Archive for Mexican
You know what’s really good? Tamale at Taqueria El Mexicano in Little Havana
Posted by: | CommentsYou know what’s really good? The tamale at Taqueria El Mexicano in Little Havana. I love tamales but seem to have trouble finding exceptional ones. I waltzed into Taqueria El Mexicano looking to enjoy a Cochinita Pibil Taco and left a giant fan of their tamale. It had a moist Pork filling and deliciously light and not overbearing red sauce. The tamale is served in a corn husk and it’s up to you to unwrap this beauty and enjoy.
2 Please!
Get your Husk on:
Taqueria El Mexicano
521 SW 8th St Miami, FL 33130
305-858-1160
My Happy Accident. Stumbling into Con Sabor A Mexico: Carnitas Estilo Michoacán
Posted by: | CommentsTo paraphrase the Burgerbeast: You know what’s really good? Finding a better restaurant around the corner when you discover the joint you made planes to dine at is closed.
Yesterday, I had a meeting with Greg Clark, a jack of all trades who balances careers as a man of finance and a photographer/documentarian. As a side gig, Greg shoots high end food for Ocean Drive magazine. So to see what his foodie mojo was made of, I arranged to meet him at El Carnal 2 in Little Havana, a dumpy, but delicious taqueria on SW 8th st.
I pulled up 15 minutes late. When I got out, Greg let me know that El Carnal was closed for the holidays. He had however, discovered via his smart phone that there was another, possibly better, taqueria around the corner. So I fed the meter, and we began a culinary adventure.
We found Con Sabor A Mexico, by locating the Mexican flag painted on its tiny building.
The place consists of an open air taco bar with 5 seats, one sidewalk table and three menu placards advertising their 9 varieties of tacos – the first 8 being a tour of porky goodness: Maciza (Solid), Cuerito (Skin), Campechano (Chorizo & Solid), Buche (Stomach), Oreja (Ear), Tripa (Intestines), Lengua (Tongue) and Surtida (Mixed). They also have Bisteak (Beef) and Pollo (Chicken).
I immediately sensed that Greg had led us to Taco heaven. The only hiccup was that Greg needed a cash machine, so we bounded off to tour a few mini-marts in the area, before finding one with an ATM machine hidden behind some avocados. Greg wondered aloud about the safety of his PIN. I told him not to worry, because his bank would cover the roof being built in Juarez with his financial information. Then we came back and discovered they didn’t have beer – but were cool with us drinking some there. So we went to another mini-mart, bought a six pack of Modelo for six bucks, and came back to the first round of tacos.
To say that these three bite, $1.75 slices of heaven were delicious, is merely proof that we need more adjectives to describe such matters. The two of us went through the whole menu, shoving perfectly cooked pork into our mouths like porcine cannibals. If cookie monster had suddenly switched his love from cookies to carnitas – you might get an idea of what our eating habits were like in this joint. The Surtida tacos in particular were incredible. They were a perfect mix of the crunchy (Cuerito) and the moist (Maciza, Lengua) and the weird (Oreja, Tripa).
Even when Greg found a minor fault in the Tripa tacos, because he wasn’t sure of the texture – he made his point while inhaling his taco. And as in all matters, the Modelo made everything taste better. The Bisteak taco was perfectly slow cooked and wonderful in its own right, but compared to the exotica found in the pork section of the menu almost seemed pointless. Con Sabor A Mexico is a pork palace. Pure and simple. They have been open for two years, and if you love Mexican food like I do, every meal you are eating in another local establishment that claims to be Mexican in heritage, is a meal you should be having at Con Sabor A Mexico. Roll over El Carnal 2, and tell Rosa Mexicana the news.
So To Recap:
Maciza Taco: 5 noses
Cuerito Taco: 5 noses
Campechano Taco: 5 noses
Lengua Taco: 5 noses
Surtida Taco: 5 noses
Oreja Taco: 4 noses
Bisteck Taco: 4 noses
Tripa Taco: 3 noses
Pollo Taco: 3 noses
Buche Taco: 4 noses
Overall: 4 1/2 noses
Check out:
Con Sabor a Mexico: Carnitas Estilo Michoacan
542 SW 12th Ave., Miami
786-267-3526
Chicharrones at El Jefe Luchador
Posted by: | CommentsChef Mike Saperstein walks us through how Chicharrones are made at El Jefe Luchador:
The finished product
To try one:
El Jefe Luchador
27 South Federal Hwy
Deerfield Beach, FL 33441
954-246-5333
La Parada Mexicana Grocery & Taqueria in Apopka, Florida
Posted by: | CommentsWe were driving in the Orlando area and decided to see where the road would take us. After a bit of this lunacy I was so thirsty. We walked into this mini convenience store and there they were, Mexican Coke (Coke with Sugar instead of Corn Syrup). I grab one and my heart sank just as the dude behind the counter tells me, the fridges aren’t cooling. This conversation was in Spanish by the way. He tells me right up the way is another larger convenience store and I should be able to get something to drink there.
El Jefe Luchador – Hardcore Mexican Food Deerfield Beach
Posted by: | CommentsWhen Mike Saperstein and Evan David (owners of one of South Florida’s best Burger joints Charm City Burger Company) announced El Jefe Luchador earlier this year I was ecstatic for a couple of reasons. Over the course of the last couple of years I’ve become a giant fan of authentic Mexican food and I’ve been a fan of wrestling as long as I can remember. My grandfather wrestled under a mask in South America and Cuba but that’s a story for another day.
The first thing that I noticed when I walked in was the wall of Mexican Wrestling Masks on the wall:
Wall of Mexican Wrestling Masks
Followed by the wallpaper on both sides of the place:
Once I reached the front I took a good look over the menu. You have the option to choose your protein from Carnitas, Al Pastor (from an actual spit), Pollo Asada, Carne Asada, Barbacoa, Chorizo and Hongos y Name. There are also combos with “Compinches/Sidekicks” and a drink. My wife chose the combo with a Mexican Bottle Drink (Mexican Coke or Jarritos).
Menu Board
Before we took our seats we checked out the Salsa Bar and took some Salsa Roja, Salsa Verde and a couple of limes. Both had some heat so if you’re on the wimpy side I would steer clear.
Salsa Bar
I’ve had plenty of Mexi-Corns over the last few months and this one is tops. The Cotija Aioli on it was so good that my wife housed the corn. I was only able to get in a couple of bites but I’m definitely coming back for that. We also had an order of El Nacho Libre w/ Chorizo which came with some of the best Crema I’ve ever tried, some good stuff.
Roasted Corn
El Nacho Libre w/ Chorizo
I opted to not create my own tacos and went with El Santo and Mistico tacos. El Santo (carne asada, corn, cojita cheese, pico de gallo) and Mistico (barbacoa, mushrooms, oaxaca cheese, mole negro, caramelized onion, and truffle crema) were my opponents. They didn’t stand a chance. I liked El Santo he was a good competitor but Mistico took the cake for me. Just when I thought the Crema couldn’t get any better they do it up with Truffle. I could easily put down 3 of these and I probably should have.
Santo & Mistico Tacos
Last but not least we have Vampiro who used to be one of my Mexican wrestling faves. In this incarnation he’s a Torta. A Torta is Mexico’s version of a sandwich and I find it’s success depends a lot of times on the bread used. Vampiro (pollo asado, salsa roja, oaxaca cheese, jalapeños, guacamole, refried beans and lettuce) was nicely toasted and could have easily made a great home for whatever combination you can come up with. I was stuffed at this point and really only took about 2 bites of it. My ride home was a bit long and the first thing I thought of when I arrived was Vampiro.
Vampiro
Vampiro (closeup)
I removed the lettuce (not a fan) and reheated it on my press. I was good to go till I thought about Mistico again. If that wasn’t bad enough I started planning what I’m gonna have next time. Ultimo Dragon (carnitas, hoisen salsa, and kimchee slaw) and El Jefe Luchador (al pastor, grilled pineapple, fried sweet potato, queso blanco and salsa verde) are at the top of that list but that could change like with any good wrestling match.
El Jefe Luchador
27 South Federal Hwy
Deerfield Beach, FL 33441
954-246-5333
El Carnal 2 in Little Havana, Florida
Posted by: | CommentsI get asked about authentic Mexican Tacos quite a bit and it’s kinda crazy to think but Little Havana has quite a few spots you should probably eat at. El Carnal 2 is one of those spots you need to hit up. Is there an El Carnal 1? Yes but it’s taco trailer that only comes out for special events and parties. The place is not very big and neither is the menu but they make up for it with the tacos.
El Carnal II
Trio of Al Pastor Tacos
Tacos & Sauces
I ordered a trio of tacos al pastor. If you’re not familiar with Tacos Al Pastor, think a vertical rotisserie where the meat (in this case Pork) is sliced off in slivers. The tacos are served plain on corn tortillas and you add the pico de gallo and sauces. There are 3 sauces to choose from: a guacamole based, a chipotle based and the last one with some heat. I topped all 3 dudes with some pico and then a sauce each. I didn’t find any of them to be bad but I preferred the one with heat. The taco meat was on point which helped.
Taquitos
Taquito Innards
I also had an order of chicken taquitos/flautas. The chicken flauta wasn’t bad but not good enough to crave. The crema and queso blanco on them was superb, some of the best I’ve ever had. The rice was a little more on the dry side than I would normally expect from an authentic Mexican joint but the right flavors were there. I’ll be back and the next time I’ll be ready to al pastor it up again.
El Carnal 2
1128 SW 8th St, Little Havana, FL
786-287-8950
Mamasita’s Taqueria – Costa Maya, Mexico
Posted by: | Comments
Mamasita’s Taqueria is located right at the port of Costa Maya. After having paid some dude to take is into the city where we were stopped by some sort of checkpoint, and checking out what local spots there were, I decided it might be safer to eat at the port (for sanitary reasons). In retrospect, I probably should have taken my chances with the other grub. Mamasita’s does have Taqueria in its name so I’m thinking they gotta hit those out of the ballpark. Nachos, Quesadillas too, what the hell, it’s Mexican right?
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| Costa Maya Nachos |
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| Quesadillas |
The only thing Mexican or authentic about this place is the soil it was built on. This is the same food you’ll find at those chain Tex-Mex joints all over the city.
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| not so authentic Tacos |
The tacos have CHEESE for God’s sake, yes CHEESE. Jack and cheddar cheeses on authentic tacos, I don’t think so!
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| papitas of the frozen variety |
This place sells fries, I couldn’t resist and ordered them. Just as I thought, the frozen variety.
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| the ol’ under the tab routine |
Why does everyone at all the ports put straws under the tab on the can of soda? My suggestion if you find yourself at Costa Maya, stay away unless you plan to get drunk and then who really cares what you’re eating. Actually I do, lol.
Señor Iguanas Restaurant & Bar – San Miguel – Cozumel, Mexico
Posted by: | CommentsI had been to the north end of Cozumel’s east coast a few years ago but I didn’t end up eating anywhere. My sister was shopping for who knows what and there was no time to stop and eat. We arrived in Cozumel for this visit, this area was tops on my must visit locations. There are two restaurants, Señor Iguanas and Mezcalitos as well as couple of shops in this corner of the island. This is not the tourist part of Cozumel so you will need to hire a taxi to take you there. We decided to hit up Señor Iguanas first so we pulled up a couple of high chairs to their “bar” area and asked the dude behind the counter, “Which beer should we have?”. We asked in Spanish although he does speak some English. He suggested Cerveza Barrilito.
Cerveza Barrilito
Cerveza Barrilito was refreshing on this warm afternoon and it was made that much better by the breeze coming in from the beach area. I ordered their chicken tacos which oddly enough were flour tortillas, I would have expected corn.
Chicken Taco Triple Threat
The tortillas were doubled up and they didn’t skimp out on the chicken which was in abundance. The chicken was cut up in little chunks, seasoned with some lime and very moist. The sides on the plate were beans and fresh guacamole. My wife loved the beans and the guac but I never actually ended up trying them.
Fresh Tortilla Chips
Fresh Salsa
My focus was on the fresh tortilla chips and salsa (pico de gallo) that was served first. We probably could have sat there for hours just having chips and beer and while we didn’t, we’re ready for the next time. Make some time in your schedule for Señor Iguanas if you’re ever in Cozumel.
