DLS ordered the Western omelet, which he liked.  (And yes, I teased him for ordering what I thought was the least Mexican dish on the menu.) 

I’ve enjoyed huevos rancheros at many places in the past, so I saw no reason not to get these here.  Well, the rancheros sauce here – the red underneath my eggs – was way spicier than I’ve had in the past, no joke.  It wasn’t unbearable, but I found myself eating as little of the sauce as possible, or mixing it with things to temper the heat.  So really, what I had was a platter of two fried eggs, guacamole, pico de gallo, beans, and rice (I really like those side bits, the way they’re made at 5 Burro is really tasty!)… but for $12~ not bad.  True that just a few doors down, Bonfire Grill offers brunch with two alcoholic beverages for just a few bucks more, but eh.  It all depends what you’re look for in a brunch menu…

Yvo says: If you’re looking for a Mexican slant to your brunch, then 5 Burro does the trick.  For $3 you can add on a margarita, too, so if you’re into that, this is totally your joint.  I’ll still be back for more Mexican food, always, and it’ll go into the brunch rotation, though I don’t think it’ll be the general aim for me when I want brunch in my neighborhood (I really like eggs benedict). 
definitely recommended for lunch/dinner; brunch depends on what you feel like eating

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2012. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Brunch, DLS

El Parador Cafe has been a fixture in my neighborhood for over 50 years. I have walked by many times, but paid it no heed since it looked liked another Rossini’s from the outside (very old and unassuming). Then last Spring, I read an interview with the owner on the Fork in the Road. He is the (relatively) young, second generation owner. I really enjoyed reading the interview and decided that I would have to check it out myself. I figured this would be a great place for the three of us to check out.

Fortunately, the inside was decorated very nicely, not old fashioned at all. While we waited for Aunt B. near the bar, CT had a small coughing fit and the owner immediately had a glass of water brought over for her. Now that’s what I call customer service!

After being seated, we were immediately presented with some complimentary chips and salsa. The salsa was warm and more of a liquidy chili. It was quite delicious and hard to stop eating to save room for other food. The menu noted that the “salsa” was not vegetarian friendly, so you have been warned. While I didn’t really notice any chunks of meat, I bet the source of the delicious flavor was due to some sort of meat. Meat makes everything better!

CT says: As TT said, though there were no visible signs of meat, the flavor was most definitely there. I wouldn’t expect to like a warm salsa, but I did!

Since guacamole is usually a good barometer for how good a Mexican restaurant is, we had to order it here. Like Rosa Mexicano, the molcajete was also shaped like a pig, but much smaller. Fortunately, this version was much, much better. The avocado wasn’t fussed with too much so it was nice and chunky. There was also some nice heat at the finish.

CT says: It was good. Pretty standard, but I’d eat it any day of the week.

We asked for some hot sauce to kick things up a bit. While it wasn’t especially spicy, it had a great roasted pepper flavor.

The three of us decided to share a couple appetizers.

First was Shrimp Ceviche ($12) with celery, jalapeno and lime. I wasn’t expecting much of a ceviche from a Mexican restaurant, so I wasn’t too disappointed when it ended up being pretty meh. I guess I was spoiled in Panama?

CT says: Good enough to happily try and a nice light starter, but not a must order considering the other amazing things we had.

They had an appetizer special of a Pork & Tomatillo tamale that sounded quite interesting and worth a try. I thought it was a pretty good tamale with some nice flavors from pork and tomatillos, although as with most tamales I have had, the flavor doesn’t punch you in the face. The roasted peppers in the back added a bit more flavor and spice to the bite of masa.

CT says: I’m not a big fan of tamales, so I only had a little of this. I usually find the cornmeal to be a little to dry for my taste, and not enough stuffing. Not because it’s made badly, but that’s just what the dish is. I like lots of meat!

Due to our fickle ordering, our side of Green Chile cornbread ($6) came out a bit early, but allowed us to get a good taste without being distracted by the other dishes. It was very good cornbread. Although the crust was little dry, it was a nice, roasty flavor to contrast the buttery innards. I appreciated the whole kernels of corn and chunks of pepper strewn throughout as it tasted more homemade that way.

CT says: I really like cornbread, and as it was nearing Thanksgiving I was in a cornbread mindset already. This was really delicious… a little sweet, a little moist, packed full of goodies. I would get definitely this again. (Plus it’s the perfect size to share or pig out on your own!)

Aunt B ordered the Camarones en Salsa Verde ($24). Shrimp in an emulsion of fine herbs, garlic, white Rioja and fish fumet. This was plated tableside with the waiter plucking the shrimp out of a small pot to plate on the plate of rice. I had a taste and noted the shrimp were perfectly cooked. Unlike The Three Hens, the price was justified since there were another four or five shrimp left in the pot. Aunt B enjoyed this very much.

The ladies decided that we didn’t over-order, so we also added on a side of the lime & honey sweet potatoes ($6). I am glad they did! These potatoes were pretty great! It tasted as if there was the juice of at least five limes mixed in, which was great for anyone who likes citrus as much as me. The acid from the lime cut the honey to the perfect level of sweetness. I am sure there was a ton of butter mixed in too, which always makes everything better.

CT says: These were so good – a definite order if you like sweet potatoes. They did a great job balancing the sweetness of the potatoes with the acid of the limes. Especially with all the meat TT and I were consuming, this dish was a perfect complement.

CT was in a rib mood (she almost always is), so she ordered the Barbacoa De Costilla Pibil ($22). Baby Back Ribs steamed in banana leaves and barbecued. Tequila-Chile Huajillo salsa. Crunchy cabbage slaw. Camote with fresh lime. As you can see, it was quite a huge portion! The ribs were cooked perfectly! On the other side of the plate, there was actually some of the same delicious sweet potatoes we had as a side.

CT says: OMFG. Amazing… so perfectly cooked and tender! With a little tug of the fork, it came right off the bone, though I had no shame in picking it up and gnawing on the bone either. Though it may look overly sauced to some, the sauce was really tangy and finger-licking good. As you can see it was a huge portion, so I only ate about half (plus some of TT’s lamb), with the intention of taking the rest home for a wonderful lunch the next day. Unfortunately, in my rib-high I forgot my leftovers on the table and cried the rest of the night. (No really, it took me weeks to get over until my parents visited and brought me back their leftovers). When we go back, I’d have a hard time not re-ordering this dish, it was just a rib-heaven and at such a reasonable price!

I decided on the special of slow braised lamb shank ($22). Chick peas with bacon & chorizo, braising juices reduction, red onion and cilantro. The picture doesn’t do the dish justice, but it was a HUGE shank. The meat was super tender and delicious. I particularly enjoyed the gravy that had a steady progression of heat with a deep, rich flavor. I like chick peas in any form, so the addition of two types of pork was a special treat. I will go as far to say that this was the best lamb shank I have ever had! It was an absolute steal at that price.

None of us were able to finish our main courses and didn’t even try to order dessert.

All in all, El Parador Cafe was pretty fantastic. I am sad that I never tried it before in all of my years of living in the neighborhood. Service was good, prices reasonable, large portions and tasty food. That sounds like a winning combination to me! I can’t wait to return to try some more of the dishes that I wanted to, but didn’t get a chance.

© TT for The Feisty Foodie, 2011. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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We started with the ubiquitous guacamole freshly made tableside ($14). The guacamole “chef” was a good sport about letting us take his picture. Although we never did pay his “picture fee,” oops. Since there were six of us, it was suggested we get two orders, which ended up being the perfect amount. We had our choice of spiciness and settled on medium, since some of the group can’t handle any heat. The medium leaned more towards mild. I couldn’t detect any spice. We were given two kinds of salsa; a red and green. The green had some heat but barely hit even Tabasco levels.

The Molcajete(stone bowl) used to make and serve the guacamole was quite cute since it had a pig face on it.

The problem with the entrees listed in the menu is that the average price is $25. Since the girls had a pretty extravagant weekend planned, pretty much everyone ordered tacos or enchiladas; they were only $20 or less on average.

CT ordered the Mole Xico ($19.75). This was two soft corn tortillas filled with shredded chipotle beef. Topped with veracruz mole made with raisins, plantains, hazelnuts, pine nuts and ancho and pasilla chiles. Garnished with crema and queso fresco. As you can see, the mole looked fantastic. I had a generously sized bite and enjoyed it, but did it wow me at that price? No.

CT says: I enjoyed this dish and quickly finished it. The mole had a nice blend of sweet, spice and tang. I’d order this again if I found myself here again, although I wouldn’t be quick to return. Sure, it’s a bit pricey, but you really pay for the name and ambiance of this restaurant. Still, I enjoyed the food and drinks even if they weren’t the most authentic. Doesn’t hurt that I had great company around me! Miss my BC girls already!!

I had the Budin De Pollo ($19.75). This was a chicken tortilla pie. Baked soft corn tortillas filled with pulled chicken, Chihuahua cheese and roasted Mexican peppers, served with poblano pepper cream sauce. This was very delicious albeit a too simple except perhaps for the vibrantly colored sauce. It looks like something made by an ambitious college student at 3 am after a long night “studying.”

All in all, Rosa Mexicano was pretty below average for what we paid. I think CT & I have begun to appreciate quality Mexican food a lot more over the past couple of years and this was not it. The restaurant was very busy, but I don’t necessarily think it was for the food, rather the scene. I hope our out of town guests enjoyed it, but I don’t see myself returning. I would rather go back to Yerba Buena and pay similar prices for food that is 10x better. Oh, how I miss Panama!

© TT for The Feisty Foodie, 2011. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: good for groups, Union Square

After my day in Chapel Hill, I headed back towards Knightdale to meet up with my friends and have dinner.  They chose a local place, to give me a taste of what their weeks are like and what it’s like being, you know, normal… something I’ve never been. 

As we sat down, a basket of house made tortilla chips arrived with small dishes and a miniature carafe of salsa.  Love having our own individual dishes – I suppose so if we wanted to add hot sauce, we could, or if we were sick, we could still dip with abandon.  Love. 

I got really excited when I noticed horchata on the menu, under the drinks section.  I love horchata – and after quickly checking to make sure there was no coconut in it – I ordered it.  The waiter seemed surprised.  Regardless, even better?  The drink was no more than $3 (might have been $2) and it was refilled every time I drank half or more.  Crazytown!  That would never happen in NYC.  I don’t think anyone else orders that down there…

For a few dollars ($3-4?) we ordered a cheese dip and happily dipped the chips in this.  Oh my gosh, this is the liquid cheese I strive to make.  Creamy, tangy but not too sharp, just perfection.  Smooth… lovely… wonderful.  I wanted to drink this.  I am not even entirely sure what kind of cheese that was…

My dish came with an ‘avocado salad’ – basically lettuce, tomatoes, some shredded cheeses, and a scoop of guacamole.  I ate this happily because I love avocados, and it tasted pretty good. 

As for my dish – apparently one of the most expensive items at $10! – the steak ranchero, described as “grilled rib eye steak topped with sauteed vegetables, served with rice, beans, tortillas” – I saw this land in front of me and thought okay, that makes sense. 

I thought there was just a small piece of steak, which would have been fine given the price, but…

I pushed aside the veggies to reveal an entire flat piece of steak!  Whoa.  There was no way I was going to finish that. 

Though I wasn’t asked how I wanted the steak to be cooked, it was just that shade of medium (closer to well) where it retained its tenderness, thankfully.  It was very flavorful, and I had no problems eating what I could… and then packing up a lot of it to go (that was a LOT of food!).  It also came with tortillas but I’m not inclined towards tortillas much so I didn’t eat those… but they made a great burrito/taco the next night! 

Yvo says: Yum!  Unlimited horchata for the price of a soda, reasonably priced apps and entrees… I would love a local Mexican place like this to open near me!  (And this place was run by actual Hispanic people; I don’t know if they were Mexican for sure, but they were definitely Hispanic.)  Who knew I’d fall in love with a Mexican restaurant in a suburb of Raleigh?  (Not me… I’m so NYC-centric.)
recommended

© Feisty Foodie for The Feisty Foodie, 2011. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: horchata, nachos

But this night wouldn’t be about meeting Adriá (boo!), it was to introduce the New York press and blogging community to the richness of Mexican cuisine and, yes, tequila and wine (yay!) at Cafe Frida, known to me before that night as “the place next to the Shake Shack”. While most of the dishes offered to us this evening weren’t part of the chef’s standard repertoire, his skills were put on full display as we learned about the coming Festival from the organizers.

Of course, my first order of business was drink procurement. A couple of solid red wines graced the bar. This, a petite syrah, was full-bodied and rich, blackberries, a little tobacco and earthiness, a lovely start to the evening.

Small bites toured the cleared-out main dining area. The pastryish wafers barely kept the pulled chicken together, and, marinated in bitter orange this was a tiny package of flavor. Like a few hors d’oeuvres, this was accented by achiote. Lots of things at this event were laced with this ubiquitous Mexican condiment. It was even a little bit smoky, and it simply worked well.

Yeah, it was time for margaritas. These were heavy on the lime, though the tequila tried mightily to dominate. Quite strong, and delicious. The salt rim wasn’t just salt, but didn’t really lend anything major except the salt.

But why stop with two types of alcoholic beverages? The Cancun folk really know how to entertain the food and beverage community, and this sangria was created using not a poor red wine that needed fruit to make it palatable, but with a high-quality red. Sadly, this wasn’t from the Baja California region, a wine region I’m told is very much an up-and-coming area — and probably not priced out of whack yet, either.

The ghosts of our presenters detailed the events of next March via slideshow. Over fifty tastings, including beer, wine, alcohol, and celebratory dinners, including fine meals prepared by some of Mexico’s top chefs, stuff the schedule.

Then it was back to eating. The guacamole was served in the traditional molcajete and had arrived just prior to the presentation; I waited dutifully for my turn with the housemade corn tortilla chips. This guac was chunkier than I make (or prefer) but was wonderful, if not as “wet” as I’m used to seeing. It had plenty of flavor from the firm chunks of avocado, with a nice citrus dosing. I had but a few very good chips (almost as good as what I make, ha) before both bowls were emptied by the guests.

Here, the pork was slightly spicy, laced with achiote and accented by pickled onion. Deliciously simple.

A (quite dim) mini-chalupa, like many dishes just a little bit spicy, garnished with a mole sauce and shaved cotija, I believe. The chicken inside was fairly ordinary, but served mainly as a vehicle for the flavors grouping up outside.

And what better to end the evening’s drinking, than a frozen margarita? This one was bursting with lime flavor, and was plenty strong as well, but really, just a superb job by the bartender on these drinks. I’m pretty much sold on Cafe Frida now for my Mexican drinking.

A final bite, mini chocolate cakes, filled and topped with a dollop of mole, provided a classic combination, as mole is often made with chocolate in the first place and the rich cake wasn’t quite baked all the way through, giving it a little of a molten texture. A beautiful capper to the evening’s offerings.

A warm thank you to Cafe Frida and our other hosts, the 2012 Wine & Food Festival and the Mexican tourism board, for sharing this kickoff evening. I know I’d love my inaugural trip to Mexico to involve staying in Cancun and devouring all that the Festival has to offer!

Please note that the Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival and their PR provided everything on the evening to me without charge. I received no monetary compensation for this review, nor was I obliged in any way to post about this experience, positively or otherwise. This is my own opinion and I feel it was unbiased; you are free to take from this what you will.

© BeerBoor for The Feisty Foodie, 2011. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: drinks, guacamole, press event, tequila, wine