Pinche's Tacos

I had not eaten at Pinche's Tacos in so long! But last night we were up in LA, taking care of some business, and attending an art show that my husband had some work in, so we went. It was great! I love the atmosphere. And now I want to redo my breakfast nook into a Pinche's Junior, complete with paintings of Lotería cards on the walls, statues, skeletons and skulls (check), oilcloth and pink! I really enjoyed the gringo tacos as well as an old favorite, the street corn.

There is a Pinche's located right across the street from a 10-week Baking class I'm taking. Weekly lunches here will give me the opportunity to branch out and actually try some new things! Can't wait!

Guisados

Guisados is in a sketchy area right by Dodger's Stadium. But it is no secret as I've been here a couple of times and it's always packed!

They only serve tacos (brilliant!) and the menu is on the board at the cash register. It shows you all of your taco filling options. Under each heading, like Pork for example, they list the many pork options. Even the Vegetarian section had 5 options! I also really liked the list, written on the wall in Sharpie, of all the ingredients that they use at the restaurant. I found it refreshing so that anyone with food sensitivities wouldn't have to ask. Plus it makes you aware of how delicious food can be with regular ingredients that you stock at home! Photos of this awesome-ness - next time.

Swiss Enchiladas

Once Thanksgiving is over, it's as if the only food in the world is Mexican food. It's the right time of year for tamales, enchiladas, champurrado, tacos, hot carrots, pozole, chips, salsa, negro modelo….. As if summer doesn't have it's own built-in daily taco need, especially fish tacos. I digress. I love Thanksgiving, but after the main meal, I rarely want leftovers, it's weird. The food is rich, plentiful, takes a lot of preparation, and the occasion (for many) equals travel, effort, coordination and patience. I love it, and it's all worth it! But after the meal, I don't want to see it again for a good long while.
Back to Mexican food. I made these enchiladas when some friends came over, to celebrate and hang out, and eat something other than turkey and stuffing! We drank lots of wine, and hung out at the house. Great times.
A couple of food notes- in my haste I grabbed gluten-free tortillas, and I really noticed how different they were in the final product. They did not absorb the milk, and so were a little tough and dry. Next time, I will make sure to grab the right thing. Also- I made the "Mexican Caesar" salad dressing from a recipe I found online. It was delicious! Thanks to my food processor, it was a cinch. Next time I can probably halve the recipe because it made a ton.

Finally, Sangrita!

A friend shared a link with my husband and me to a restaurant she said she would eat at every weekend if she still lived nearby. We had nothing more to go on than that.
So, I clicked the link, saw that it was Mexican food, only about 10 miles away, and holy cow -- they had Sangrita!!!! It became top priority.

I'm so glad we tried out Corazon y Miel this weekend!

We tried a smattering of flavors, appetizers, drinks, etc. First off bacon wrapped figs with a cauliflower something-or-other beneath, and a stuffed bacon-wrapped jalapeño over street corn salad. These were not huge, but were definitely packed with flavor. I mean bacon combined with fresh ingredients (or anything, really) is just so damn good! Our main dishes were roasted chicken on the bone that was marinated or mopped in some kind of slightly sweet (maybe honey) sauce; served over a  rice concoction mixed with roasted chickpeas, jicama, and tomatoes. And chimichurri flat-iron steak with black beans, and french fries. Chimichurri is one of the best inventions ever, and I am always floored at how perfectly it pairs with meat. All was simply delicious!

And the Sangrita was fantastic too! We discovered Sangrita deep down in Mexico, near Zihuatenejo. When you order silver tequila, it comes with sangrita- basically a sidecar of spicy and sweet tomato-orange juice, so refreshing and delicious. It is the perfect accompaniment! I need to find a good recipe for this at home.
I can't wait to go back to Corazon y Miel. Pretty sure the secret is out on this one though, will probably have to make a reservation (even for two) or get there even earlier that my preferred 6 p.m.

Chicago eats

Here are a few pics from our recent visit to Chicago. What a fun town. LOTS of places to eat and drink. I would love to have stayed longer, but it's kind of a blessing in disguise (for my system) that it had to end.

Top row = Wiener's Circle, great dogs, similar to the "soup nazi" in that you have to know how to order, or you might get yelled at, and not get your food. We did it right.
Middle row = Wishbone.. "Southern Reconstruction Cooking" It was delicious, with several meat and vegetarian options, and great shirts.
Third row = Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill. damn good! So good I did not want to interrupt it by taking too many pictures. Most notable items I tasted: the margaritas, sangrita, pinto beans, queso fundido with chorizo, and the vanilla bean ice cream with cajeta (pictured). Yum!

La Cabanita

We had a lovely early dinner here with good pal Amy, after a riveting lecture series at the Crime Lab.

It turns out that fresh lime juice, Cazadores, and club soda is delicious! Made right, you'd never miss all the sweetness from the mix, and triple sec

Three chiles on a plate. Different stuffings, different sauces

Mexican!

And we're not just talking baja. Class yesterday was again, so very good! Very hectic preparing because of time constraints, but fairly easy. This is what I made...

Guacamole

Chile Rellenos con Salsa Crema

Mole Negro Oaxaqueño

My plate, showing another 10-course lunch 

Review on last night's dinner

Last night I made Split, Stuffed, Baked Chicken with a Mexican influenced salad of Sweet Potatoes, Caramelized Onions and Guajillo Chile Dressing, and Slow Cooked Cranberry Beans. The main dish was Fall poultry comfort food, the rest was Southern Mexican. Not exactly the same 'flavor profile' but it was fine.
Everything turned out OK, but there were definitely challenges. Namely: timing. Knowing when the chicken is done and being able to estimate when everything will reach the table.
One factor that needs to be addressed is the temperature in my oven. Maybe it's time for a new oven thermometer. Recognizing that in the past I would often cook too hot, I now am so careful that it seems to take forever. I keep opening the oven, checking, putting it back in, wondering if the temperature will catch up during rest, setting my timer for another 10 minutes, watching the golden light brown color darken and darken, wondering when we'll eat, and when to reheat the other dishes that have been ready, wishing I hadn't dressed the salad yet... It still seems like so much guess work! I'm thinking that with properly calibrated tools, I will have a better timeframe and smoother transition from oven to plate.
My next point: I need to make and remake the same thing to master it. Otherwise each dish will always be a crapshoot and I'll have gained little knowledge and continue to over/undercook. I don't think I'll make the exact same chicken as last night, but I'll still do a whole chicken, perhaps an easier version from class where you just rough chop lemon, garlic and herb sprigs and throw them into the cavity. How easy is that? Then make a sauce from the drippings. OR maybe brining will become my signature, go-to move where I attain perfect, effortless results. 
Side note on the two Mexican dishes I made from Rick Bayless' book, they were fantastic. I love the way he gives you Riffs to change it up or add to the dish. These may become signature dishes too.