Mmmm...[Secret] Barbacoa

Girls have been eating up my blogging time lately, a lot. At least two ‘friend requests’ per online networking medium a week—average--thanks to that Bizarre Foods episode I came out in a while back. Not a bad thing, I mean, if it wasn’t for this girl I met a while ago…I would had never found out about this lady who sells the worthwhile lamb dish known as Barbacoa straight from her backyard pit--score.






I was ecstatic, the secret restaurant concept is one that makes any foodie swoon with giddiness. And there it was...

From the Puebla provinces of Mexico, Tia Flor slaughters one sheep, and one sheep only every single Saturday.





She breaks the night, dwelling into twilight hours of Sunday, tossing and turning the smoldering Maguey cactus leaves that moisten and infuse the fresh mutton chunks that it encapsulates within. The ash temperature can turn to toughening hell in a sleep-derived blink of an eye.






I will say what is to be said, that is: foolhardy consistence. Then again, hell's oven really has no way of being controlled, thus, the concept of consistence--in this case--is quite contrary. This is not the best I've had in my life--that would be this guy in the corroding streets of East D.F (Ahuizontla, Nacaulpan), he makes a three hour trek from ______ every Sunday morning. But just as his tender game runs out by the strike of noon...so does hers.





My first taste of the stuff was actually at my house, take-out, personal delivery right after--no meeting parents for me, thank you very much! At first taste...smoke, in it's most subtle of way's I've EVER experienced it before, unlike any of the restaurant stuff I've had around here before. The flesh itself actually had flavor, my mind was running lucid imagining how her Consomé, the broth that leaks of the lamb as it roasts, would be like.






My foodie apparition was correct, spiked with creamy Garbanzo's, it was utterly unami in every savory sense of it, along with that subtle smokiness...






She also griddles up some'!






Quesadilla's here are stuffed with the Mexican Exotics Canon: First, the notorious jet oil-black stuff known as Huitlacoche that is the epitome of the "earthy" flavor characteristic. Second, Flor de Calabasa (Squash Blossom's) that are marinated. And last, the strikingly aromatic herb that Aztec's knew as "Skunk Plant" aka Epazote.

Mention "con todo" and your fresh-made tortillas raptures will be truly glutted. Hongos, mushrooms that are snipped up into tiny little rectangles and of course, Chicharron (fried pig skin), that is fried to jagged crispness and also cut into confetti-sized pieces. You will be surprised to see how much those aforementioned sized items adds immensely to overall awesomeness.





Consistence in this category is fail-safe, hence, these are the best Quesadillas I have ever had the pleasure of.

With this, a description of her Salsa supplements is almost mandatory.





Behold:
Tangy Tomatillo Green,
Tomato--not chile--based Red (don't let tomato fool, packs a punch)
Cured Red Onion and Habanero Relish...fucken fire.

I was also introduced to a Jaliscan Neveria (Ice Cream) street vendor that makes some of the smoothest water/cream-based, natural Tamarindo nieve I have ever tasted.

Doña Evangelica also sticks to old world ways, from house-to-back-of-truck vending, the making of these Nieves takes several day's. Ice Cream making is a full arm workout, churning and churning for two hours, or however long it takes for the rock-salt and ice solution to do it's thing on five gallon steel tubs filled with base. She starts on Tuesday and goes on making the stuff until showtime: Friday, Saturday and Sunday.







Doused with a strong Chamoy sauce she actually makes from scratch, it's originally made from apricots for a Mexican Sundae sort of thing, on a Sunday afternoon. This usually follows a trip out to that ghetto Barbacoreria, and it's like also like an esoteric godsend after all that spicy, heavy food.

Mmmmmm...occult debauchery.





And they also do a Tequila Nieve for special occasion.

"Ohh...sure! I'll be happy to meet your parents..."

Garcias Mexican Ice Cream:
cell: (323) 271-9437
(323) 309-6313
On corner of Potrero Grande St. and Rush St. (Citizens Business Bank parking lot)

Secret Barbacoa
shhh...it's a secret!

Beyond Conchas: La Monarca Bakery in East L.A

About three years ago, I remember reading the L.A Times Food Section and feeling proud, surprised and excited.

They had done a front-page article on Ricardo Cervantez and his groundbreaking demographics upon opening La Monarca Bakery in Huntington Park. Finally offering a little more sophisticated Pan Dulce fare to the Latino market...which is often neglected in the eyes of much of the retail food industry. Stepping beyond ultra-traditional Conchas and Cochinitos and supplementing the usual Mexican Bakery arsenal with things like Napoleon's (Mil Hojas), Tiramisu and his very own Goat-Milk Caramel Dulce De Leche Cake. Avant-Gard pastry thought carries out through beverages as well, organic brew in East L.A? Never thought I would live to see the day...











Sticking true to his word, another Monarca Bakery has opened up in East L.A in the Commerce Shopping Center, where just about every Latino East Sider goes to hang, buy socks or even watch a flick. The new location also happens to be just a super-powered stones throw from my house.






Also offering house-made, sorbet-like "Ice's" (Nieves de Agua), including the rare water-based Coco (coconut) with tiny morsels of mature rich, coconut flesh.






Not forgetting his roots, Conchas, a yeast bread with a lard/butter-sugar-crumble topping shaped in the pattern of a sea shell and probably the most traditional of all Pan Dulce--are redefined. Light, spongy with a perfect bread-to-topping ratio, the difference here in quality of ingredients is vastly noticed, the paper bag here will hold up grease-less, unlike the Concha's in just about every bakery in East L.A.







This goes for the plethora of delicate Polvoron style butter cookies too, so tightly packed but gives away elegantly at the bite. Pecan, powdered sugar 'Wedding cookies', Cinnamon, options abound...but all superbly consistent.











East L.A...why not?

5700 E. Whittier Blvd.
Commerce CA.
90022

(323) 869-8800

Food, Friends, Guacamole and Pescuezitos

Jaime and Ramiro of La Casita will be coming out on Univision's Despierta America at around 8AM tomorrow, in honor of Cinco De Mayo, they will be showcasing their juked up version of Guacamole with copious amounts of Tequila and Salt.

As part of the 'Casita Crew', me and Hal had to back up these guys of course. What better way to back friends up than becoming ravid groupies in the crowd!






The shoot dragged on for half the day, felt longer in front of the San Gabriel Mission, but in the end, it just made the post-shoot dinner taste even more amazing...






Pescuezitos! (fried chicken necks), the ultimate post-shoot dinner!

Been wanting to cover this for a while now. Only a handful of proud, few Loncheras(taco trucks) are the purveyors of this fine fried specimen. Literally, just fried chicken necks with deftly executed spicing. Now, chicken necks are interesting in themselves, if all else fails, a chicken neck will quell the most poultry-intensive of hankerings. Lost the battle with drumsticks somewhere in time, but tastewise, puts breasts, legs, wings to crying shame. The chicken neck goes with the same physics of eating a drumstick, gnawing away, away and away until bare bone is left, but, it is univerally known that...Skin, is where it's at. And with about a 70/30 skin-to-meat ratio and more needed to get full, by rules of food-waste, skin is not only a commodity, but practically the meal in itself, thus chicken euphoria!

I'm not gonna lie, the thing that makes these so toothsome is the KFC-like greasy-ness, which thanks to recent trends, has had a negative connotation. But deep down, we all know that this is the stuff that dreams are made of.

Left to cook for several minutes for optimum fat-on-fat flavor rendering.






Now for the fine purveyors:






Stationed on E. 1st and Dickerson in East L.A, here all day, every day 'till about Midnight.

Honoring the majority of us with insatiable sweet tooth's, it was off to dessert-a-paloooza at La Monarca Bakery (post on that coming soon).

Awh, a splendid Sunday afternoon indeed.

The Food Life

Woke up yesterday to a call from Jaime of La Casita Mexicana at around noon, noon because the night prior, me and my good friend decided to practice the difficult art of sweeping girls off their feet by cooking up an 'exotic' storm of Indian Curry with Plum Wine pairing, didn't get home 'till 6AM. He had called to invite me to a local milestone bakery's grand opening inauguration.

Me being me, I decided to play it safe (not assume that their was going to be free food somehow) and cook me up a full on 'Dim Sum' style brunch thing, Pan Fried Taro Cakes, Durian Ice Cream and all. Thus making me late, I finally arrived only to find probably the whole bakery's offerings in little bite-sized samples...maan, I always do this and still never learn.

Me being me again, in the heat of the ambiance, I gnawed away at like seven butter cookies, cakes, roll's etc, along with with two heaping cups of organic Coffee brew (the first in East L.A might I add!). After all this, the 'Casita Crew', a name I barely thought up right now for the 5-7 of us that make up Jaime's and Ramiro's (Casita Mexicana Chef's) crew who got each others back in true home-boy fashion, wanted to have a 'food-food' bite to eat and naturally...all consulted me.

Several indecisive thoughts later, I decided to wager my entire food-enthusiast reputation and took them to a Salvadorean joint a few paces away. I had always had a good gut feeling about this place, but never actually been.

SUCCESS! The food took nearly an hour to serve meaning, rich, satisfying good food. Satiety level above full, I convinced myself to try something for the sake of my palate. Rice-Flour Pig Skin Pupusas, Pho Bowl chock-full of Cat-Fish Soup, and ever-starchy Yucca pieces later, I was good. I mean, giving that I just had my breakfast, lunch and dinner in a series of two hours.

All this made for some exquisite Fencing bouts during Club later on, parrying electric-wired Epee's and getting slashed with Saber blades never felt so glorious, absolutely gloooorious, those dried Mangosteen's as my post workout snack were equally sublime...

Putting my newly-acquired rules of Improv lifestyle into effect, I randomly decided to take up Ramiro in his invite to this new Standup/Play hybrid Obra de Teatro (official Spanish word for Theater apparently). Fernando Arau's “Matrimonio.. Una Historia de Ciencia y Fricción". Half-way's understanding his deep Spanish jokes but mostly just laughing along with the rest of the audience, I'm sure I burned several calories while doing that...what? It's true! Probably the same amount of calories I consumed again at the reception after wards. Two generously-scooped Green Ceviche Tostada's courtesy of La Casita Mexicana catering. That second one wasn't necessary but ehh.

Half hour past Midnight, Jaime and Ramiro wanted to go to this Korean Bar that they ALWAYS talk about. Full as hell, but excitement over-riding it, I stuck true with the 'Casita Crew' and finally experienced it. Thanks to the help of Jocie, an o.g foodie who also acts as our underground K-Town guide, we were noshing on marinated Pig Feet and fried Rice Flour, clear noodle Seaweed "Dumbbells" and sipping on Horchata Con Piquete (spiked Horchata)-like unfiltered Rice Wine at the AM deuce.

Waking a little over noon again today, I attempt to eat a 'Detox' meal of pure green Mango but end up making Coconut-Rice Pancakes, RIPE Mango-Chayote Relish with heaping spoon-fulls of TJ's Peanut Flax Butter. My mom notices that this is my first home-concocted actual meal I had in two weeks. The only exception when I watch T.V when I eat, Public Broadcasting Saturday afternoon Food Shows 12-6, while my last cake cooks, I start to stream the freshly-missed episode of KCRW's "Good Food" for easy listening later.

Every day for the last two and a half weeks (my spring break) has been following a similar series of events, eating constantly all day, not "little meals" style, just....without abandon. Between luckily getting invited to comped restaurant sponsored events, my baking class's newly added lifestyle revolving around butter, sugar, flour daily and random last minute dinners testing my limit of courses consumed in a day, not to mention tolerance for the up and coming popularity of mixed Alch-y, this is my life. Abby of Pleasure Palate said "The Food God's are with me" but for me, just another 'just another another day'...

"Looking forward to my next meal and reminiscing in my last"

--Javier Cabral
Teenage Glutster

*Full-detailed posts about all these coming tentatively soon.