Food Maker, Chef, and Traveling Diner
Truth be told, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make all my usual Christmas deliciousness because Brandon had his hip replaced just before Christmas. The unknown of going through a surgical procedure was a little unsettling, but luckily his hip replacement …
A couple of weeks ago, Brandon and I cooked for his dad’s going away party. He’ll be out of state for work for some time so we decided it would be nice to get his friends together and enjoy company while he was still in …
We had multiple Father’s Day celebrations for my dad this year. I’ve been working quite a bit, so we braved the restaurant scene that weekend so we would have more time to be with family instead of cooking and cleaning. My dad is such a special person that we can’t help but celebrate him often. So amongst our other Father’s Day celebrations, I got to spend a little time with my parents and grandma at El Patron restaurant in Reseda, CA. Being in the valley, I’d say we have a great selection of Mexican food choices and El Patron is one of them.
Our service was very good from beginning to end; our waiter was engaged and very friendly. As we looked over the extensive menu, I was impressed to see new and different items on the menu that aren’t traditionally on Mexican menus. They have many vegetarian options for people with dietary restrictions and a kids’ menu as well. The atmosphere is family-friendly, but they have a large patio and bar for the adults.
When we finally figured out what we were going to order—after talking and splitting a pitcher of margaritas—we decided on the Molcajete Cielo, Mar y Tierra (sky, sea and land), which is a large mortar with slow simmered sauce with cactus, tomatoes, shrimp, chicken and steak with cheese and fresh tortillas. The dish served two people, but maybe even could have served three. My mom and I really enjoyed the delicious molcajete, which was easily the highlight of our dinner. The portion and ratio of meat and shrimp was impressive, having served a very ample portion of each protein. My dad ordered fish tacos, which had a really nice piece of fried fish in each one, but they weren’t the greatest fish tacos we’d ever had. My grandma had the chile relleno and carne asada taco combination. The chile relleno was better than I’ve had in a long time; the egg was fried perfectly and the pepper wasn’t too spicy. All of the entrees were served with beans and rice as well as a sweet corn cake.
We had a fantastic meal together celebrating not only my dad for Father’s Day, but also having one last celebration for my grandma’s 80th birthday. I‘m so grateful for my amazing family and all the time I get to spend with them is so precious. I hope everyone had a wonderful time celebrating their dads.
Cheers
-Unrivaledkitch
The year flew by and I hope each and everyone of you had a great set of holidays. I’ll be catching up on my blogging in the next week so please stay tuned. Thank you for your support and a healthy and happy 2013 to …
I eat chorizo often. I love Mexican chorizo, though most people have questionable ideas of its origins and what it’s made of. Chorizo is just something I’ve grown up with, eaten many times and will eat tons more of for the rest of my life. …
During another evening around Santa Barbara, Brandon and I decided to break his boycott on Mexican food. After working a year and a half in a Mexican restaurant you need a little break from it, but we decided it was time to find some delicious Mexican in Santa Barbara, so we stopped by Los Agaves. A lovely little place on Milpas, the whole restaurant was buzzing with so many people deciding to have dinner here on a weekday evening. There’s something interesting and unique about Los Agaves, as you walk in, a line of people is generally standing, perusing the overhead chalk board specials and the printed menu. Everyone is searching for a seat-yourself table as they are hard to come by in the peak hours of the evening. As we watched for a table while deciding on what we should eat, the choices of delicious items seemed to overwhelm me. After ordering, you can find your way to the wonderful plethora of fresh salsas and at your table, a bowl of freshly fried corn chips arrives. We ordered a side of guacamole, which was delicious and very creamy.
I wanted everything, but we eventually decided on Cochinita Pibil (slow-roasted Mexican pork in banana leaves), which was served with pinto beans, a very spicy habanero salad and freshly made corn tortillas. The pork was tender and wonderfully prepared. You could taste the slow-cooking spices and fragrant banana leaves essence. I ordered the Mole Enchiladas, which were served with rice and pinto beans. The mole was prepared skillfully; it had the strong chocolatey, spicy, deeply earthy flavors of slow-cooking and years of experience. The chicken in the enchiladas was mouth-watering, seated in tender tortillas and smothered in mole. Small amount of toasted sesame seeds finished the plate and added another depth of flavor.
Overall, the meal was fantastic and the service was wonderful and pleasant. From the open kitchen you could see how hard every person in that small space was working to make all this amazing food for so many people to enjoy. I’m really glad we broke the boycott with such an amazing meal.
cheers
-Unrivaledkitch
I cook often. If I could blog as easily as it seems for me to whip something up to eat in the kitchen, I’m sure I could fill another four blogs with my recipes. But as most of you know, I cook with more intuition …
Hidden amongst eateries of all sorts, though not known for its culinary successes, Mammoth plays host to a few gems along the way; one of these fine places is Roberto’s Cafe. I’ve written about this Mexican food before, but I figured a couple more pictures …
I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. This whole holiday season has been the most amazing, honest experience I’ve had in a long time. I love Christmas! It truly does bring out the best (and the worst) in people, but I think that it’s …