Eating through La Paz

Saturdays in the park

2012-01-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

We have gone mobile in the last few months. Back in November of 2010 we created a Farmer's market for La Paz and now, every Tuesday and Saturday, about 20 of us foodiful souls set up in the Post Office Park.

The park is one block to the left of the Cathedral, assuming you have parque Velasco and the malecon at your back and you are facing the Cathedral. We are there beginning around 9am and generally stay until noonish, give or take an hour.

In season, we also go to El Centenario for a 3pm mini market along the highway at km 14.5 and on Thursdays, Chef D heads off to El Sargento with bread for the El Moy market.

And, after three years, we need more space, so the bread store is moving to the corner of Madero and Constitucion, which just happens to be one block away from the Farmer's market. Check us out!

On bread, part IV

2010-11-30T11:09:00.003-07:00

On bread, part IV. How a Mexican baker invented a New York tradition
Everything you are reading in this story is untrue. It is fabrication, a flight of fancy. The wingspan on it is so wide that you can’t see from one tip to the other. It is the story of how the early Mexicans created the bialy.

We really don’t know much about the baker who created the first bialykuchen. What we do know however, is that its inventor followed Jewish religious traditions. Here’s what we’ve been able to piece together from historical accounts. During the time of the Spanish inquisition when a person’s choices were Catholicism or death, some Jews chose a third option, find a new place to live. Some families went to Mexico with Cortez and other early Spanish explorers. Like every other transplanted culture, familiar foods were introduced to the new lands. One of the breads the Spanish had long enjoyed were buñuelos, a slightly sweet bread, fried in oil and topped with sugar . The Spanish version looks remarkably like a filled jelly doughnut, while the Mexican buñuelo is flat, like a tortilla, and the jelly has been replaced with a honey syrup poured over the top.

After toiling long years to try to keep the Spanish buñuelo version alive, the Mexican born baker Jesus Perez decided to move his family and bakery to Poland, where there were large communities of followers of the Jewish faith. The only problem was, everyone was making buñuelos! Jesus thought about switching to the Mexican version but to the world’s delight, he decided to present a deconstructed buñuelo by baking the dough instead of frying it and putting the jelly on the outside. And in another moment of serendipity, this was during the Polish sugar shortage at the turn of the century, so he decided to use beets instead of the red jelly to top his baked buñuelos. History shows us that the sweet-onion topped version was more popular. He also needed to find a name for his new creation and decided to name it after his new town, Bialystok. His was a very successful bakery and others copied his delicious new offering, the bialy.

History repeats itself and Jesus had heard the first hints of the formation of another religious purge movement and quickly sent his family to New York, staying behind to continue his bakery. He, along with most of the Jewish population of Poland were wiped out during the pogroms that swept the Russian empire, but his family survived and prospered in the new country. Thus, a Spanish born Mexican baker was the inventor of the hero of the New York Deli scene, the bialy. Its all true, you can look it up if you don’t believe me.

loncheria nuevo oriental

2010-11-22T04:21:00.003-07:00

When you crave Chinese food and are ready to resort to do-it-yourself you have been in La Paz just long enough to appreciate the restaurant Nuevo Oriental. It’s a house semi-converted into a restaurant on Marcelo Rubio between 16 de Septiembre and Reforma.
Back in the day when La Paz was unknown by readers of Money magazine as a great place to retire, a strong Chinese presence existed in the heart of downtown and the best of the Chinese food palaces was known as the restaurante Dragon. It’s still there, on the top floor above a coffee place on 16 de Septiembre and Esquerro. Food isn’t bad, but imagination and authenticity long went the way of progress. What happened was, the chef/owner passed away and the family kept the restaurant open.
The folks who were privy to the ancient one’s recipes, however, split off and opened the loncheria out of their home, for those who still wanted what they used to have.
Imagine a small place keeping the same menu and traditions for 21 years now…

From the street, one sees a small sign on the light pole announcing the Cantonese loncheria with the interior open to the street and two lonely empty tables daring up to 8 people to cross the threshold. Once you do decide to chance it, you see the action is just to the right, where there are 9 other tables, families gathered over their platters of chow mein, chop suey and cashew chicken. I opted for takeout and selected a half order of sweet and sour chicken with white rice, to go.
All I can say is that if I didn’t find Cantonese style so boring, I would be very excited. The meat was chicken wing, just the first bone, and the bone had been frenched, leaving a tender drumstick of battered white meat chicken. The sauce was a pineapple sweet and sour sauce and it was nicely studded with celery, wedges of pineapple and yellow bell peppers. Classic!
Loncheria Nuevo Oriental, Marcelo Rubio between 16 de Septiembre and Reforma. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 1pm until 6. dine-in or take out.

Three rupees

2010-08-12T10:13:00.007-06:00

About a mile out of town, town being arbitrarily delineated by Boulevar Colosio, is a rosticeria called Rupes3s. Monday through Saturday from 11 until 6 they proudly offer racks of “barbeque” ribs plus fried chicken, roasted chicken and roast chicken bathed in barbeque sauce. Meaty french fries and sour onion coleslaw salad are available and every order comes with salsa and tortillas.
On the day I stopped by, the she behind the counter was delighted to show me around and proudly demonstrated their secret for making juicy, golden brown fried chicken with up to 90% less fat retention than other chicken places. The fried chicken, slabs of ribs and french fries are all cooked in their state of the art pressurized deep fryer. In the case of the ribs or barbeque chicken, after it comes out of the fryer, it gets dipped into barbeque sauce then is microwaved for several minutes to glaze the sauce onto the meat.
If you call ahead, your order will be ready to go when you get there; all meals are strictly take-out. An assortment of bottled soft drinks are also available. The next time I go, I have to remember to ask them about something called “our original slopy”’
Rosticeria Rupes 3 on the carretera al norte just before Motel Villa del Sol 124 13 44

An unabashed plug for bakery Pan D'Les-update

2010-05-30T19:38:00.005-06:00

Update: Summer is over and the bakery is now open six days per week, closed on Sundays. Pastry classes are over until next summer,as well
This week the summer hours for Pan D'Les kick in. That means that on Tuesdays, the bakery will not be open to the public.
New hours are from 8 am to 2 pm on Monday and Wednesday through Saturday. Always closed on Sundays and now on Tuesdays as well.

I'll be taking advantage of this pause in production to offer a pastry workshop. Every Tuesday from now until the last Tuesday in July. Come participate as we prepare a brunch menu that includes Lemon Souffle pancakes, hibiscus flower syrup, chicken apple sausage and gourmet biscuits. We'll sit down and enjoy our creations and best of all, someone else will clean up after us!
During the class, we will have time to troubleshoot your recipes that you're struggling with. Oh, and the June classes will be conducted in Spanish, to the best of my ability. The English language class begins in July. The fee is 200 pesos.

For some reason the bakery is very hard to find. Sorry about that and let me try again to help you find the place. We all know I'm in La Paz in Mexico and most everyone knows I'm in the downtown area. Unfortunately street signs are missing from most intersections and the driving habits of others make sightseeing while in a moving vehicle almost impossible. As a matter of fact, I see near-misses all the time as people come to the top of the hill and try to cross Madero street or make a left turn onto Ocampo from the right lane. And when school is about to let out, forget it.

Sorry, I was stuck in traffic for a second. So. Landmarks: I am on Madero street between Sr. Sushi and FFYY Choy chinese restaurant. I am directly across the street from a hand car wash and there is a private school across the street that takes up almost the entire block. From the malecon, Ocampo street is where the National Car rental agency is. There is a short block then Ocampo slopes upward. On the left there is a convenience store called Chiflon and across the street is Tequilas bar. As you proceed up the hill, on the left is the Perico Marinero.

If you come to Buffalitos grill, you have gone past me. My bakery has a yellow and white striped skirt around the corrugated metal patio cover spanning the sidewalk. Printed on the skirt are the words Panaderia and Bakery. The windows have latticework metal bars on the window. They are green. The top of the windows with the green bars have a yellow and white striped valence upon which are written Pan Natural, choux, brownies, granola. Sometimes there is a white resin chair outside.

Beginning at the corner, from north to south, you will see sr. Sushi, then a parking lot. A private home. A business with polyurethaned flagstone and silver bars. At the moment it is for rent. Then a driveway, a store called Sunset, another private home with a fenced front yard, then the dentist, then me, then the chinese restaurant.

Sign up for a class if you have three hours. We'll have fun!

The steel aquarium

2010-05-04T07:14:00.004-06:00

For over thirty years Taco Fish La Paz in Guadalajara has prepared a special version of fish taco by using a tempura batter rather than the fritter batter preferred here in Baja California Sur. Gleaming stainless steel tables and stools are a signature look for Taco Fish La Paz as well as a completely stocked bottled salsa bar and a cold table worthy of Ramsey, holding dozens of relishes appropriate for seafood.
Rather than two stainless steel carts and a remote kitchen as is found in Guadalajara, the La Paz Taco Fish La Paz has its own kitchen and a large covered dining room. Stainless steel is still the favored décor and there is no lack of it! The salsa and condiment bar remain the center of attention—easily accomplished as they are in the center of the dining room.

Now in its second year in La Paz, Taco Fish La Paz has captured the interest of many paceños and quite a few tapatios who now live on the peninsula instead of the mainland. Friends had told me about the La Paz location, exclaiming,"you need to ask for two tortillas—the portions are so big!”
I wandered into the place and over to one of the food bars to see battered fish the size of a slice of Bimbo bread and stacks of fried shrimp balls the size of oranges. Deep fried fish empenadas have a pastry crust with an attractive fluted edge. Giving in to my gluttony, I ordered two fish tacos and a marlin empanada. However…
What hasn’t been precisely duplicated is the very thing that makes Taco Fish La Paz so unique. Tempura fish or veggies or what have you are characterized by a delicate batter that is as light as cotton candy and goes soggy just as quickly. The tempura battered fish on the day I visited seemed to have been twice-fried as it was extremely thick and crunchy. The large piece of fish was unceremoniously broken in half for my two tacos. On the other hand, the empanada wasn’t bad. The filling was ample, the empanada itself was not greasy and I was only sorry I hadn’t thought to add some condiments before completely devouring it.
I’m gonna go back to try some other things. I’ll bring D with me; she really likes fish tacos.
Taco Fish La Paz of La Paz. Marquez de Leon at Heroes de Independencia. Green curb parking for four vehicles. Tuesday through Sunday 8:30 to 4:00pm

Americano’s cheesesteak grill-oh, and pastry shop, too

2010-04-30T12:33:00.003-06:00

Americano’s cheesesteak grill-oh, and pastry shop, too

Just off of el centro on Bravo between Revolucion and Madero you will find John’s Americano’s Grill. I’ve long debated whether the name referred to the man running the place, or if it meant that here be eponymous land of freedom food, or exactly what. Given the logo, with the proud head of lady liberty surrounded by a cheesesteak sandwich and glittering aerial bombs bursting in the air, one might be tempted to think the food was Authentic American.
Checking the menu, the cheesesteak grill is a parody of Americana. Sure there are kraut dogs, and cheesesteak sandwiches, and malted milkshakes, and pies, too but it all has a decidedly local flavor about it, from the beans side dish to the rolls holding the meat for the sandwiches to the variations on the pseudo namesake sandwich itself.
The look of the place is decidedly bowery chic. The walls are yellow with green sponge paint or is it the other way around, ubiquitous plastic tables and chairs covered in unhemmed oilcloth, a rattling air conditioner over the door and the smell of fried foods that hover over the dining area. Termite-softened wood molding at the entrance greets each customer and occasionally on my morning neighborhood walks (the restaurant is a block away from my bakery) a homeless person obligingly lends character and charm by sleeping in the doorway alcove. He is usually gone by the time the restaurant opens at 10 a.m. Closing hours are three p.m. unless prior arrangements are made. And on Saturday, there is an all you can eat buffet for 75 pesos. “It's based on what we have left from the week's activities so we can clear out and start fresh on Tuesday.” Now that’s truly the American entrepreneurial spirit! Seriously, though. Check the place out. It’s a real contender.
Americano’s cheesesteak grill and pastry shop. Wi-Fi/Delivery. Bravo 150. Ten to three Tuesday through Saturday.

Little Buffalo

2010-04-29T08:18:00.004-06:00

What if the owner of Buffalo’s had a little brother? What if the little brother wanted his own place? And what would you call it?
Buffalito grill is on Madero between Ocampo and Nicholas Bravo. Its where meat meets fire. Ostensibly a carnivores’delight, vegetarians successfully navigate the menu with juicy portabello mushroom burgers and guacamole tacos.
One of the litmus tests I and my circle of friends apply is the french fry onion ring challenge. Will the fries be crispy with just enough salt? Will the onion rings be homemade, crispy and ample? A bright ketchup red yes to those questions. Is the burger meat juicy and natural or has it been worked to dry toughness and preseasoned with gallons of salsa Inglesa tipoWorcestershire? Succulent and tender!
The dining area is open air patio and painted concrete floor. Tables and chairs are not the plastic resin found everywhere else, but do carry the Tecate trademark. Speaking of Tecate beers, they have Bohemia and Indio beer for those fans of beer with character and substance. Wine, too by the glass. Music appropriate for dining plays sometimes a bit intrusively but a quick word to the attentive servers brings the ambience back to quiet enjoyment of good food well prepared.
How does little brother do it? Create a place worthy of a second meal? First, have a family that operates a successful restaurant then take all the good bits and leave off the bad. Buffalito grill, open 1 pm until closing, except Monday when the grill’s not hot until 5pm.

It's been a whole year and what a time!

2010-04-29T07:53:00.002-06:00

It has been more than a year since my last post. Incredible watching this big little city twist and bend to adapt to what has been a world-shaking year. Financial crisis! Swine Flu! Drug cartels!

For a time, restaurants and businesses held on. Some rents went unpaid, a few people went unpaid, suppliers went without. But this is Mexico and just because the phone and electricity are cut off, that does not mean instant closing. Harsh reality finally squeezed the last breath out of at least three hotels and countless eateries. Of the places I highlighted last March, Dalle Regazzi is in the process of closing. Caballete and Uva lasted a month. Fussion went a few months and folded. Captain Tony's closed and reopened as a pizza place just off the malecon. I think Placeres Argentina is kaput. Estancia Uruguay and Tres Virgenes have survived.

A rash of new places came in as quickly as others left. La Tosca blipped in and out. The Original Baja Kettle Corn is gone and will reopen as Paco's Palomitas in the near future. El Trocadero and Bistro Gastronomico are gaining ground in a declining market. Kudos to them! I feel I'm rambling a bit so this post is closed. I'll try to post regularly this summer, time permitting. Thanks for reading me.

Les, the bread guy

New for 2009, Buzz buzz buzz

2009-03-08T16:52:00.003-07:00

In the la Posada area on the beachfront, Della Regazzi makes dinner into theater.

Downtown near Nicholas Bravo is the restaurant posada Il Rustico with the greatest pizza in La Paz.

In the art district of Bellasario Dominguez, Thailand and India cuisines meet tabletop at Fussion.

The Tres Virgenes reopens across the street from its former location with new owners, the former Chef and managing partner.

Opening soon in the location vacated by the Tres Virgenes is an art gallery with wine called Caballete and Uba, or Easel and Grape.

The Estancia Uruguaya relocates to the opposite end of town at Revolucion and Torre Iglesia.

Placeres Argentina wins raves for its slow cooked tenderloin fillet on the west part of town, Mexico and Urbana Normal.

Captain Tony's on Madero between Ocampo and Bravo expands its hamburger and taco menu to include anything that can be grilled over charcoal.

That's whats making the buzz this season, who will go the distance?

On a whim

2009-03-03T18:49:00.004-07:00

Forming a part of a growing list of ambitious restaurants to spring up this season, restaurant Caprichos presents itself well.

The building located on Madero street between Cinco de Mayo and Constitucion is a former bed and breakfast and before that, Casa Aramburo.

One of the most prominent architectural features is the long curving staircase leading to the upstairs library which still houses the Aramburo family book collection and private dining rooms, plus nicely appointed restrooms for las damas y los caballeros. The ground floor has the bar plus a cozy waiting area, a pastry shop slash dining room complete with tempting desserts on display in a refrigerated glass case and two more dining areas, one of which designated as appropriate for smokers.

Restaurant Caprichos serves from 8 in the morning until 11 at night. Breakfasts include omelets with whole eggs or just eggwhites, freshly baked bread, eggs benedict and a spanish tortilla or italian fritatta. Lunch and dinner guests may enjoy homemade pasta dishes, excellent cuts of meat, fish, seafood or thin crust pizzas. Wine and beer plus a full bar are available.

Prices for this white tablecloth restaurant are quite reasonable. Caprichos, Madero between 5 de Mayo and Constitucion.

anything but

2009-03-03T18:34:00.003-07:00

On Nicholas Bravo just before the ISSSTE Farmacia lurks a restaurant that calls itself Servi-cocina economica, or very very roughly translated might mean cheap eats.

Although there are some breakfast combos that are fairly priced, the rest of the offerings are fairly pricey. Given the ambiance and tabletop, unless the rent is catastrophically high, it is hard to justify the menu prices.

Enough of the gentle rant, on to the food.

The server, who doubles as the food preparer, asked for my selection. Today I chose the carne de res comida. I had the option of seven or eight other dishes to include chicken in mole, chuleta de puerco and two types of fish. Hearing the familiar ding of the microwave oven, the tomato broth with elbow macaroni soup was ready.

Also placed on the table was a plate of totopos, thick cut tortilla chips fried until crispy. A sign on the wall indicated that seconds of the totopos would result in a surcharge.

A nicely prepared milanesa cut of meat served with vegetables and a slice of tomato came next, plus an agua fresca. I chose the naranjada, sweetened orange water.

Passing on dessert, I paid the 75 peso bill and went back to the bakery. I'd always meant to try the place, and now I had. You're welcome.

Cocina economica, Bravo between Revolucion and Serdan. Open 8 am until 7pm

Need a gravy fix?

2009-02-11T17:27:00.004-07:00

Near the corner of Cinco de Mayo and Dominguez is a tiny shop eponymously called BAJA BISCUITS.

With barely enough room for three people to stand at the counter and place an order, the owners, Floridians Ace and Linda have stretched a beautiful awning across the sidewalk and placed tables outside.

Very few places in La Paz offer biscuits and gravy and no one does them better than here. The sausage is made in Linda's home kitchen and, as is everything else, brought in ready to finish when you place your order.

Besides the biscuits and gravy, a half order is available plus a giant breakfast burrito, Waffle with nuts or strawberries and cream, Freshly baked quiche with a to-die-for crust and Big Cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing.

There are also bagels toasted with cream cheese or butter, just biscuits, or fruit or grits or eggs or bacon or sausage.

Baja biscuits began with a limited menu and limited hours. Due to the eatery's growing popularity, the restaurant is now open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 8 in the morning until 130 in the afternoon. And recognizing that some people just don't like breakfast foods and being from the South of America, Y'all can munch a barbeque pork sandwich with coleslaw instead.

They also sell the sausage in bulk for you to cook at home.

Baja Biscuits, Dominguez 1251 and 5 de Mayo 155 9619.

The best and worst of 2008

2009-01-26T18:28:00.002-07:00

First of all, please forgive me for not writing sooner. The bakery has been unusually busy, and as I have no helpers, just a few elves now and then, I haven't had a moment to collect my thoughts and transfer them to eating through la paz.

I haven't stopped eating, though, so I thought my first post of 2009 should be a recap of what my favorite eating spots were and still are.

For breakfast we still hands down love La Fonda. The red sauce has changed from what we enjoyed to something not as good but all else remains constant, including Sylvia, our server.

Click here to re read about La Fonda
http://eatingthroughlapaz.blogspot.com/2008/07/our-favorite-place-for-breakfast-three.html

Lunch was much harder to choose, but after all is said and done, La Paisa wins. Diane and I have been back several times and particularly enjoy the intensity of effort brought to each dish.

AS FAR AS the winner of the dirty spoon award is concerned, it doesn't really matter, since they are closed and gone.

Its a joke, see?

2008-12-13T17:18:00.003-07:00

First, some background information. I was raised in the Los Angeles valley area and all I knew of Mexico as a kid was Tijuana. We would take a weekend and go to the San Diego Zoo and then go to "Mexico"

We certainly never ate there (sugar cane was an exception since my parents knew I wouldn't like it much and it was only a dime) and would browse the stalls looking at all the cheap, brightly colored junk. Sometimes we would buy something just to say, hey we were here. I remember a plaster of paris piggy bank, three piggies on top of each other with a grinning painted face and big painted eyelashes. The top pig had "we" on it, the second pig said "love" and the third pig said "money!" There were also some tin masks vaguely aztec in design that actually hung on the wall of the living room for several years.

So, back to present day. On Revolucion, between Legaspy and Marquez de Leon across the street from Gorillas grill and next to where Katty's was, is a new place called Rincon Chilango. I always pass by thinking, how vulgar, cheap and garish. What a stereotyped insult to Mexicans this place is! I will never go there...

From the driveway to the very depth of the property bright splashes of color assault you. The entrance, including a standpipe sort of arrangement is painted pink, orange, green magenta, yellow. Even the cement walkway out front is painted. Two tables loiter under the arch, covered in screamingly bright checks, in case you missed the idea that this is a place that serves food.

Primitive murals adorn the walls. Painted hibiscus, lizards, bougainvillea in pots in impossible colors. A low palapa roof shades the dining area. Bright paper lanterns are hung from the beams. A giant stuffed red pepper doll wearing a moustache, holding a beer and wearing a sombrereo proclaims along the brim, "viva Mexico!" Next to the restrooms is a crooked mirror, its frame brightly painted and across the face of the mirror in spanish says, what'cha looking at.

A clothesline strung from some tree branches outside the kitchen has clothes drying in the breeze. Some tattered and saggy bottomed jeans. Paisley knickers. A white bustier with black trim. A collection of brooms, mops and rakes lean against the wall and an altar to the virgin. One of the dingier undergarments hanging on the line has words written on it Este rincon es parte de la decoracion...this corner is part of the decoration.

Suddenly I get the joke. Everything is just over the top exaggerated and the Chilangos who run the place are just having fun.

Chilangos, by the way, is what folks from Mexico City are called. To those not from Mexico City, it is meant as an insult, derogatory. Chilangos embrace the name and use it with pride.

What about the food and such? Pambazos, tlacoyos, tlayudas, quesadillas made with blue corn, all the popular foods from the mainland. Reasonably priced and served hot, well seasoned. Refrescos and aguas but no cervesa. Can't explain how they got so many Pacifico tables and chairs.

Open from 8 in the morning until 11 at night. Go. Have a laugh. You can even try some huitlacoche. With or without cheese.

Rincon Chilango. Between Legaspy and Marquez de Leon on Revolucion.
Click on the title to link up to a list of Mexican taqueria food definitions.

How to flush out a pheasant

2008-12-10T19:38:00.002-07:00

Already thirty-eight years old and so well camouflaged that unless you knew what to look for you never noticed.

This has all changed with the expansion of the dining area and a new facade for restaurant cafe El Faisán on 16 de Septiembre just past Isabel la Catolica.

The son, Jorge runs the place now and has plans to introduce an expanded graphics intense color menu, breakfasts and table service in January.

At the moment, the restaurant is an interesting mix of homemade and fast food. Coffee drinks are available as well as malts and other ice cream drinks. A pastry case displayed generous cuts of german chocolate cake and flan.

Hamburgers come single or double with cheese or no. Burritos are stuffed with a guiso of carne deshebrada (shredded meat seasoned with vegetables and herbs) or pulled pork and there are quesadillas, stuffed quesadillas and breaded chicken nuggets seasoned with oregano. French fries. Ranch dressing. There are Bimbo bread sandwiches and tortas as well.

Order at the counter and grab a table or booth. In a few minutes a tray with your orders is brought to the table. Dishes are white foam trays. An array of condiments are offered, including ketchup in red squeeze bottles that used to hold barbeque sauce, crema in a bottle conveniently labeled crema and hot sauce in an unlabeled former mustard squeeze.

Coffee drinks, bottles of iced teas, Penafiel soft drinks and waters are available.

Can't wait to go back in January. El Faisán restaurant cafe since 1971. 16 de Septiembre between Isable la Catolica and Meliton Albañez. Open from 8am until 10 pm.

Family restaurant Paisa

2008-11-28T17:27:00.003-07:00

Two restaurants I've been watching and not going to for a while now. Both of them on Aquiles Serdan between Bravo and Allende.

The first one called itself jarrock cafe, a Spanish spelling of Hard Rock Cafe. We called it the paintbrush restaurant because the entrance was decorated with kitch including used brushes strung on a line with bright paint still coating the bristles. Never did get around to exploring the pace and now it is too late. It has become a still kitchy art and gift gallery.

The other restaurant in the block between Rosales and Allende is the restaurante familiar Paisa. They must be doing something right, because the restaurant does not look like it did when I first noticed it over a year ago.

The sign announcing the fact that one can eat here is now professionally painted instead of the hand lettered whiteboard. Vines now completely cover the mesh delineating the property, making for a lush looking and cozy dining space. The low palapa roof has been braced in places where it used to sag and the beer distributor has favored them with their best silkscreened white resin tables.

When I walked in, a woman in jeans and a denim shirt embroidered with the restaurant logo greeted me. Told her "just one today" and she asked me if the one was to be a pacifico or corona.

The dining area is raked sand, twelve tables under the palapa roof, two televisions and an ice machine. Autographed soccer jerseys on hangars adorned the poles supporting the roof. The kitchen was semi out of sight. Another person dressed similarly to my server slouched at the table closest to the telly.

The menu, laminated trifold, started with breakfasts and lunches. Eggs, french toast, molletes (beans and cheese plus guacamole sometimes on a split hard roll) and tenderloin tips prepared a number of ways.

There were also steaks, fish, seafood including aguachiles and campechana. Oh, and of course, beer. Plus limonada and refrescos, malteados and coffee. The tabletop setting included five different bottles of salsa--two hot, one for fish, one worsestershire sauce and one more but can't remember.

After I ordered my filete de res en salsa albañil and a limonada I settled back to watch the movie on tv. While waiting, I munched on some totopos and roasted tomato salsa. Salsa good, totopos straight out of the bag. The beef was relatively tender and bathed in a sauce that included bacon and strips of serrano chiles. Some limes to squeeze over the plate would have been nice.

Speaking of plates, these were high fired china plates. Not fancy but not the dreaded melamine. The tortilla basket had flour and corn/flour tortillas.

Decent meal, probably more fun with a group rather than a single diner, glad I finally stopped in.

Paisa, on Serdan between Rosales and Allende. Breakfast and lunch.

I invite you to click on the title for someone's definition of the word paisa. I had nothing to do with it.

Ode to a flower

2008-11-23T07:27:00.002-07:00

When arriving in or leaving La Paz via local bus the common point for all routes is at the bus station on Ocampo at G Prieto. If you are still hungry after your trip or want to fortify yourself before you travel and want other than street vendor offerings, one casts about for the bus stop restaurant.

In this case, restaurant Girasol fit the bill, being directly across the street from the bus station. I am not implying that the place has anything to do with the transportation hub, but nothing else can logically explain its reason for existence.

I've passed by many times but never had the luck of finding it open until last week. The painted hours of operation and the propaganda painted on the entrance wall indicate breakfast and lunch, open from 8 until 2. I arrived about 115 to find the door open.

The place itself is small with room for two tables plus a soda cooler(empty and warm), tv on the wall and the efficiency kitchen area. There was one person dining alone when I arrived who got up and carried her unfinished plate to the kitchen and greeted my by informing me mole or enchiladas were my only choices that day, daring me to stay and eat.

"Enchiladas please" in my best spanish to the cookserver. Looking around, I appreciated the loving care someone had taken to decorate the interior with the bright and welcoming sunflower.

Garlands of sunflowers lined the 3/4 wall creating a bathroom out of the tiny interior space, plus a sunflower calendar and a spray of flowere painted on the wall. A plastic sunflower placemat was brought over from a rack over the sink and placed in front of me along with sopa de fideos and a plastic pitcher of pink agua, a glass and knife and fork rolled in a napkin. Next came the roasted tomato salsa plus a lime wedge and a spoon for my soup.

Three warm tortillas delicately scented with detergent from the dishtowel tortilla cozy completed the first course.

The chicken enchiladas (three pulled chicken tacos covered with an enchilada sauce and rayed with crema) and rice with peas came on a brown melmac platter. I declined the dessert, paid the 40 pesos for the comida corrida, thanked the lady and allowed her to finish her interrupted meal in peace.

Girasol on Ocampo at Prieto across from the downtown bus terminal. Hours vary.

Cafe Kika

2008-11-06T16:28:00.003-07:00

Don't you just love old hardware stores? wandering down aisles that time forgot and coming across some treasure and saying to your partner, "gee, I didn't think they even made those anymore"

We just had a delightful lunch at Cafe kika on Isabel la Catolica between Degollado and Reforma. It's on the right hand side of the street. So you can find it easier, because believe me, you really have to be looking to see it even if it has been there for twenty-eight years.

The owner operator cook chef doesn't bother with a menu anymore. Breakfast of eggs any style or tortas, quesadillas, hamburgers or whatever, and the comida corrida. The breakfast is 25 pesos and the comida is 40.

The food is prepared on a gaffers and satler 36 inch range (I didn't know the even made those anymore) and the dishes were mismatched white glass plates. The silverware had bakelite handles. There was of course a tv playing but wonderfully, the back patio was full of trees and bushes. Songbirds provided background music for our dining pleasure.

If the place ever regains its former popularity there might be trouble, but we had prompt tasty service cooked to order. The soup was tomato broth with elbow macaroni--a comida standard by the way--and the postre was lime jello.

What made the meal stand out was the old fashioned look of the place, almost seedy but it tilted towards the nostalgic side. That and the flourescent green salsa. Okay, I am serious about the salsa being really green, but I am also serious when I say I was impressed with my pescado veracruzeño. Yellow rice, very nicely sauteed (probably mojarra) fish with a touch of oregano and a tomato and peppers or was it nopal sauce over the fish. Tasty!

And the jello came in a chilled bowl.

For all you folks who think they know how a magician does his tricks, wrongo! It was not jello preportioned and kept in the refrigerator. Yes, the jello was kept in the refrigerator, but the bowls were too, and he filled the bowl with the jello in our sight. That, and the jamaica wasn't too sweet. I'd go back.

Cafe kika is on Isabel la Catolica between Degollado and Reforma.

Enchiladas a la leña

2008-10-04T20:54:00.002-06:00

No, we've not discovered enchiladas cooked over mesquite wood fires as the title implies. What we do have are two restaurants sharing the same space, Enchiladas and a la Leña/pollos & pitas.

Enchiladas has been around for a couple of years while a la leña has been smoking for around eight months. Both restaurants share tables salvaged from a contract furniture auction or if you prefer watching the thick of the action, you can pull up a swivel stool and hug the counter that separates the wood burning oven, rotisserie and grill from you and the chickens.

Service begins at 10 for Enchiladas; not until 1 pm for a la leña. The patio dining area is shaded by tented green shade cloth and two portable fans stir the air around, making the outdoor dining experience possible. Once night falls, food is served until 11 at night for ALA and til midnight for Enchiladas.

By pooling their resources, the two places cover nearly every food combination. Enchiladas offers 3 enchiladas with refried beans for 50 pesos. Cheese plus the enchilada sauce of red, green, adobado, mole or with chicken and no chile, plus chilaquiles, fried tacos, huaraches and posole and a slew of tacos.

A la leña adds roasted or barbequed chicken, side dish (sopa fria) beans, hamburgers, stuffed baked potatoes and salads, french fries (very good, by the way) and something called "pita".

Expecting Arabic pocket bread stuffed with chicken, I was surprised to get a cracker-thin crust as would be found on the finest pizza generously topped with smokey minced chicken meat. After adding the chopped tomato and onion plus some salsa, it was ready to eat.

Diane loved it and her mushroom and chicken-stuffed baked potato, pronouncing the place worthy of a second trip.

Las Enchiladas and a la Leña/pollos & pita can be found way uptown on Boulevard Padre Kino at Allende street. Monday through Saturday, 10 to midnight, Sundays noon to 7.

Another very good reason to visit Allende Books

2008-09-30T20:03:00.002-06:00

The english language bookstore Allende Books is finally open in its new location at the corner of Independencia at Guillermo Prieto, just two blocks up from the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de La Paz and Jardin Velasco.

And across the street from the bookstore, Tacos El Estadio await you with what many say are the best shrimp tacos in town. The taco stand does a thriving business, often running out of food well before its two pm closing time.

Your choice is pretty much tacos here. Shrimp or fish generously fill the tortillas and the fixins are very fresh. Prices range from 12 to 15 pesos. Aguas frescas and cans of soda are available. Mostly prepared to go, but you can hunch over a little table and eat right there.

Tacos El Estadio, open 8 until 2, on Guillermo Prieto at Independencia, across the street from the historical building that houses Allende Books.

La Playita Paceña

2008-09-24T13:21:00.003-06:00

Across the street from Pan D' Les is a car wash/parking area where one can drop off a vehicle for a sparkling wash or for two pesos, leave the car for up to 15 minutes while you shop for bread.

Adjacent to the carwash is the restaurant La Playita Paceña.

La Playita opens mid-morning for breakfast of eggs al gusto (meaning any way you want) plus coffee or Coke and it'll set you back 35 pesos.

Not up for eggs for breakfast? The house specialty is a torta de camarones and on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the shrimp sandwich or for that matter, any of the other tortas offered are two for 40 pesos, regularly 30 pesos each. In addition to sandwiches, comida corrida plus a hamburguesa with fries for 25 pesos, the year- and-a-half-old restaurant has television and a pool table for your use and enjoyment.

The dining room boasts matching entirely non-resin tables and painted earthenware crocks filled with aguas frescas. Playita Paceña is open 10 to 5

Ocampo between revolucion and madero, be sure to stop by the bakery for dessert after your meal. ¡provecho!

Pan D' Les

2008-09-23T13:38:00.002-06:00

Hi, everyone, this is me, the bread guy. I'd like to use a little of the space here to tell you about my new bakery, its mission statement and how I want to see it develop.

First, though, let me thank everyone who has already found me and my breads. Your encouragement and enthusiastic reception feed my soul just as I hope to feed yours with my chiabattas, puglieses, rusticos and baguettes.

In the flyleaf of a book my beautiful wife got me, she wrote the following dedication' "...I wanted you to have this book as a small thank you for this last year--and also as a symbolic wink and a big grin towards the coming ones. Perhaps our watchwords should be Simplicity, Passion and, of course, Love."

Pan D' Les is my answer to her thoughts and wishes and I dedicate and contribute my success to her.

My logo, designed for me by the talented Luis Carlos Rodriguez Ojeda, incorporates my mission statement along the top edge of the image which reads "sencillez, pasion, y amor"

Creating and baking pastries and breads is my passion. I do it with love, and appreciate the simplicity and elegance of a well-crafted baked good.

Yet to come, there are some professional mementos and art from our personal collection that still need to be displayed.

Later, but as soon as possible, I will be offering hot coffee and a place to sit outside under the covered patio where you will be able to have a toasted bagel or slice of bread with homemade jam or marmelade.

Small celebration cakes will be available with various cake flavors and Italian buttercream frostings plus flavored mousse fillings.

Lastly, I will be offering small classes on ingredients 101 (pre requisite for any other classes) plus a selection of techniques and procedures on how to make bread, cakes, cookies and sauces.

Stay tuned...

Do you ever miss that backyard barbeque flavor?

2008-09-23T13:23:00.003-06:00

Absolutely completely disguised as someone else's food stand, Brochetes Don Lucas only stands out in food quality. You must know it is there or you will miss this place.

Attached to the very eclectically and partially hidden La Brecha taqeria on Jalisco between Prieto and Serdan, wooden skewers of either pork, beef or shrimp are charred up for you while you wait.

In fact, the wait is quite publicly stated to be 12 to 15 minutes and for good reason: It takes a while for the propane barbeque grille to get hot, let alone cook a skewer of meat,veggies and fruit.

Is it worth the wait? Hey, the food is hot, the mashed potatoes that accompany the brochette are real, and the price of only 15 pesos per brochette can't be beat anywhere in the city.

Open from 9 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon, Brochetes Don Lucas have earned a spot on this blogspot. Please do yourself a favor and give this place a try.

Jalisco between Guillermo Prieto and Aquiles Serdan, right hand side of the street. Look for the banners advertising everything but brochettes. (biggrin)

A restaurant that changed Mexico history

2008-08-05T18:24:00.006-06:00

There is some earth moving happening near the whale tail monument this summer.

Yes, La Paz is to be a host city for WalMart, Sam's Club and VIPS restaurant. Scheduled to be 100% operational by December 2008, the retail complex will include a movie theater and small retail stores, generating over 800 direct jobs in the form of mall employees. Some of those 800 strong will bring you your breakfast, lunch or dinner at the famous VIPS restaurant.

From the VIPS website, paraphrased into English the best I could, a brief history of VIPS

1964 changed forever the history of Mexico.

That was the year a shining orange star lit up the northern skies above the Distrito Federal and since then its reddish glow of warmth and color has spread throughout Mexico.

Gradually the star multiplied to form what is now an entire firmament: the universe of VIPS restaurants.

From that day, many things have changed but the quality and philosophy of the largest restaurant chain in the country has remained the same. VIPS is a Mexican tradition.

Everyone has been to a VIPS, or frequents one regularly.

At their desks, a classic and delicious coffee in front of them, treaties have been signed, hearts won, deals closed, advertising campaigns created...

Who hasn't done their jobs in a VIPS, together with good friends and a typical University breakfast? If the walls of VIPS could speak... as they say.

We have all formed part of this history and we can all say: "There once was and always will be a VIPS-- the place “spice up your meeting”

VIPS guarantee
If your dish doesn't arrive within 12 minutes (only in express zone)
If you order a menu item and we don't have it
If your dish is not as in the photo ...
If the server does not smile at least once ...
If the seller doesn't help the kids first ...

VIPS pay for your order!

Applies only in individual consumption.
Not combinable with other promotions, coupons or discounts.
To make your warranty valid, tell the shift manager .

An Oasis of food in the midst of sorrow

2008-08-04T17:16:00.005-06:00

If you or a loved one need medical attention in La Paz, there is no place like the Hospital Salvatierra for ordered chaos.

Only two short blocks away from the random human element is
Antojitos El Oasis. To be encountered on Cuahetmoc between Altimirano and Gomez Farias, the Oasis serves snacks, breakfasts and comida corrida Mondays through Fridays from 730 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon.

Its a cozy place, three wall-mounted fans helping to circulate the air inside the modest dining room. The menu is ambitious with over 50 combinations. The claim made on the menu and on the sign outside is that you will experience the authentic taste of homemade. The restaurant is clean, the taste is unmarred by off flavors and if you leave hungry it is your own fault.

The food in fact was on par with Cafe Canela but without the packaged cookie option and parking is a little easier.

Antojitos Oasis, on Cuahetmoc between Altimirano and Farias. Monday through Friday, 730-5

Our favorite place for breakfast three years running

2008-07-29T07:59:00.026-06:00

It's mentioned in the travelers reference books-Moon handbooks, triple A, the Let's Go guides, Diver magazine and Lonely Planet and its time you discover it for yourself.

Located at the corner of Revolucion and Bravo, La Fonda remains difficult to find because of the configuration of the two entrances. On Bravo, the entrance, masked by virginia creeper, a fast-growing easy to maintain vine,leads directly to the patio.

The entrance on Revolucion is a bit better marked with an awning above the door. What disguises the doorway is the fact that an herbal remedy store sits on the corner and it is easy to walk past the doorway without realizing it.

Once inside, choose between patio or inside dining. Hint: during the summer or when it is slow, choose the patio. Witertime head straight inside. You may have to do some musical chairs after you decide which table to sit at. The chairs are very heavy wooden chairs with stretched leather seat bottoms. Some of them are tall and others are low to the ground. They don't mind you exchanging one seat for another. It's part of the charm, actually.

The restaurant is open from 730 in the morning until 1030 at night. Comida corrida starts at 1. Five or 6 plates go for 45 pesos, another five are 10 pesos more, and the executive comidas include a glass of whiskey for 65 pesos. Breakfasts are delicious and ample. Scrambled eggs, beans and tortillas go for an astounding 18 pesos. Bacon, or chopped tomatoes, peppers and onions "a la mexicana", ham or salsicha added to the breakfast is only 24 pesos. Diane has either the chilaquiles 'La Fonda" with chicken and salsa roja or a shrimp and cheese omelet with rajas, strips of peppers in a tomato salsa. I've been known to order molletes, an open-faced sandwich filled with beans, cheese and avocado.

The menu is diverse, well prepared and economically priced. Coffee, la negrita brand is 10 pesos, with free refills. Sylvia is the full time server and is quite professional. It usually takes two or three servers to cover the same number of tables on her day off.

Restaurant La Fonda, since 1999. Bravo at Revolucion. Hours, 730 to 1030, Daily

Olympia Diner

2008-07-24T09:38:00.005-06:00

Cafe Olympia is just up the street from the hidden bakery (post May 1, 2008) http://eatingthroughlapaz.blogspot.com/2008/05/would-you-like-cooke.html
and going there takes you through a time portal and lancs you into a classic diner, circa 1948.

Okay, no I am not old enough to remember what diners looked or felt like in 1948 and there is a bit of exaggeration involved in saying it's just like an old diner, but except for the chrome and neon, this is the closest I've found yet to that kind of experience.

One does find a tabletop juke selector mounted to a wall post, a few beer signs and a charcoal of Marilyn plus a couple of waterfall scenes painted on framed mirrors. The coffee was served in milk glass cups and saucers, the plates were also milkglass. Some of the chairs were fiberglass and all the tables are real-as opposed to the omnipresent white resin tables.

Open from 730 until 5 Monday through Saturday, the menu has machaca de res, hotcakes omelet with ham and cheese plus eggs served a variety of ways. The egg dishes are accompanied with chilaquiles and frijol and come with coffee and SunnyD. For $35.

Lunch is comida corrida for $45 and the blue plate specials are varied and well put together.

The Cafe Olympia looks as if it has been there forever, but has only been around for a bit more than a year. The present owners sister had a restaurant before with the same name over by 16 de Septiembre and when they opened, decided to keep the name.

Café Olympia, Marques de León at Revolución, Monday to Saturday 7:30 to 5, Mexico time.

Cafe Canela

2008-07-22T14:52:00.033-06:00

I had a lot of fun doing research for this particular hole in the wall. It started while trying to choose a catchy title that would make you want to read more about the little place on Revolucion street that deserves to be discovered.

Why canela for the name? I think of cinnamon skinned women of South Asia and somewhat exotic sexy music when I think of Canela. Today I found out Canela Cox is an American R & B singer and songwriter whose appearance epitomizes the look that the name Canela conjurs for me.
I also discovered that the cinnamon found in Mexico is of the Ceylon variety as opposed to the Saigon kind. Ceylon cinnamonbark is soft with the "redhot" taste and Saigon cinnamonbark is the flavor in cinnamon rolls.

Perhaps canela means something other than the name of the spice in Spanish. Did you know there is a tribe of indians in Brazil called Canela who paint their bodies and the men pierce their earlobes? Click on the word Canela in the title to visit the tribe and witness a young man having his ears pierced with a sharpened wooden stick.

The interior decor for the eatery is white with orange accents, the tables are clothed in a watermelon color scheme and the menu is painted directly on the wall.
The restaurant itself is clean and simple. The menu is not complicated nor surprising. Eggs al gusto, chilaquiles, burritos, the usual antojitos. The prices are quite reasonable. The have some creative and quite tasty comida corrida. Dessert if you must have it is a package of cookies. Drinks come in 12 oz cans or 20 oz plastic.

Speaking of drinks, another link I found gave the explanation and a recipe for Tepache, a drink sold from a three wheel cart person. To see the list of recipes and links for tepache, biznaga, acitrona and esquites plus more than 100 others, follow the link to www.gourmetsleuth.com, here

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/category.asp?c=Mexican

See the place for yourself. Cafe Canela on Revolucion between Reforma and 16 de Septiembre near the Cathedral de nuestra Señora de La Paz. Open 8 to 8 Monday through Saturday

The turtle comes out of its shell

2008-07-16T20:08:00.005-06:00

Hiding in plain sight on Revolucion at Allende street is a delightful little restaurant called La Tortuga.

Open Monday through Saturday from noon until 8, or 9 if there are customers, La Tortuga offers a very small menu consisting of 4 soups,(shrimp, fish, mixed or crab), four seafood coctails served in goblets, and 5 platos fuerte, or main dishes. In case you prefer to skip seafood, there is a plate of bistek de res.

Beverage choices are easy, dos equis, tecate or soda. Easy on the pocketbook, cool and comfortable inside even on a very hot day, friedly service

La Tortuga Restaurant. Revolucion and Allende. Noon to 8. Or 9

it's like no cheese I've ever tasted, Gromit!

2008-07-14T20:01:00.014-06:00

To honor the upcoming release of a new Wallace and Gromit movie, a matter of loaf and death and to help the hapless cheese connoisseur in La Paz, I've compiled a list of Mexican cheeses one will readily find at the grocery store.

For those who can not go without cheddar, bleu, parmesan or wenslydale, the major supermarkets plus tienda gourmet Sapore (on Abasolo between Encinas and Marquez de Leon) all carry a selection of imported cheeses.

In no particular order, Mexican Cheeses

Queso Blanco-creamy white cheese from cows milk with rennet. Softens when heated but does not melt. Best use: stuffing enchiladas

Queso fresco-spongy grainy white cheese, crumbles well. Usually a blend of cow and goat milk, it is similar to a mild feta. Best use: sprinkle over snacks like taquitos or enchiladas, cube and toss into a salad

Panela-also called queso de canasta because it is made in a plastic basket mould and whole cheeses still bear the imprint of the basket. Soft white cheese that absorbs other flavors easily. It also does not melt when heated and makes a wonderful base for a vegetarian sandwich with onion, avocado, tomato and peppers. You will often see a bit of whey in the package. This is normal. Try to buy panela as fresh as possible.

Requesón-A loose, ricotta like cheese that does well in making a cheese spread. Often seen mixed with green onions and herbs.

Queso añejo is an aged version of queso fresco. Becomes firm and salty as it ages. It is primarily used as a garnishment, crumbled or grated over a variety of dishes. Can also be found enchilado, or covered with chili powder

Oaxaca-also called quesillo is the Mexican string cheese. As a whole cheese, it looks like a ball of yarn and is often sold pre-pulled apart. It melts very well and is most popular for quesadillas.

Queso asadero is Oaxacan cheese made into a loaf form for slicing. This is the best cheese for melting and is the base for queso fundido.

Chihuahua or queso menonita is pale yellow instead of white and can vary in taste from mild to nearly cheddar-like sharp. It is especially good in making queso frito or fried cheese sticks. Tipo chester is menonite cheese that has been aged a minimum of 15 days(!)instead of the 7 days given chihuahua cheese.

Edam and Gouda cheeses- although certainly not considered Mexican cheeses, they have gained such popularity in Mexican regional dishes that they are worth mentioning and are widely available.

Manchego is a buttery pale yellow cheese wonderful for melting, for serving with fruit or with crackers. This is the go-to cheese for making cheeseburgers.

Queso Amarillo-processed American style cheese in slices, this cheese should be avoided if there are any other cheeses to be had. Best served between a couple of slices of bimbo bread.

Cotija-the parmesan cheese of mexico is a sharp crumbly goat cheese usually served over beans or salads.

Crema- similar to crème fraiche, only Lyncott brand in La Paz is pure 30% butterfat content cows milk cream that has been allowed to thicken. Other brands are 25% butterfat and have salt added, sometimes gums, thickeners and stabilizers. Read the labels carefully. Even if you don’t know a lot of Spanish, the fewer ingredients listed, the better.

Crema Agria- sour cream. Thicker than crema and with a tangy finish.

Doble crema- Mexican style cream cheese. The creaminess varies from cheesemaker to cheesemaker, so inspect the cheese carefully. Cream cheese usually has gums or thickeners added, so rejoice in finding doble crema and use it wherever you would normally use Philly. By the way, if you do want cream cheese and don’t see it, it is called filadelfia in Mexico.

Click on the word cheese in the title of this post for some fun with Wallace and Gromit

El Zaguán restaurant and bar

2008-07-14T13:43:00.007-06:00

This charming eponymously named restaurant on Madero street between Marquez de Leon and Benito Juarez opens its patio door at 8 in the morning, beckoning one inside.

A zaguán is a covered patio or hallway adjacent to a house that leads directly to the street, hence the name...

Once inside the patio area, framed artwork by local photographers and painters are on display, giving a colorful counterpoint to the cloth tablecoverings and the blooming plants.

Absorbing more of the detail lovingly selected one sees a woven living fence that helps screen the kitchen from the tables.

Absorbing the menu takes a touch more time. One may choose from a small selection of filling for tacos, or opt for eggs with, omelets, hotcakes, chilaquiles and other light breakfasts. Coffee of course, or you can opt for beers or say, a bloody mary if you need something more substantial to greet the day.

El Zaguán restaurant and bar, recently opened, on Madero next to Dr. Tomas the vet. 8 am until 3pm

Soriana goes up in flames! Part four of cooking with fire

2008-07-13T16:03:00.003-06:00

Soriana joins the other supermarkets who will cook your meat for you while you wait. Click on the word flames in the title of this posting to read my May 2008 post about getting your food cooked for you.

The Soriana supermarket at Colosio and Forjadores, part of the Soriana empire of stores that include City Club, Hipermart, Soriana, Gigante and the franchised mini-super, Super City sets up a little spot in the parking lot across from the entrance to the store where three mesquite grills turn your selection into dinner, ready to eat.

The service is available Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from noon until 7. A sign warns that if you want more than 2.5 kilos of meat cooked (a tad under 5 1/2 pounds)you will have to give them an hour.

Just purchase your Soriana meat and present it, along with your proof of purchase, and grab a stool. Oh, remember to tip the cook

Not from around here, AND PROUD OF IT!

2008-07-13T10:19:00.006-06:00

Offering a complete blue plate special Mondays through Fridays, Antojitos Chilangos is proud to be in two places at once. Open in both locations from 9 in the morning until 11 at night, on Colosio near Aquiles Serdán or on Colima at the corner of Héroes de Independencia.

Click on the title of this post for an explanation of the word "Chilango" then come back here for the menu and locations.

Food from "Chilangolandia" is better tasting, hotter, spicier, and more filling than food found anywhere else in Mexico should you ask someone from Mexico city. You will need to decide for yourself whether or not you agree.

It is also said of Chilango food that sooner or later every vegetable becomes the base for a sauce. Be brave, be bold, try the sauces...but don't ask

The menu is certainly different from the fish taco. Sit down to a meal of Tlacoyos, Huraches, Pambazos or wonderful Pozole

OOPs, we're out of that

It is said that the tlacoyo was invented when, while making tamales, the cook ran out of corn husks. Tlacoyos are oval shaped fried or toasted cakes made of masa. Tlacoyos are stuffed with refried beans, cheese, chicharron or other ingredients. Most traditional tlacoyos do not have lard or salt in the masa, and if not eaten immediately after they are cooked, they become very tough and dry, even if reheated.

The pambazo is what happens when you take a torta ahogado and forget to drown it first in the tomato/beef broth and go directly into the chile sauce bath. Pambazo is made from special bread dipped in a red guajillo pepper sauce and filled with a guiso (filling) like papas con chorizo (potatoes with chorizo), frijoles refritos (refried beans) or longaniza (similar to the portugese linguiça). It is then garnished with shredded lettuce, salsa (sauce), cream and queso fresco (fresh cheese).

Antojitos Chilangos, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., Colosio near Serdán and Colima at Independencia.

Light beverage of choice

2008-07-06T04:58:00.007-06:00

What to drink to keep hydrated? The simple and best answer is water, of course, but water just doesn't do it all the time.

Used to drink coffee all day long when working in kitchens but the side effects made me cut back to one or two coffees a day.

Can't drink milk except what comes in those brick cartons because of the intolerance factor (I can eat what passes for ice cream here, too, because if you read the labels, you will see that they use powdered milk and mix it with non dairy butterfat substitute.)

Carbonated beverages must be served icy cold. They go flat unless you drink the whole thing at once and have way too much sugar for my body to process safely.

Of course the obvious answer is beer, but being alcohol intolerant as well, I am happily driven to the powdered drink aisle for an envelope of B or C light.

C light is made by Kraft Mexico. Kraft Foods up north makes Crystal Light and markets the product for dieters. Here, there is no marketing and the flavor options are quite impressive. Limeade, rosehips, mandarin breeze, grapefruit, orange, cinnamon rice beverage, tamarind, watermelon, pineapple, piña colada, strawberry, green apple and my absolute favorite, guyabana.

Guyabana is a tropical fruit that is about the size and shape of a medium potato, with a green spiky skin, pale white flesh inside and limabean sized black seeds inside. It is related to more widely known soursop, custard apple or cherimoya fruit. Best of all, it tastes, to me, exactly like a white nectarine.

Just tear open the envelope and add the powder to 2 liters of water. The package says to add 1 1/2 liters but the result seems a bit too powerful. Anyway, stir or shake and enjoy.

To learn more about Guyabana, click on the word "beverage" in the title of this post.

C light or B light, available at all the supermarkets, 2.9 to 4.5 pesos per 2 liter envelope.

Have you had a shrimp burger lately?

2008-07-06T04:55:00.004-06:00

Down the street from the Patio,between Dominguez and Madero, one comes to a fish restaurant called Mc Fisher.

One of the unique offerings is a shrimp burger. Simply delicious!

Mc Fisher opens early and serves breakfast: Omelets, eggs and chilaquiles as well as unusual combinations of ceviches, seafood burritos, tostadas and cocktails.

There is full bar service and takeout too

Open daily from 8 to 3, Mc Fisher pronounced mac fisher is on Hidalgo between Dominguez and Madero.

I invite you to leave a comment about your experience at Mc Fisher

,

Albatross: Dar la espalda

2008-06-22T04:16:00.006-06:00

Albatross is a fish taco stand on Jalisco that turns its back on you.

Situated on the north side of Jalisco between Dominguez and Madero, taqueria Albatross is very easy to overlook unless you are trying to find it and even then it is hard to spot.

Albatross spans the sidewalk, with the dining area and cashier on the property side and the kitchen area in a laminated metal enclosure on the parkway side, so from the street all one sees is a white structure. Painted on the side eaves is the name, Albatross.

Once you find it, tell the counterman what you want and how many. Then dress em up the way you want. Plop down your plate on one of the counters and enjoy. Help yourself to complementary jalapeño poppers. Just when you have your mouth fully involved in food, someone will demand to know what to bring you to drink.

Albatross is one of Diane's favorite places for fish tacos. She says its the seasoning in the batter. I know its the poppers.

Open from 8 until 2. Jalisco near the contractors entrance to El Arco Hardware, between Dominguez and Madero

Eat out on the patio

2008-06-22T03:45:00.003-06:00

Flung over on the far side of town between Guillermo Prieto and Ramirez on Morelos (the same street as the state music school) is a restaurant called el Patio. It has been there since 1971 or nigh on 40 years. Its age does not show as the Patio is clean and modern looking with appropriate lighting levels.

Part of the Patio is enclosed to accommodate the air conditioner. Facing the street, the windows fold open or closed. The tables are formica laminate. The chairs, well the chairs are the plastic kind, but they are forest green and very sturdy. No beer company sponsors the furniture here, although they do offer cold beer in iced glasses.

Service is crisp, efficient and quick. We had our hamburger with fries and chicken milanesa burger with fries in under 6 minutes. Wait a mo, that's what the patio reminds me of. The Patio is a WendysArbysBurgerking clone. Only they give you a printed laminated menu instead of a huge fluorescent readerboard. And the prices are sit down. (Take that any way you wish)

Burgers of beef,pork or chicken, tortas, snacks, dessert, soft drinks and beers. El Patio is open 6 days a week from 2 in the afternoon until 11.

Tacos de Canasta: Urban eats in La Paz

2008-06-03T03:28:00.007-06:00

TACOS DE CANASTA or “basket” tacos, sold in the morning, are the only tacos not prepared on the spot. They are made at home, wrapped in layers of cloth and paper to keep warm, and tucked into baskets. Sold from doorways, small stalls and even bicycles, they are sometimes called tacos sudados – “sweated” tacos - because of the steam created by wrapping the warm tacos.

Small corn tortillas are commonly stuffed with either papas con queso (potatoes with cheese), chicharron prensado (pressed pork rind, a bacon-y sort of treat), frijoles (beans), picadillo (spiced ground meat) or a specialty of the housewife who made them. They are popular in cities, where they are often delivered to offices and other places of business, much like the donut carts that cater to workers north of the border.

Formerly an open air stall on Jalisco, Tacos de Canasta has moved to Aquiles Serdan between Nayarit and Sinaloa. This a a clean, bright storefront location offering tacos, quesadillas or the special, chilaquiles verdes plain or with chicken. First select which fillings you want, then if you decided tacos is the way to go, choose between having them deep fried or served as-is.

If you opt for the quesadillas, specify your fillings and sit back with a cold beverage while they are prepared. The corn tortilla is hand formed, rather large, about 10 inches across, and grilled to a crispy tender perfection. The flavor and texture was much like a gordita from Doña Tota (a future topic) and with the addition of salsa, crema and cotija cheese, makes a substantial meal as Diane found out after insisting on ordering two for herself.

You can dress up your tacos with a selection of toppings from the picnic cooler near the counter. Grab a bottle or can of soda, go healthy with orange juice or enjoy an agua fresca and you're good to go. Open from 8 in the morning until 2 every day except Wednesdays. Aquiles Serdan between Nayarit and Sinaloa.

Why Why two Fs

2008-05-31T12:56:00.005-06:00

At the corner of Madero and Ocampo is a very interesting little restaurant called FFYY Choy Restaurant chinese cantonese. It has been there under the present ownership for the past seven years and chooses to open from noon until 7pm, daily.

The dining room is pleasantly air conditioned, not too cold or hot and the color of the interior is predominantly pink with red accents. Not pepto pink but bakery box pink. All in all a very nice presentation. In chinese color symbolism, pink is the color for marriage and red is the color of good luck, happiness, joy, life's energy, and for brides. Click on the title to see a list of other chinese symbols and their meanings.

Food's not bad, either. Take it to go or enjoy the dining room service. There's plenty of help and a brisk business so no worries about questionable age on the pollo. The water is filtered thanks to a series of Culligan in-line water filters. Speaking of food, my almond chicken had the real Marcona almonds in it, the fat stubby almonds that are so tasty.

FFYY Choy, open 12-7 every day at the corner of Madero and Ocampo

Debunking the fake scallops story

2008-05-20T16:07:00.008-06:00

A few months back, a fish peddler called on us at the bookstore and asked if we wanted to buy scallops. I'm generally leery of the barrage of offerings presented to us every few hours that we are subjected to as shopkeepers open to the public, and I was annoyed when Diane said yes to a kilo of scallops media luna.

First of all, I had no idea where they came from or how fresh they were, etc. According to the guy lugging the cooler, they were still scooting around the briny depths of the sea of cortez just moments ago. Of course they were from clean waters and not from the harbors, how dare I even think so! And second of all, they were the most pricey scallops I had ever bought in Mexico. And third, they were not the plump, rosy diver/dayboat scallops I was used to finding up in the north bay area of San Francisco, either. These were somewhat hard and shaped like a kidney bean or half moon.
You bought some pretty expensive pseudo scallops, chump! Yet they didn't look like they were cut with a cookie cutter...hmmn

When we got them home, I was skeptical to say the least but agreed to cook them. I used to be a pretty fair cook in my day and scallops need a hot fast sear or they will turn rubbery. To prepare them, I lightly sprinkled coarse salt and some freshly ground pepper. I got the saute pan nearly smoking hot and added some oil and shallots. Less than 20 seconds per side and I slid them out onto a serving platter.

They had a nice flavor, yes, but they were tough, rubbery and nowhere near what I was expecting. Live and learn. Diane, please don't ever buy from someone like that again.

I mentioned our scallop fiasco to the chef at Las Tres Vírgenes, the restaurant where I bake my breads and pastries. She got very excited and proceeded to tell me all about the scallops I had bought, how wonderful they were and how expensive. She then proceeded to tell me that the best way to prepare them is in ceviche, since they are so firm, they don't like to have conventional cooking techniques applied to them. Just a squeeze of lime juice, some salt and diced green chilis. Live and learn.

Didn't think much of it after that until, in a casual conversation, a fellow buying bread mentioned the fake scallops that abound in La Paz. That's when I decided to get to the bottom of the fake scallops story.

Follow the links to two sites I found while researching scallops and particularly local scallops from the sea of cortez. I found that there are indeed, small round scallops, lions paw, half moon scallops and kidney bean shaped scallops. If someone was trying to pawn off skate wing as scallops, the hapless foreigner that bought them deserves what he gets.

http://www.cobi.org.mx/publicaciones/basurto_diving_2006.pdf

http://www.expreso.com.mx/edicionimpresa/20060731/2/2.pdf

Mariscos Los Laureles

2008-05-20T14:44:00.006-06:00

It was a Sunday morning and we were headed out to the beach. Y'all know what a chore it is to find breakfast in La Paz. Diane and I do have our favorites for morning meals and I will write about them in the next few days, no worries.

Perhaps the thought of the big ocean influenced us a bit. Whatever the reason, we chose to break our fast over some aguachilis and campechanas at one of the four seafood stands called Los Laureles.

As we drank our beverages of choice and spooned up chilled seafood and spicy broth, we watched others drive or walk up to the takeout area and order various sized foam cups of ceviche. All the various ingredients, stored in giant coolers, were pre-chopped and just needed combining and dousing to be ready to serve. We realized we missed an important step by not adding our own touches to the marinades our shrimps and snails, clams, mussels, scallops and octopus were cooking in. Strangely enough (to us, anyway), the most popular add-in was catsup.

The seafood stands are open 10 to 6 daily including Sundays. They are popular enough that the mariscos are replenished frequently and consequently, very fresh. Prieto at Reforma, Colosio at Mujica the Malecon and Jalisco at Altimirano

Just for fun, I did a google search for aguachiles and came up with this recipe from www.vittleante.com.

copied and pasted without permission, here is their recipe for aguachiles...

Essentially, aquachile is a very spicy version of ceviche. A mouthful of lime and burning chilies is as my friend from Jalisco says "Damn good!". If you exclaim similarly, you can proudly call yourself an adoptive Mexican. If not, tone down your aguachile by adding less serrano chilies or by serving it with guacamole as this will help to cool the mouth as you are eating. Even if you like it hot, the guacamole is still a good option.
Serves 6 as a starter

* 500 g (1lb) scallops or shrimp
* 4 serrano chilies, without stem
* Juice of 5 limes
* 2 passion fruit or juice from one orange
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 small white or red onion, finely cut into slices
* 1/4 cup cilantro
* 1 tomato, seeded and diced
* Sour cream and tostadas as desired

If using large scallops, chop them in half or quarters. If using shrimp, de-vein them by cutting them open along the back to remove the digestive track. Don't completely cut them in half, but rather just open them up from the top, leaving them whole near the bottom.

Add the seafood to a bowl. In a blender, add the chilies, salt and lime juice. Blend until the chilies are broken up. It is not essential to make a smooth paste. Cover the seafood with the blended sauce. Sit for 20 minutes.

To serve Pour the seafood and sauce into a large flat serving dish. Top with the passion fruit or orange juice. Season the onions and sprinkle them over the scallops. Top with chopped cilantro and tomatoes. Serve with tostadas and sour cream maybe.

Fresh shellfish served raw in a blend of limes and hot green chilies. Authentic Mexican flavors not for the faint of tongue.

If one is good, two is better: Almuerzos Omar

2008-05-13T05:06:00.005-06:00

Just two months old and already known for specializing in EVERYTHING, Almuerzos Omar does have a focus: Hot food ready in a jiffy. The open air dining area will accomodate your group or you can ask for your choices to take away. They will even deliver your selections, but most of the fun is having them lift the lid off of each pot and tell you what waits inside.

Reminds me of Dim Sum. You just don't know what it will be, but it looks, smells and tastes good.

You can order tacos or plates of whatever you want, being able to choose from lengua in green sauce or red sauce, cochinita pibil,chilis rellenos, bacalao, Picadillo, Tinga, Costillas and plenty more. There is one item featured daily that you can order up as two for one tacos.

Three locations plus a cellular number for deliveries. Ramirez between Colima and Jalisco, Padre Kino between Bravo and Ocampo, Colima at Gomez Farias and 044 612 149 2076 for home delivery. Open 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon, closed Sundays

Bandidos Grill, On Fire, part III

2008-05-13T05:01:00.008-06:00

As Diane and I were driving back home from an afternoon at Tecolote Beach, we spotted an unfortunates truck, on fire, on the side of the road in front of Abaroas´Marine Hardware. Poor guy, wonder what happened...
Instead of anyone else reacting to the blaze, we realized that besides the oddness of the truck parked halfway on the sidewalk, there were also plastic tables and chairs as if this was a planned event. Thus was our introduction to Chembys, now known as Bandidos´Grill.

Bandidos is now one block closer to the water and contained by a fence, no longer open to the casual view. Lessens the impact of seeing the truck, which was has a custom built mesquite grill in the engine compartment and a propane powered deep fat fryer in the bed of the truck, flames merrily turning the raw patties into juicy, messy burgers.

Speaking of burgers, the ones here are quarter or half pounders and have grilled onions, barbeque sauce, lettuce, tomatoes , bacon and mayo. And cheese. Of course yo can get them a couple of different ways and get a chicken breast burger instead. The menu has greatly expanded since moving off Abasolo, but we like to stick to the basics. Did I mention french fries?

Open for breakfast as well, serves beer and drinks. corner of Topete and Legaspy near marina de la paz.

On Fire, part two: Supermarket Beef

2008-05-13T04:53:00.011-06:00

Now that the temperature outside is beginning to become meaningful, it is time to share with you another benefit of living in La Paz.

for the price of the meat alone, there are three supermarkets here in town that will barbeque your purchase while you wait.

The supermercado Aramburo at the corner of Madero and Hidalgo and both Centro Comercial de California have enormous barbeque grills hot and ready for you. Yes, we all know about the hunt and the kill and the primordial urge to roast flesh over glowing embers, but the convenience of it all makes for an irresistable pause. And what you are buying from the supermarket carnecerias is usually Sonora beef.

Sonora beef comes in several grades, but the ones we usually see are "clasificado" and "de campo." Carne de campo is apparently range fed beef. I suppose it is equivalent to grass fed but you do not see much grass for pasture in the desert. It costs about 25% less than "carne clasificada" and usually has a very distinctive flavor that I find acceptable, but many locals detest. Even if Diane ate meat, she would not eat it. The same grassy flavor that is in the local cheeses comes through in the meat.

Sonoran cuts have local names. The most popular cuts are those that need to be cooked for a long time and that are typically used in carne asada. Carne asada usually means diesmillo sin hueso which is boneless chuck ... the fattier the better. Ribs or costillas are also preferred for carne asadas. The fats drip onto the mesquite charcoal causing it to flare and smoke giving the meat a distinctive flavor that can be very delicious. Since Sonorans typically like their meat extremely well done the flavors of more delicately cooked cuts of meat as T-bone, sirloin, rib and filet mignon are not considered. I have brought these to carne asadas and the treatment is always the same ... cook them to the point where it does not matter. In fact, at that point, only fatty sirloin and rib approach the flavor of the diesmillo. New York cuts become too tough to eat.

In the same tradition, carniceros usually cut the meat very thin often less than a centimeter. If buying "finer cuts," you will need to insist on a greater thickness if the idea is a juicy inch thick charcoal broiled steak. If you are going to eat it with others, it is best to tend your cut yourself. Most Sonorans will not eat beef that is even slightly pink on the inside. The curious result is that us carnivores who love thick juicy cuts like T-bone (porterhouse is included here in Mexico), sirloin. New York, rib and filet mignon are in heaven. These cuts are less preferred here and often cost very little more than chuck and what I would call the stew meat cuts. On the other hand if you are accustomed to buying chuck and ribs because they are cheap in the U.S., you will probably not be happy with their prices here. I believe safeway still often puts beef ribs on special for less than a dollar a pound. That would be about 18 pesos per kilogram ... not a chance here.

Beef roasts are not popular here so do not expect to find pre cut rib, round, sirloin, or chuck roasts in the supermarket. If you want a cut for roasting, you will have to make it clear that you want a sizable chunk of meat. Ground beef or "carne molida" can be requested at the carneceria. Just choose your beef and ask for it to be ground (moler). The best choice is pulpa (round) if you want it fat free and believe me that is what you will get ... pure red meat. If you need some fat, ask for it to be added or choose sirloin or diesmillo.

Meat Terms

blanda - tender
carne - beef
carne classificada - classified or selected beef.
carne de campo - unclassified beef.
carne molida - ground beef (specify quality)
carne para cocer - stew beef
costillas - ribs
delgado - thin
diesmillo - chuck
diesmillo sin hueso - boneless chuck
filete - filet mignon
grasa - fat
grueso - thick
higado - liver
hueso (way-soh) - chuck
kilo - kilogram
nueva york - new york cut
palomillo - sirloin
pulgada - an inch (3 centimeters)
pulpa - round
riñón - kidney
rib - rib
t-bone - t bone or porterhouse
tripas - intestines (tripe)

In La Paz, the H is silent

2008-05-13T04:45:00.009-06:00

Here in La Paz, the secretary of tourism in conjunction with the secretary of health issues an special certificate to restaurants and establishments who maintain a certain standard of hygene. Presently, as of April 2008 only two foodservice establishments carry the "H" distinction.

Translated from SECTUR,the ministry of tourism

Hygiene, Confidence and Security in the Management of Food
What is the "H"? With the fundamental purpose of reducing the incidence of foodborne disease in domestic and foreign tourists and improve Mexico's image worldwide regarding food security, in 1990 a National Hygienic Food Management program, "Distinction H" was implemented in our country for all fixed (permanent) food and beverages establishments. The "Distinction H" is a recognition given by the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Health, to restaurants, hotels, cafeterias. fondas, etc.

To meet standards of hygiene which marks the Mexican Standard NMX F-605 NORMEX 2004, the "H" is 100% preventive, which ensures the warning of contamination that could cause any disease transmitted by food, this program provides a training program to 80% of operational staff and 100% of middle managers and upper management. This training is guided by a registered consultant with a background in the areas of medico-biological-chemical, and knowledge that is taught is structured under guidelines issued by a panel of experts. The consultant's advice is offered to staff working in fixed food and beverage establishments that so request, a series of recommendations and techniques for washing, disinfection, cleaning, storing, freezing, refrigeration, thawing, personal hygiene, etc. This information is governed by a checklist to be met by 90% satisfaction and that includes the following points:
· Receiving food · Storage · Management of Chemicals · Refrigeration and freezing · Kitchen area · Preparation of food · Service area · Water and Ice · Health services for employees · Bulk Handling · Pest control · Staff · Bar

When the establishment subject to these standards satisfies the guidelines, the Ministry of Tourism bestows recognition in the form of the "Distinction H", which is valid for one year.

Click on the title "in La Paz, the H is silent" to open a PDF file listing those locations in Baja Sur that have earned their distintivo H.

Estancia Uruguayana Part 1 of cooking with fire

2008-05-07T04:21:00.010-06:00

Right at the corner of Jalisco and Abasolo, across the street from the "this bar allows ladies" bar is a quiet restaurant that offers meals one would find when traveling to Uruguay. This is a meat restaurant, from the enormous mesquite cooking area to the leather covered tables and chairs and of course the televisions playing sports.

It is also an Italian restaurant, in that Uruguayan food culture is heavily influenced not only by proximity to Argentina but for an influx of Italian immigrants between 1880 and 1900. In addition to the deep assortment of juicy meats, the menu has a complete selection of salads, pastas pizzas and desserts. The inside menu flap covers Uruguyan demographics and a brief history of the hosts of todays´meal.

The very polite and attentive waiter greets us with a complimentary glass of a delicious and refreshing sparkling red wine cooler called clericó, and because
Diane prefers poultry and seafood to meat when she goes with me she selects either pizza or the chicken skewers. I like to order one of the steaks with chimichurri sauce. When dining in a group, there is a giant assorted meat platter for two or four people

Once the order is placed along comes a plate of empanadas, also courtesy of the house. There is a full bar and occacionally music. Open Tuesday through Sunday one in the afternoon until midnight. Sundays they close earlier at 10.

click on the title to help you explore Uruguay

Would you like a cooke?

2008-05-01T03:39:00.018-06:00

One challenge that has remained unanswered until very recently has been to find wonderful, magical baked goods here in La Paz."Its the flour...its the water...its the heat..." All these are factors to be considered during production but talented bakers can easily develop workarounds. One example is the bread guy´s baguette at Pan D´Les. Made with domestic flour, filtered water and during the cool nighttime hours. Voila!

Diane and I were at the vets with our newest puppy, a xolosquintle (pronounced cholo ix quintle) and afterwards took a short pottywalk up Marquez de Leon. Someone told us about a bakery that used to be around here that was excellent, the best in La Paz. The ovens were still in place, giant brick ovens. I wanted to take a look but we could not find it. We asked a lady sweeping her sidewalk if she knew of a bakery that used to be nearby. She said, "Used to be? I bought bread there yesterday. Let me show you where it is. The stuff is soo good, and cheap, too." On the north side of Marquez de Leon, between Madero and Revolucion, next to the green building where the white pickup truck is parked, there is the bakery.

We walked inside. It was after 5pm so there was very little left but what they had was pretty darned good. They make birotes of all things (see ON BREAD part II)and the most wonderful cookie I have tasted in my three years in La Paz. It is about three inches round, lightly iced with a hard sugar shell and incredible delicate and crumbly. Very worthy. I challenge you, dear readers, seek out this bakery and buy this cookie for yourself. Buy one for your friends, too. Cheap

Dining alfresco amongst the cars

2008-04-27T04:43:00.006-06:00

It is beginning to heat up in La Paz so on a Saturday night, Diane and I were out buying another fan and ordering an air conditioner. Then we would grab a bite to eat somewhere.

I had spotted an intriguing sign painted on the side of a building leading to a parking lot in the downtown area and knew I had to check it out. Tamarindo restaurant it said, and pointed us to a parking lot bound by numerous small stores.

It did not look very promising as we walked amongst the cars but a guy lounging against a building looked like he would accept a question from us. ¿Hay restaurante?
Si, por allá. Is there a restaurant? Yea, over there.

A very welcoming sign leading to a promising courtyard convinced us to give the place a try. As we approached, our anticipation increased, and when we got to the entrance, we were captivated by the ambiance created by the mature tamarind and date palm trees and ramadas that created a light canopy overhead. Woven shaded lanterns hung in the trees, and some as yet unfinished cave paintings lined a walkway to the second entrance to the place.

After choosing a table, we asked the waiter for some details. The chef/owner is from Sonora, they have been open only about two months, the locals have accepted them but usually come to eat around opening time, 3:00.
It was just getting dark as we were presented the menu. I don´t want to go into details about the menu except to say that we felt confident that anything we ordered would be well-prepared and nicely presented. After all, a beef rib tamale with vegetables, raisins and mango would not dare be presented on melamine plates.

The restaurant´s publicity offers Fresh Lobster, Seafoood, Steaks, Poultry and authentic Mexican dishes in English and in Spanish paints a truer picture of the menu, Especialidades de Mariscos, Carnes, Aves y Platillos Mexicanos. Look for Huachinango, Cabrito and Cordonez (Snapper, Kid and Quail) Reads better than Poultry and Steaks, no?

Since it was a Saturday night, Tamarindos offered entertainment in the form of a pair of folk dancers, many costume changes and to the delight of one large table, an improptu dance lesson. I must say, not bad dancing for a gringo. And if you are celebrating a special occasion or have a large party and want to break the piñata, they will clear the dance platform and let you have a swing at it.

Look for some unexpected small surprises as your dinner progresses, you can find fault in some things they do, but we chose to just enjoy ourselves. Closed Tuesday, open beginning 3 p.m. Full bar. Free parking, entrance located next to the ISSSTE supermarket, on Revolucion between Bravo and Ocampo.

On Bread part two

2008-04-26T05:13:00.005-06:00

Bolillos, Birotes, and Teleras are three types of rolls to be found in Mexico. Of the three, only the Bolillos and Teleras are common in La Paz.

The bolillo is the oval shaped sandwich roll with a light crust and soft interior, similar to french or italian bread. Birotes, similarly shaped, usually are found on the mainland. I am told that the birotes one finds here are brought over on the morning ferry. The Telera roll is rounder and flatter with two creases running lengthwise across the bread.

The birote is made with a sourdough starter, giving a thicker crust than bolillos and a light sourdough tang. Sourdough style breads are known as pan salado.

Telera rolls have the softest crust and one might see them streaked with a bit of flour, due to their higher water content requiring the baker to flour the table before forming rolls to keep them from sticking.

Click on the title¨On Bread part two¨to be taken to a new site with more on bolillos, then use your browser´s back button for more from the bread guy´s Eating through La Paz

Tortas Los Aguayos

2008-04-26T04:53:00.003-06:00

One of the longest lasting sources for delicious food is Los Aguayos. Still within the downtown area but not as bustling, the shop has counter seating for maybe 8 people plus a few along the wall.

Choose either pierna (shredded pork) or jamon con queso (sliced turkey ham lunch meat with american cheese) or mixto (mixed o)Grab a bottle or can of soda from the fruteria next door, dont worry they own that too, and be sure to tell them to put everything on your hot sandwich.

First comes the meat, pre cooked that they place on the griddle to warm up.Then they split open a telera roll and scoop out the insides, leaving mostly crust. Trust me, this is the good part. They then brush on the secret sauce and grill the bread. It is an orangy colored liquid that adds a wonderful dimension to the torta. Once the griddle operator is satisfied that everthing is ready she begins assembly. The meat goes on, then tomato, shredded lettuce and avocado slices. If you want the sandwich cut in half, now is the time to let her know. Don´t worry, the flavor will not escape if the bread is cut. On the counter are chilis en escabeche and rajas. You must absolutely must choose one or the other and put some in the sandwich. Provecho!

Tortas Aguayos is open Monday to Saturday 9ish to 6 and open Sundays from 9ish to 4. ´ On guillemo prieto between ocampo and degollado

On Bread: The Story of Lox and Bagels

2008-04-23T12:50:00.003-06:00

The story of Loxs and Bagels

Most people associate lox and bagels with Jewish folk, and they are absolutely right. The part they get wrong is what the Jewish delicacy is called. It’s really called lots and bagels, after the story of Lot and his flight from Sodom and Gomorrah.
You see, Lot, a good and pious Jew, was forewarned by the angels to leave with his wife and family because fire and brimstone was about to be rained down upon the twin towns dedicated to wicked ways of life.
They were warned, “when you leave, be sure that you never look back, or you will be turned into a pillar of salt” We all know what happened to Lot’s wife=she looked back and instantly turned into a high sodium testament to opulence.
Once Lot and the remaining family arrived safely at their new home on the Sea of Galilee, they told the story of their narrow escape. A local chef, hearing of their plight, created on the spot a dish consisting of rich salted salmon, onions for their high sulphur content (sulphur was known as brimstone in biblical times) and the round bagel signifying the backwards glance Lot’s wife took at her old home. He named the delicacy Lot’s and bagels.
Just kidding

The Olachea Municipal Market

2008-04-22T16:10:00.003-06:00

In my first post, La Michoacan, I spoke of the Bravo Market. There are actually three mercados in La Paz, the Bravo, the Madero and the Olachea.
Off the tourist path, way way off, you will find a delightful clean central market in a neighborhood that evokes images of a more peaceful La Paz.

Taking any major street to Boulevard Padre Kino, find your way to Allende Street and continue in the same direction, towards the mountains until you come to a block long building on Allende between Carranza and Cota. Park in the parking lot for free and wander through the store. In the very center of the building, pull up to the juice bar and enjoy freshly cut ripe fruits either blended or mixed together with yogurt or fruit juices. There is a fresh tortilla stall, several fish vendors, red meat in glass cases, chicken, sausages, nuts seeds, legumes and greengrocers.

This is food direct from the pangas and ranchos. Those chicken were alive just a few hours ago.
If you prefer someone else to do the cooking, there are eleven food stalls serving breakfast and lunch. The food stalls begin serving about 9 am. If you wish, take your food to go and enjoy it in the municipal park, across the street.

Know your meat

2008-04-22T15:12:00.011-06:00

courtesy of the Iowa beef council, this poster shows the names in spanish of meat cuts you may find or want to ask for at your local butcher or grocery store.
Click on the title "Know your meat" to view a printable copy of the poster, then use the back button on your browser to return for more Eating through La Paz

Tacos? El Muu!

2008-04-21T12:03:00.004-06:00

Right around the downtown shopping area, I like to walk up to tacos El Muu. That, by the way, is the sound a cow makes in español. To order you need to tell the person manning the post-it notes how many five peso tacos you would like, they scribble down the number you selected and you then give the note to the taquero. Decide on either corn or flour tortillas, filled with either chopped muu or battered and fried fish. Before you can blink, hot tacos are handed to you. Dress them up with cream, chopped onions and tomatoes with cilantro, various salsas, guacamole spread, salt, shredded cabbage and or lime juice. They have drinks too, or drop 7 pesos in the coke machine on the corner. They have plastic chairs lining the sidewalk or eat standing up.

Revolucion at Ocampo, daylight hours.

Post Data: They are looking for a cooks helper to chop veggies for them. You need to be a man, woman or gay, according to their sign. Some people will take anybody.

La Michoacan

2008-04-17T15:05:00.006-06:00

Diane sent me to find fish heads so she can make gefilte fish for this weekend. I did the matzoh already and a chocolate fallen souffle cake that will be topped with fresh strawberries sprinkled with some orange liqeur. The Bravo open air market at Guillermo Prieto and Nicholas Bravo has three fish stalls plus excellent butchers and greengrocers. While there, I stopped by for a quart of fruit salad topped with yogurt, honey and granola and for myself, a hot Torta at la Micoacan. Too bad it's Thursday, because on Wednesdays its 2 x 1. You can have roasted pork by the kilo, or in a taco, burrito or torta.