first bite, and it was all amazing. We were wowed by this mouthwatering  wealth of culinary dishes from the state of Nayarit. I am a partisan when it comes to Mexican seafood--especially the state of Sinaloa, andnot easily impressed, but Mariscos Chente has swept me off of my feet. We even enjoyed the coastal rice that accompanied the cooked seafood dishes.

Angelica's

Not sure if we would make this one, I didn't give the lone employee Gabby much time to prepare for our visit. We lost one of the original nine here, as our menu discussion unraveled his composure."OK, I'm out" he said, as he surged from the prone position and walked out. This was quite a lot of chow even for us diehards. Luckily for Gabby, we would only order a mole verde from Puebla, and trocitos en salsa roja(beef in red sauce) with some homemade tortillas. Angelica's is a D.F. style comida economica which also serves El Salvadorean antojitos to oblige the Salvadorenos of Lennox, so one of our remaining eight tried their first pupusas. Gabby deftly made pupusas, and tortillas(excellent)made to order while preparing the mole verde and trocitos.She apologized for taking so long as all eight of were served within about 15 minutes? I think Gabby could show Rachel Ray what can really be done in 30 minutes or less. The mole verde was excellent and a first for me.I've only had mole verde from Oaxaca and mole poblano from Puebla before. The trocitos en salsa roja tasted just like your Mexican grandmother makes.I know, I have a Mexican grandmother.Angelica's is home cooking featuring guisados, sopes, pambazos(forgot we tried these too), meats stewed in complex salsas, and other platos tipicos. The mole verde is the find here, though, as well as Gabby.

End notes
We spotted the Taco Dollar truck parked next to a throng of locals as we were leaving Angelica's for those that had mentioned the taco trucks. We wanted to try them but just couldn't eat another bite-- it smelled great, had a huge, festive crowd. There were teenage boys showing off for the girls, familes perusing the pirate DVD aisles for the latest, and tacos being gobbled down to the sounds of Los Tucanes de Tijuana. All afternoon and evening we were stared at with wonder. A group of people walking in our neighborhood speaking english?Are they tourists, here in Lennox? We were asked if we were from out of town at one point. Besides that, it was a relaxing evening walking and eating like kings in a very family friendly neighborhood, a Latino neighborhood, and a place worthy of being a new food destination.

I would like to thank Abby for putting this together, and can't wait for her write up. Cecilia, Lisa, Dao, Mike, Jeff, Tom and Barb--thanks so much for your daring enthusiam, excellent palates, and jovial company on this Lennoxico trip. I really enjoyed our dining together. So, was I exagerrating about the low flying planes?

CLOSED--A pearl is truly rare thing:Colombian seafood at a Swap Meet?

La Fiesta Outlet Mall on Sherman Way in No. Hollywood

La Perla glows bright in the food court in La Fiesta

Arroz de mariscos

Empanada de camaron con aji

The glorious patacon, que chevere!


Colombia. I have many fond memories.I'm always looking for a good spot to indulge in some comida Colombiana, have an aguardiente, and stay abreast of the important news stories in Colombia by reading La Prensa. Waiting to order my lunch at La Perla del Pacifico, the new Colombian seafood destination at the La Fiesta Outlet Mall, I decided to read about the controversy between Venezuela and Colombia. No, I'm not talking about Uribe's cross-border invasion, but of course, the Miss Universe pageant. La Prensa stated that Miss Colombia was racking up the points throughout the pageant, and was a crowd favorite too, when Miss Venezuela stole the show. I thought Taliana Vargas was robbed, and this important news feature in La Prensa just validates my position!


Ok, the find. The La Fiesta Outlet Mall is a lifesavor, and alongside the King Seafood Market, make for a serious day of shopping. This bastion of inexpensive low brow shopping for the Latino community has all the stuff you can get downtown, minus the pirate DVD's, hamsters, and bellydancer outfits. But hey, you can get a kimchi refrigerator, too! Plus, you get to mix and mingle with cholos, girls named Sad Girl, and the unaccomodating merchants. At these prices, who can afford congeniality?


But, amidst this bargain shoppers dream lies a true gem, La Perla Del Pacifico, the only Colombian seafood restaurant in Los Angeles. Even more rare is the focus on the cuisine of the Pacific Coast of Colombia, as opposed to the more well known Caribbean Coastal dishes of Barranquilla and Cartagena. The Pacific Coast has European, African, Arabic, and Japanese influences to name a few, but the African influence is predominate, especially in the mostly Afro-Colombian population in the department of Nariño.


I popped in this past Sunday for a sample of this special restaurant, I really love Colombian food after having visited there four times, but was becoming weary of the city city cuisine from Bogota and the surrounding areas, which is all we have here. The Colombian restaurants around Los Angeles seem to share the same menu, save for an item here and there.


I had the arroz de mariscos, a dish that lives up to its name with ample amounts of mussels, clams, and baby octopus, almost as substantial as a paella. A cool pickled salad and a perfectly fried patacon, one the best I've ever had. I started with a shrimp empanada, fried corn flour dough with ample crunch. It startled me at first because it was a little harder than the typical cigar shaped empanadas from Colombia you find around town, but these are Pacific Coast style.


My Colombiana, the creme soda like national soft drink was a sweet juxtaposition to the zestful seafood.I would have preferred Club Colombia beer, but that's how it goes with the stringent California liquor laws.


The menu is replete with colorful and unique Pacifico entrees: encocao of either shrimp,black clams, angel fish, or crab legs (all cooked in coconut milk); grilled fish, tapao de pescado(fish soup with plantains), sancocho de pescado (fish stew), ceviche (Atlantic or Pacific coast styles), a paella-like rice with seafood, and rice with shrimp (arroz de mariscos and arroz con camarones)--oh, and they have a nice cazuela de mariscos (seafood casserole), too. There are also Colombian hot dogs and hamburgers for those so inclined.


Aphrodisiac beverages such as the arrechon (strong fermented corn drink), jugo de borojo (Colombian fruit), and the champu (fermented corn drink). Jugos with water or milk and agua de panela, the brown sugar drink. There's lots to explore here on this menu.


The husband and wife team of Justo Gomez and Ana Milena run La Perla Del Pacifico, her behind the stove, and him at the counter. They said this is a new cuisine here and are anxious to see how people will respond, as even most Colombians are not used to this food. LA Colombianos are eating carnes! After many disappointments in Los Angeles with Latino seafood restaurant experiences, I can say with pleasure that La Perla is not amazing because it's a one of a kind, but because they make traditional Pacifico cuisine with the quality, execution, and care reserved for first-rate restauranteurs. Que chevere, que bacano, La Perla!


La Perla Del Pacifico
12727 Sherman Way Ste. #B-8
North Hollywood, CA 91605
310-926-2318
0r 323-508-6173 cell
In the La Fiesta Outlet Mall
closed on Tuesdays

Nicaraguan comes to the Valley

Welcome to the nieghborhood, amigo.

Carne Asada Nicaraguense

Sweet and spicy pickled onions

Queso frito, maduro, y la carne

Nicaraguan Soda Roja

Finally, a Nicaraguan restaurant has come to the Valley, even better, right in my neck of the woods.Nica's Kitchen has been open for a little over a month, and they've got the Grand Opening sign to proove it.They are closed on Tuesdays, so Monday's menu is pretty basic.I went today and had the Carne Asada Nicaraguense:Carne asada, gallo pinto(rice and beans),platano maduro(plantains either sweet and soft or crispy),ensalada(very much like Salvadorean curtido), and queso frito all for $9.Cebollitas, the Nicaraguan spicy pickled onions were a sweet and hot condiment to accent. Everything was fantastic, and tasty with a variety of textures and temperatures to delight the senses. Crispy maduro, cold ensalada, and fried cheese beautifully placed atop the gallo pinto and carne asada.
On a previous visit I had their soulful cacao drink, which the owner said was similar to horchata.I had stumbled upon this place and wandered in; the owner insisted I try his cacao drink.This is our kind of place!Today I had the Soda Roja, a very sweet and unique tasting soda from Nicaragua.Nica's also has chancho asado(pork), brocheta de cerdo(pork skewers),pollo asado, and bistec encebollado daily, and from Wednesday through Sunday:Vigoron(yucca root w chicharron, chanco con yucca(pork ribs with yucca root), and sopa de mondongo(tripe).On the weekends you can get the famous nacatamal, and baho(a mixture of meat, plantains, and yucca cooked in banana leaves).
The restaurant is dedicated to comida Nicaraguense and presenting tipical dishes.This place is a hole in the wall and with fans blasting and no AC, I actually felt like I was in Nicaragua.A little hot and humid to go with my lunch.But, such a wonderful dive and one of my new favorites.Alcohol should be on its way, the owner said that he is working on it.There is also a mini-chain Salvadorean restaurant and panadaria located in this up and coming strip mall.

Nica's Kitchen
9AM-9PM daily(breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
closed Tuesdays
11640 Victory Bl.
North Hollywood,CA 90606
818-762-0562
@Victory/Lankershim

Lennoxico tour w/pics

The Latino Inner City paradise, Lennox,CA!

Ever been to Lennox? I've stopped there over the years wandering back from LAX looking for restaurants and had eaten at a few spots, surprised at the dense Latino population that has grown there over the years, mostly Mexican and Central-American.

The stretch of Inglewood Ave. between Century Bl. and 111th St. is a residential neighborhood zoned for business, so there are houses that have been converted to restaurants and other Latino owned businesses. I took the metro red, blue, and green to the Hawthorne station for a little taste of Lennoxico.


Lennox Pollo is a serious pollos rostizados joint, and although I didn't eat there, the chicken looked and smelled wonderful.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2733510688/in/set-72157606546291585/


La Feria reminds me of a tourist restaurant in Mexico, with a menu all over the map with seafood to carnes. Caldo michi, cocteles, pescado zarandeado, carne asada a la Tampiquena, and Southwestern fajitas, nachos, and combo plates.Mariachis regularly perform at this family restaurant with a nice ambience.This place could be in the Zona Dorada in Mazatlan! It's a place for the locals to celebrate birthdays,etc.Didn't dine here either, but it was nice to see this type of place, very oddly located on Inglewood Bl, in LA.

Don Rogelio's Tex Mex restaurant has been on my list for a while.An authentic Tex Mex place in LA not affliated with a ridiculous chain, or some other poor version of the substantial Tex-Mex cuisine. Don Rogelio's sits about 50 yards back from the street amidst a few vibrantly colored country houses, a little bit of Los Olivos in Lennox, despite the planes flying over every 5 minutes.Yes, Don Rogelio's is in a flight path. What caught my eye this day was the fabulous looking and smelling cocido being prepared. When cocido is done right it might be the only thing on the menu for me, when done wrong it's just a tedious beef stew, an irksome addition to the card. Don Rogelio's cocido is beautiful.

Don Rogelio's
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2733514856/in/set-72157606546291585/
Cocido
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2732683257/in/set-72157606546291585/
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2732701267/in/set-72157606546291585/
Dine in Don Rogelio's country garden, surrounded by a Latino candle shop, barber shop, market, and fountains with cords running along the grass.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2733523286/in/set-72157606546291585/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2732691869/in/set-72157606546291585/
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2733527546/in/set-72157606546291585/
The cocido has huge Texas sized vegetables and tasted delicious.Along with some tortillas and the chorus of low flying planes, pure heaven on Earth.Their menu has barbacoa,lengua chile verde, enchiladas, Tex-Mex menudo, Southwestern mole, caldo de pollo, and guisados, to name a few.All recipes are from la senora, a true Tex-Mex transplant to Lennox.

Mariscos Chente is run by a family from Los Mochis specializing in Sinaloan seafood. I enjoyed a nice taco de marlin here, and will be back armed with a 6-pack of Pacifico's.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2733522388/in/set-72157606546291585/

I had some good food here a few years ago at Angelica's homey little joint, which is like a comida economica with Mexican and Salvadorean antojitos and platos.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927...

There are other places to eat, street vendors, and a panoply of beauty salons located in people's houses.

These restaurants are great, the kind that I wish were in my neighborhood. I can't wait to get back to try some more of Mariscos Chente, Lennox Pollo, and Don Rogelio's. I love LA.

Paella in LA!

La paella!!

The sausage king lets us peak into the vault.

The sausage stuffer.

Delicious tapas on the house.

Paella perfection.

La Espanola market, located in the "picturesque" oil town of Harbor City is truly a diamond in the rough.Ordering paella in Los Angeles restaurants is useless.I don't care if they give you 15 more minutes to prepare the dish than the rest of the entrees, it's not going to happen.In general, rice dishes are exercises in patience, balance of liquids and solids, and ingredients.Paella, along with Jambalaya and risotto, are the finest examples of the art if rice.

La Espanola started making paella to showcase their fine chorizos at the United States premier producer and distributor of top quality Spanish products.Olives, chorizos, cheeses from Spain, fine Spanish wines, cookware, etc. They only succeded in making the best paella in LA, started early in the morning and pre-ordered by the customers to provide the correct cooking time.Never rush a paella!This is available on the weekends, all you do is call the day before, or early in the morning before heading over; you will have time considering the drive to the Long Beach area.

There is a beautiful canopied dining area outside where you can have the exquisite paella of clams,shrimp, chorizo, and chicken with a bottle of wine bought in the market, and tapas of chorizos, olives, and cheese are on the house!The paella was cooked with love and care, bursting with subtle Spanish flavors of saffron, and seafood broth, and all the individual flavors of the many elements in this paella.I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon in LA.

After our meal, we were treated to a tour of the chorizo and other cured meats production facility located on the premises.The wonderful family that runs La Espanola explained with alacrity and pride, the processes both legal and practical that go into the manufacture and distribution of their foods.They use all muscle in their chorizos, so no parts to turn off the squeamish.The highest standards of cleanliness and ingredients are maintained here at La Espanola.For those who want the mold to remain on their chorizos, it's washed off because the American public thinks mold to be bad, you can ask them to keep it moldy.It's not the same mold that grows in their refrigerator people, there is good mold and bad mold.

Bring your visa, because you will want to get some of their products to take home.Where else are you going to find squid ink, at Ralph's?

Los Quesotraficos take on the TJ Cartel:Tacos Salceados,Baja Med Pizza Co.,La Guerrerense,Manzanilla,and Muelle Tres

I started out smuggling extra bottles of alcohol past customs, but when I began to smuggle Mexican cheese and Chicharon prensado, I had now hit rock bottom.Like Alex,my new friend and partner in crime on this whirlwind tour in Baja Norte, I had to air out my bag after crossing the border on Sunday to get rid of the queso sicho de Guerrero smell out of my backpack.Actually, I didn't mind at all.If Homeland Security didn't have enough to worry about............

This weekend, KR and I did 36 hours in Tijuana and Ensenada where we ate at 16 different restaurants/stands, by my count,reconed another dozen establishments, smoked Cuban cigars,"tasted" fine Mexican beers, drank Baja wines,slammed tequila con vivora,did a tequila tasting, a barrel tasting at La Escuelita,braved the mean streets of Tijuana in the wee hours of the morning, and experienced the "Miles Davis" of the culinary world in Benito Molina, a true bon vivant.

This report shall be a joint effort between KR and I, who will also be throwing up those delicious photos as the narrative unfolds.Here are the highlights of our trip.
Chapter 1)Ensenada the Benito way.
The mission.Meet the chef extraordinaire for a little taste of Ensenada and trip to La Escuelita, the wine school located in Francisco Zarco and run by the great Valle de Guadalupe winemaker, Hugo D'Acosta.

After stopping for a fabulous fish taco located about 5 blocks behind the main drag, and having an Ensenada style ceviche tostada at El Guero, we were ready to hang with Benito.Now, I like Mariscos El Guero, the guys are great and the mariscos fresh and tasty, but alas, I will not be returning.Why?Benito took us to El Guerrerense, the place he mentioned on a previous post about Ensenada for the best seafood stand of our lives and I will now only go here for mariscos on the street.This place is the Water Grill sobre ruedas.Exquisite tostadas of bacalao,sublime tostadas de herizo(urchin) topped with the profoundly delicious local clams, a huarache(giant oyster), and fresh abulon served unadorned.The superlative Ensenada style ceviche de pescado tostada, finely chopped. The agua fresca de cebada!Amazing! I never imagined such a level of street cuisine, in fact, I don't know many fine restaurants that could achieve such amazing flavor and creativity.We are ruined.Sorry El Guero, but I have to move on.

The genius of Miles Davis(Benito is a fellow jazz lover) was his ability take fine local ingredients and let them play.In the 50's, Coltrane,Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and "Philly" Joe Jones;the 60's,Tony Williams, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Herbie Hancock.This is the brilliance of Benito Molina, and his restaurants Manzanilla, Silvestre, and Muelle Tres, the latter of which we had the priviledge of dining with the maestro himself.Benito's cooking talent is only rivaled by his generosity and passion for the finer things in life.That fresh cut rose and view of the Valle.... It takes a sybarite to know one, verdad?Bigotes, eres mi hermano, totalmente!Super bien chido,buey! Anyways, go to Benito's restaurants when in town,any or all of them.Go to La Guerrerense and any of the places Benito talks about in his posts.If you miss these places you are not in Ensenada and will be forgoing true chow worthy destinations.

La Escuelita, the wine school run by Hugo D'Acosta in the Valle de Guadalupe.
I had seen video of La Escuelita and read many pieces about it, so when Benito told us we would go there to drink wine, we were ecstatic.The liquor was flowing my friends.Benito had started us out with a Mezcal tasting at Manzanilla at 11:30AM, this of course was after a couple of beers.Victorias.We grabbed a little more refreshments for the wine tasting.Let me just say that these youngsters can't keep up with us seasoned veterans,KR. :)

When we arrived at Hugo D'Acosta's wine school we were met by his oenologist, Tomas.Tomas was another fantastic person we met that day.Benito let us do a barrel tasting of his 6 month your M3, his zinfandel that's only available at his restaurants.Watching Mr. Molina taste and evaluate his wine, conferring with his oenologist, and trying to decide how to best make this wine match his menus was fascinating.We then began to taste carmenere,and many garnachas(grenache).Labels?We tasted and enjoyed wines in a devil may care fashion, enjoying the flavors and bouquets........Who wants another chela? Sometime during this bacchanalia, KR started to blankly stare at the wall occasionally squinting to maintain focus.Benito and I looked at eachother and snickered.Youngsters.
The school is a place to learn the wine making process, and it even allows you to produce and bottle your wine at the facility.By the way, we had some M3 at Manzanilla and loved it.That's right,wine, mezcal, and beer, and it was only about 5PM! Benito is also an expert on Mezcal, and you can taste some of the best mezcales ever at Manzanilla.

Then, it was off to Muelle Tres, were I had several glasses of the delicious JC Bravo, a fine Valle de Guadalupe carignan.Of course we had to stop at Silvestre, Benito's seasonal restaurant in the Valle de Guadalupe that is open on Saturdays and Sundays.There we just soaked in the visceral scene and stopped to smell the roses for a minute.If La Guerrerense had dropped our jaws earlier in the day, what came next was another height of flavor, creativity, and craftsmanship.It's the Rebirth of the Cool.I'm talking about Muelle Tres.



KR, the degustacion at Muelle Tres.Go!


by Kaire_Raisu from Chowhound

Muelle Tres
I will try to do this waterfront restaurant the justice it deserves! The menu is written in chalk along the wall around the open kitchen. http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2653888715/sizes/l/in/set-72157606095287829/It is straightforward and based around the ingredients of the sea that are almost too close to them [the building is shared by the principal mussel plant in mexico and fronted by the malecon].
Bigotes did our ordering and before we recieved any of our food - we were brought over the alameja generosa or geoduck plucked out of the sea nearby that would be our second course. I had never seen a whole living one in my life before. Incredibly impressive. http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2653887871/sizes/l/in/set-72157606095287829/
First off we were brought over a tartare of bonito, in the tuna family which is the base fish for Japanese cookery (dashi). This was minced and brought over in rounds restrainedly seasoned with salt, limon and serrano blessed with olive oil and the fatty tuna of the veg world - aguacate. http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2653889321/in/set-72157606095287829/
Yielding, pleasurable texture and clean flavor sparked with limon, chile and salt atop as tostada - just closed my eyes.
Up next was that amazing generosa. The dish was fantastically thought out - with the chopped arm meat comprised in a soy - ginger -citrus melange on the plate below the shell which held the inner clam meat chopped a la mexicana with chile tomato and cilanto. This was my absolute favorite dish the whole evening. http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2654716632/sizes/l/in/set-72157606095287829/
Following were the Mussels with siete chiles and tomatillo. Damn, were these mussels the meatiest and most juicy I have ever encountered. They benefited quite a bit from the sweet steamed tomatillo slices. http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2653891169/sizes/l/in/set-72157606095287829/
The tortilla espanola and papas fritas have no equal in my book. I had eaten at a number of Spanish restaurants up in the Bay area and LA and none come close to the cool, simplicity of this torta. I don't believe I have ever raved about fries since being on chowhound but these salt and peppered golden wedges are worthy of honor.http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2653891719/in/set-72157606095287829/
If you come to Ensenada without visiting Muelle 3 - you have missed the boat. Here at this restaurant is were one can experience a reverence for local cuisine and rethink about your relationship with the fruits de mar. http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuana...

Back to me.

Chapter 2) Subcomandante Marcos and the Tijuana taco movement;Mexican Pizza Baja Med style.
This was my 3rd visit to La Querencia's "Baja Med Pizza Co.", but having KR there made it a lot more fun.It's like a piece of gossip you've been hanging on to and couldn't wait to tell someone.
Ever since Taco Bell ruined any chance of anyone ever taking Mexican pizza seriously, Mexico has been fighting the pizza wars with one hand tied behind its back.There are pizzas Mexicanas with chorizo(espanola) and diced jalapenos available all throughout Mexico, but that doesn't constitute a movement like the pizzas of Italy,Chicago, New York, Brazil, Argentina, and the California style brought forth by Ed LaDou.But, Baja Med Pizza has fired the first shot in the Mexican pizza revolucion.An original and tasty thin crust with an offering of tomato or black bean puree as a base, and such local toppings as chorizo de abulon, borrego primal, machaca de marlin,calamar gigante, and callo catarina salteado.
We ordered the borrego primal, which Armando(manager/owner) paired with a Monte Xanic cabernet.Our appetizers were 3 sopecitos of machaca de marlin, estofado, and machaca de pato rostizado.We drank a Casta, KR's new favorite beer, and the new Bohemia Oscura.These are full bodied yet still refreshingly Mexican beers.We miss these beers.
The pizza was divine and the wine complemented the gamey texture and richness of the borrego.Tijuana has joined my list of world pizza destinations.
Subcomandante Marcos:Marcos is a sturdy and austere looking man who rules over the kitchen at Tacos Salceados, "La Ermita" in Tijuana, which has created a taco uprising.All tacos go through Marcos, who looks like a commander. Marcos is like a sous chef, and the team of 7 or so cooks at La Ermita resemble the efficaciousness of the line cooks at Spago, Pizzeria Mozza, or Patina. These taqueros are chef school trained, cool under fire and whip out works of pure genious with the expeditiousness of street taqueros.The tacos fly out of that kitchen! I would like to see these guys on Iron Chef.Battle TACO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The ultimate creation is the quesataco.The meat or seafood is cooked on the grill in a fried cheese envelope, placed on the taco, and then dressed and finished by Marcos with a fanned out row of avocado.The escabeche vegetables are juliened and are accented by local olive oil, the 20 salsas and creams are profound, and the chiles gueros in soya are the best I've ever had.The tacos: shrimp and new york steak, shrimp and scallop, arrachera,barbacoa, lengua,trout, marlin, nopal, the taco dulce with shrimp and strawberries, and so many more with your choice of handemade flour or corn tortillas.These tacos are dripping with complex flavors and textures that will overload your senses with sensual delight.
The old, the young, families,nerds,college students,vaqueros, TJ hipsters with Nortec on their Ipods, and couples of Tijuana come and wait for a chance to have these great tacos.You have to sit at the counter to see the show.Best thing, no tourists!
This was my 5th trip to La Ermita, and KR's first.He was like a kid in a candy store wildy ordering tacos until we almost burst; this was on Saturday evening.Like tradition in Mexico, you tell the cashier at the end what you had and then pay, but you might want to write 'em down so you don't forget what you ate during the eating frensy, like we did.
La Ermita makes traditional Mexican tacos with the finest ingredients, a masterful staff of taqueros, and the creativity of chef/owner Javier Gutierrez.It is the best taco destination in Tijuana and the best in Mexico,IMHO.The quesataco is spreading around TJ to other stands, but have yours at this restaurant, my taco center of the universe.The taco dulce is another taco you have to try.La Ermita also has excellent platos, baked potatoes, and mulitas, but get the tacos.It's located far away from Zona Rio, Zona Centro, or any Zona you've ever been in Tijuana, but it is a nice family neighborhood
KR couldn't leave at first, and had the look of a guy having to say goodbye to a woman he had loved and lost. One last glance.KR, there will be other restaurants in your life.
This was a memorable day, Baja Med Pizza for el almuerzo, and Tacos Salceados for la cena.
Photos and comments from KR.
I will just let the pictures talk for themselves. As far as I am concerned La Ermita is the center of the taco universe.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/sets/72157606091441954/show/
I bow down before street for taking me here!
Mercado Hidalgo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2654011861/sizes/l/Guadalajara's markets definitely overwhelm you with their sheer size and amount of goods. Thus. I was expecting to be dissapointed with Tijuana's cultural market being only a few weeks removed from Jalisco. But boy was I wrong... in fact I was really impressed by its order, neatness, and diversity of goods. I would reccomend anyone here to change their superficial tijuana over on Revo. state of mind. http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2654051073/sizes/l/http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2654012889/sizes/l/in/photostream/Here I had my first jugo de cana, sugarcane juice which I could not believe how interesting was upon taste. I was expecting a taste a long the lines of thinned corn syrup. Hell no.. It's an invigorating, frothy, complex drink that is hard to describe in flavor. http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2654008051/sizes/l/http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2654833784/sizes/l/in/photostream/
The mole pastes in cazuelas were gorgeously displayed and the oaxacan and birria restaurants piqued our interest. http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2654001849/sizes/l/in/photostream/http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2654002933/sizes/l/in/photostream/
We came acoss a cheese dealer with Real de Castillo and a modern meat maket (Air conditioned!) selling beef purely from the state of Sonora. http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2654837804/sizes/l/http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2654836250/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2654833320/sizes/l/in/photostream/http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2654006005/sizes/l/in/photostream/http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2654831988/sizes/l/in/photostream/http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/2654831364/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Me
The hangover:
As always, I miss Baja after leaving, and all the wonderful food, people, drink,scenery, and culture.This place never fails to surprize and the chowhounding opportunities are endless, no matter how many times I go.
Some memorable asides.
1)KR talking smack in an incomprehesible spanglish walking down Negrete late at night after the many wines, tequilas, and beers.
2) The street character in Centro chasing us trying to sell us the "Pump" at 4AM."Come on man, I got the pump, the pump man!" It's the pump!!!
3)The Bigotes experience.
4) Watching KR trying to light a cigar frantically under the ceiling fan at La Villa del Tabaco with unrivaled determination.
5) Eating menudo at Constitucion/Baja California Sunday morning and almost having to take out this completely wasted street guy for breaking up our tasting notes discussion.Never get between a man and his menudo!
A few mentions for other street food places we visited, although it's impossible for us to cover all we saw and tasted.
On Madero at 4th, the is a small Pollos Rostizados located in a sliver of space run by Anabel, from Rosario, Sinaloa. For $6 you can get a whole roasted chicken, arroz, salsa, and tortillas.Love this place when I'm feeling the roasted chicken jones.
On Constitucion/Baja California from 7AM until about 1PM, or until the menudo runs out is a woman from Jalisco whose family recipe has been at that corner for 24 years.Great menudo in a not so great part of town, so go with friends if you aren't used to that type of setting.Very "rustic" setting, but well worth the trip.
La Villa del Tabaco for Cuban cigars and expressos, run by Elana Rawman.
Leyva's Liquor on La Revo between 6th/7th for the best tequila selection and prices in northern Baja. He also has many other Mexican spirits and liquors.Ask for Gilberto Leyva.
So, don't buy into the smear campaign against TJ, there is nothing to be afraid of that we don't have in our own backyard.You will only be keeping yourself from this bounty of taste sensations.Others that regularly post on northen Baja know this, but for those a little concerned, don't be.Eat and drink on the edge!

Addendum

Well, my friends, it has been many visits since the original post here.For me chowhounding in Mexico is a monthly exercise,especially in Baja.In what has become a familiar scene, we sat at Manzanilla after too much good eating, some wine tastings, pizza at the farmer's market in El Valle, having some more alcohol.KR had that glazed despondent look about him while I thought about a little something at Manzanilla.KR was done, while I was pacing myself, he was busy gobbling up any clues that we had ever even been to ensenada that day.No crumb was spared.Can't say I blame him, but all that talk, "come on, you gotta try this,Oooh, wow, come on....".Yeah kid, I've got bigger fish to fry, or should I say shellfish!Eyeing Benito's brilliant menu sipping glass after glass of the fine house sauvignon blanc crafted by Hugo D,Acosta, sitting a table away from us, I found my purpose that day. I would do a tasting of natural oysters witha mignonette and the smoked clam with gorgonzola.Benito has a source about 2 hours south of Ensenada for his oysters, not the usual larger pacific oysters, but exquisite little treasures from his selected estuary.I have not tasted finer anywhere, and the mignonette was a subtley sensual match.Poor KR could only put down a couple of these jewels of the Sea of Cortez.
Oysters an Manzanilla
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2779523050/in/set-72157606834606324/
Benito's magical smoked clams with gorgonzola
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2778668941/in/set-72157606834606324/
The house sauvignon blanc at Manzanilla
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2778668159/in/set-72157606834606324/

Poor KR could only get a couple oysters and clams down, but I bet he'll chime in about their miraculous sapor.
Tianguis Valle de Guadalupe
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2779531856/in/set-72157606834606324/http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2778677847/in/set-72157606834606324/http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2778679323/in/set-72157606834606324/http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2778672577/in/set-72157606834606324/http://www.flickr.com/photos/15437927@N03/2779530368/in/set-72157606834606324/

Aroma Cafe

Aroma cafe

The "burger of the future".Pljekavica!!!




When you call for reservations at Aroma Cafe, the only Bosnian restaurant in LA to my best knowledge, they ask,"are you calling the right place?"The Aroma Cafe name is shared by many throughout the greater Los Angeles area and doesn't exactly conjure up a Bosnian imagery, not that we would know what that was anyway.

Aroma Cafe is a destination full of surprises, the deli counter and fresh in house baked bread, and the shelves of familiar food items from the homeland.A little kajmak to go?

My dining class really enjoyed this place and many were pleasantly surprised by this humble and satisfying eatery.Evelyn very generously ordered the meza platter for all to sample.This included the Lukmira(cheese onion dip), Bosnian prosciutto,olives, and other scrumptuous items. Burek, the labyrinthian sculpture of filo pastry stuffed with spinach, another with cheese, were a huge success at our table.We shared the combo plate of pljeskavica(Bosian burger patty), cepavi, and shish kebabs.They were all made of ground beef, but each had a different spicing, Bosnian cooking uses many spices applied in small amounts.The pljekavica was dominated by the smack of onion, cepavi by garlic, and the shish kebab was more understated.

Aroma Cafe let us bring in our wine, a Hungarian vintage we found at the Trader Joe's down the street, thanks Jackie! It was called Bull's Blood, Goat's Blood, or something like that but it went just fine with our Eastern-European themed evening.

Several of the fine traditional desserts were sampled along with thick Turkish coffee elegantly served on ornate Turkish coffee cup and saucer.

Cafe Aroma serves classic Bosnian food that is delicious and quite affordable. Bosnian cuisine reflects the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian occupations in its unique fusion of east meets west, but 100% Bosnian.

Aroma Cafe
2530 Overland Av.
Los Angeles, CA
(310) 836-2919
http://www.aromacafe-la.com/default.aspx