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Post by Don Cuevas on Nov 27, 2012 2:44:29 GMT
We met our friend Ron for lunch at a newish restaurant, El Rincón Huasteco, in Pátzcuaro Centro. The decor is minimalist. There are two menus: one, I call the idealized menu, which has dishes foreign to Michoacán, such as Enchiladas Potosinas, but in reality, they aren't available. At least not at our visit. Idealized menu. Reality menu. The specialties are quesadillas, sopes, gorditas, tacos and their fillings or "guisados". The latter are sauced and stewed foods. At El Rincón Huasteco they are more appealing than the usual. Guisados Ricos guisados A sope: Breakfast of Champiñones y frijoles. These were so good, that we ordered more. I got a plate of three guisados, plus rice and tortillas, for less than $40 pesos. There is a lot of seating available in the very minimalist rear dining room. Prices are low. Three of us ate as much as we could, for a total of $185 pesos. We will return to this theme later. EDIT: First, El Rincón Huasteco moved in Pátzcuaro Centro. Then it closed.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 5, 2012 1:08:16 GMT
I'd eat there! What generous portions, besides looking so yummy.
What are bocoles, please?
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Post by Don Cuevas on Dec 5, 2012 11:19:05 GMT
My guess is that bocoles are pretty much the same as tlacoyos. In fact, bocoles were the first on site Mexican antojito i ever ate, in Cuetzalan, Puebla, in 1980. These Google Images of bocoles look exactly like gorditas, but in the case of El Rincón Huasteco, the are not the same. They also make gorditas. tinyurl.com/d69dzoa I think of a bocol/tlacoyo as a filled masa cake in flattened spindle shape. Here are some tlacoyos: (My photo, at Tlacoyos y Quesadillas Gloria's, Colonia Roma Norte, México, D.F.)
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 10, 2012 15:56:35 GMT
Mmm-mm thanks! I'm making note of this in order to try to find them in Puebla, where I'm going in a couple of weeks. Any hints, directives, etc. gratefully received.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Dec 14, 2012 2:39:00 GMT
Bixa, I'd recommend doing a thorough search on Chowhound.com Mexico forum for Puebla. There was a very knowledgeable poster there few years ago, I think called "RST", who knew where all the really good mercado and fonda stuff could be found. None of that "Poodle Cuisine" for him, or for me.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 14, 2012 3:12:15 GMT
Thanks! I've Pocketed some stuff from there @puebla, but feel better knowing who has your imprimatur.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Jan 12, 2013 12:35:49 GMT
Breakfast yesterday at Sr. David y Familia's roadside birria de cabeza de res stand (I think I got that right), where I enjoyed the most nearly perfect bowl of birria for $40 pesos. I think that they comped me a tall bottle of Jarritos brand refresco de tamarindo.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Jan 14, 2013 22:57:01 GMT
On Sunday morning, I had a craving for a couple of tacos de carnitas. Maybe it was because I knew the Sr. Lalo and his lovely daughters would be selling the carnitas right out of the cazo de cobre, on the main street of the rancho where we live. He was there, all right, but not a daughter in sight. I ordered three tacos, one of maciza (lean) and two of surtida (mixed parts, including cuero, or skin, yummy.) He threw in a taco of hígado (liver) and pancita (peculiar tubular thing with nodules, and I don't even want to know what is is, gracias.) for free. He called for his daughter, Mimi, to come out and wrap my order and take my money. $42 pesos. About $3.40 USD The tacos were delicious, but I wasn't crazy about the one of liver and pancita. There are no salsas, but you get a fat, pickled jalapeño chile with each taco. Taco de carnitas (surtida) Taco de hígado y pancita. Sr.Lalo and a younger daughter at the carnitas puesto. (archive photo) Lalo and Norma's three daughters and a cousin, Laura. L-R: Lilian, Laura, Norma, Anaïs (Other occasion, archive photo.)
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 15, 2013 1:34:11 GMT
Beautiful birria, even though I'm not a cabeza fan. No birria in these parts.
I see that Sr. Lalo makes his tacos on full sized tortillas. I'm shocked & saddened by the lack of salsas, although perhaps the idea is to take them home to enjoy with whatever you have to lash on there. Is that a torta he's holding in the photo?
I know what that pancita is, but since you said you didn't want to know .........
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Post by Don Cuevas on Jan 15, 2013 2:28:19 GMT
Yes, they do a big business in tortas, too. $15 pesos. It's all sort of a service to the community. These are rough and ready rancho tacos de carnitas. So frills here. Pancita, I'm guessing = seminal vesicles? Fallopian tubes?
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 15, 2013 6:22:21 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 16, 2013 19:00:58 GMT
On a related note ............. Just read this article & was going to send it to you with a breathless note stating, "Thought of you when I read this!" Luckily I re-read the title & re-thought my note. This is not in fact pancita, but is valuable information nonetheless:
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Post by Don Cuevas on Jan 18, 2013 22:39:35 GMT
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Post by Don Cuevas on Jan 26, 2013 1:49:08 GMT
Today, our friend J. drove us north from Morelia to Cuitzeo, a Pueblo Mágico. We hadn't been there for 5 years, and then only passing through and a lunch stop at La Cabaña del Lago, on the shore of the Lago Cuitzeo. This time we took the time to explore some of the charming, attractive town, and especially the main church anc ex-convent. After an interesting and photographically satisfacory visit to the convent, we went looking for lunch. The town seemed thin on restaurants, but we did fingd a smal mercado specialing in carnitas, menudo and birria. I found that the first stand served birria de chivo, so I ordered a taco. It was pretty good, although a bit dry, bit for 12 pesos it was a generously filled taco. Taco de birria de chivo.A little later, we drove to the north lake shore not far away and turned int La Cabaña del Lago, Cuitzeo. It's like stepping back into the 1940s or '50s. The atmosphere is very relaxed. We started our meal with an order of four Tacos de Frijoles estilo Tlaxcaltecas. It's basically a refried bean taco with a crisp fried shell. The presentation was very nice: We liked them just fine. More on Cuitzeo later, under a separate heading.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 26, 2013 4:15:36 GMT
Nice pics! I wonder if those tacos really have any relationship to Tlaxcala or if they're a house invention. photographically satisfacory visit to the convent............ More on Cuitzeo later, under a separate heading.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Jan 26, 2013 15:51:05 GMT
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Post by Don Cuevas on Feb 14, 2013 10:13:17 GMT
I have a few new tacos and other antojitos awaiting in the wings, after a 6 day trip to Grutas de Tolantongo, Hidalgo. The best single meal of the trip was the Barbacoa y Consomé a las pencas de maguey, cooked in an oak fired pit. Unfortunately, my camera memory card said it was full at the moment the meat emerged from the pit. I do have other pictures, and potentially, a video or two. Meanwhile, a quesadilla con chorizo, at the Cocina Económica at Paraiso Escondido of Tolantongo. A few, simple sopes, please: We had some excellent tlacoyos and pupusas de chicharrón outside of the Mercado of Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo. But I haven't uploaded those yet. Also, a bowl of the soupiest but comforting chilaquiles verdes, con huevo, rábano, cilantro y cebolla. Same mercado. (Photos are now in...) Sope de huevo on top of other sopes. The green shreds look like chicken, but why is it green? Ixmiquilpan MercadoPambazos, estilo Ixmiquilpan Mercado. These are not dipped in thin salsa then fried, as is usual elsewhere.A handful of crumbled chicharrón placed on the masa patty to make a pupusa*. Ixmiquilpan Mercado.
*Surprised to find what I consider a Central american antojito in this area of Mexico.Great roasted tomato-chile salsa. Note the unusual, Asian style bowl. Ixmiquilpan Mercado.Tlacoyos, left; sopes to right, flautas far left, pupusas and more. The pambazos are not shown in this photo. After snacking on tlacoyos and pupusas, we went into the mercado where we found a bright and spotless stand where it was hard to get a seat at the double sided counter. That was Desayunos Lily's, open from 7 to 1 each day, and serving nothing but breakfasts. I ordered Chilaquiles Verdes con Huevo, dressed with radish, cilantro and onion as well as cheese. It was by far the soupiest chilaquiles I'd ever had. With it, I had a mug of rich, creamy, milk based atole de avenas (oats) and la Sra. had a tamal de puerco. We were totally stuffed after all that. As we wandered deeper into the mercado, we suddenly emerged at a food court, surrounded by fondas serving all sorts of comida. I almost wanted to stay another night so we could try these places. But it was time to head homeward.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Feb 14, 2013 18:55:42 GMT
Barbacoa de hoyo a la penca, as far as my camera could hold: Oak wood fired at about 6:00 p.m. the evening before serving. Rocks heating up. Hotter yet. The sheep will be put in at around 9 p.m. when the fire has burned down, under several layers of wet pencas de maguey and left to slow steam-bake until 7:30 next morning, when the pit will be uncovered. Sorry! No photos available of the cooked meat itself. It was priced at $300 pesos a kilo, but you could order as little as one taco. We had no problem snarfing down a 1/4 kilo of meat and 2 1/2 bowls of the delicious consomé. I did get my camera cleared out a bit and returned later just to get a photo of this uncommon raw tomatillo salsa verde that accompanied the barbacoa: Salsa cruda de tomatillos, cebolla, cilantro, and chile verde.Then, there was a jug of pulque quietly available in the background. The employee who gave me a glassful raised his forearm, winked and said "Hace muchos niños."
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 15, 2013 16:34:10 GMT
Wow! Really fascinating and different, Don Cuevas! Super pictures, too. No pambazos here, nor do I know them from elsewhere. What's the bread like? The uses of hard-boiled eggs are also a new one on me, but great uses in both cases. And I love soupy chilaquiles, in fact always make them that way. No pupusa picture? You probably know this, but that cross-hatched molcajete is called a chilmolero. One use is for grating the rind of limas to make an insipid drink. I would kill to have had some of that sheep! *moan* Don't think I've ever had salsa cruda de tomatillos. It certainly makes for a prettier sauce. Re: the pulque toast ~~ wonder if he said that because pulque looks so much like an "ingredient" of making niños. Oh yeah ........ how were the cuevas, Don Grutas?
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Post by Don Cuevas on Feb 15, 2013 20:53:41 GMT
Wow! Really fascinating and different, Don Cuevas! Super pictures, too. No pambazos here, nor do I know them from elsewhere. What's the bread like? The uses of hard-boiled eggs are also a new one on me, but great uses in both cases. And I love soupy chilaquiles, in fact always make them that way. No pupusa picture? You probably know this, but that cross-hatched molcajete is called a chilmolero. One use is for grating the rind of limas to make an insipid drink. I would kill to have had some of that sheep! *moan* Don't think I've ever had salsa cruda de tomatillos. It certainly makes for a prettier sauce. Re: the pulque toast ~~ wonder if he said that because pulque looks so much like an "ingredient" of making niños. Oh yeah ........ how were the cuevas, Don Grutas? Bixa, I didn't try a pambazo. Besides being too filling looking, it had (shudder) lettuce in it. There are pictures of pupusas being formed and then finished. See this picture: Pupusas, stacked on the right heap of antojitos. Pulque: I suppose there is a resemblance to precious manly bodily fluids. I called it "Leche de agave. (really de maguey)" and my host repeated it. Thanks for the word on chilmolero. I suppose it's also used to make chilmole. Salsa cruda de tomatillos: definitely crisper, fresher and more acidic (in a good way) than the cooked variety. Las Grutas: we didn't actually go into the either cueva, but on our last evening, we walked the easy trail to the head of the canyon and looked at the main gruta entrance, where several folks were bathing. Nearing head of Tolantongo CanyonTaking the waters in La GrutaMore photos of Tolantongo and Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo, here: tinyurl.com/clwxrzd
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 1, 2013 18:44:50 GMT
So sorry it took me so long to answer that last wonderful post! I've been dipping in & out so much, I came here & admired it but did not comment.
Thanks for the explanations & great pics & for striking a blow against the unnecessary horror of lettuce on otherwise yummy comestibles.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Mar 2, 2013 17:05:29 GMT
I was more concerned about possible bacteria on the lettuce than its lack of taste.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Aug 23, 2013 22:19:11 GMT
Today, after mucho trabajo y muchísimo dinero, we got our Michoacán license plates on our recently nationalized van. While waiting for our favorite street mechanic to put on the plates, I went to the corner of Calle Ibarra and Libramento in Pátzcuaro and had a couple of large tacos de cabeza ($12 pesos each) and a cup of spicy consomé. This stand is a busy and popular place, and has many customers. I'd photographed it earlier, but until today, hadn't had a taco. They were well filled with very tender beef and the salsa verde was smooth and good, not too picante. There was a small bowl with a few tired looking slices of chile manzano (which I won't eat.) and a jar of the dark red, oily stuff which I think is called Salsa Macha. It was all a brisk pick-me-up. Taco grande de cabezaAfter this preliminary celebration, we went to Mariscos La Güera and each had a medium coctel de camarones y pulpos. Coctel de camarones y pulpos (archive photo)
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 24, 2013 6:39:38 GMT
It does look nice & generous & well prepared, aunque la carne de cabeza no me late mucho. You can push that coctel right over here, though.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Sept 21, 2013 1:05:16 GMT
Breakfast yesterday, at the same street corner stand in Pátzcuaro. (Calle Ibarra at Libramiento.) Three meaty tacos de cabeza and an extremely picante vasito de consomé. I loved the taste of the consomé, but the "burn" factor was more than I could tolerate. Tacos, 12 pesos each. The tortillas are made on the premises.The extremely picante consomé. The heat comes from the generous spoonful of salsa verde the taquero puts in. Later yesterday afternoon, while in Morelia Centro, we offset the spice of breakfast with a light comida at Sanborn's: a nice but unexciting tomato soup. Doña Cuevas had this colorful, but blandly seasoned Club Sandwich. It was perfect for us at that moment. Club Sandwich at Sanborn's Restaurante, Morelia Centro
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Post by Don Cuevas on Oct 1, 2013 18:49:25 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 2, 2013 18:31:23 GMT
Ah, Sanborn's ~~ guaranteed to never over-excite you. Do they have Vip's in your area? I think they're all over Mexico. Very Sanbornish.
Re: the first article, I think many Mexicans would be surprised to learn that "In Mexico, tacos are considered snacks." Well, sure, they can be snacks, but quite often are a meal. The writer left out one of the ubiquitous features of tacos, the little flourish of minced onions & cilantro sprinkled on by the taco maker just before serving. (unless he's asked not to). I see several readers pounced on the weirdness of calling for whole, unhusked tomatillos in the green chile recipe. Still, he did manage to make tacos sound appealing, which god knows, they are.
And the second article: Nixtamatic?!! How crushed I was to find out it was only a grinder, not a complete maíz to masa machine. I don't agree with the readers who groused about the way the word masa was used in the article, as I thought the explanations were clear. I do agree that the writer was wrong about "There are two distinct types of corn in Latin America: elote is sweet, tender corn that North Americans recognize as corn on the cob: maíz is hard, so-called flint corn that is dried after harvest and then ground into flour." Indeed, elote & maíz are the same in Mexico, although it's true that fresh corn to eat is called elote. But really, overall it's an excellent article.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Oct 3, 2013 14:13:57 GMT
Sí; Vip's and its kissin' cuzzin', El Porton. It's hard to tell them apart. My vote for the blandest, most boring Mexican chain restaurant: Restaurantes California. www.rcalifornia.com/It's like a California coffee shop/buffet, except almost everything is nearly tasteless. See: not all Mexicans eat spicy food all the time. Sanborn's is exciting by comparison.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 3, 2013 16:32:10 GMT
I was taken to eat once in the local El Portón, charmingly located in the Sam's parking lot. Actually, it wasn't bad. I invited a very elderly nun who'd been very kind to me in Mérida to lunch. She chose Vip's, which disappointed me, but of course I said nothing. I later found out she'd had a colostomy years previously & it limited what she could safely eat. A lesson in not judging! I have been spared not encountered Restaurante California, so thanks for the warning.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Nov 6, 2013 11:00:40 GMT
In Col. Roma. Mex Cd yesterday. Needed a quick cheap street food breakfast. Found a nice stand a block from hotel. Six or so freshly cooked guisados to choose: huevo revuelto con jamon, mollejas(??) de pollo con nopales, longaniza y papas, champiñones (my fave), riñones y papas, and little rellenas with veg and salsa ( litle blood puddings, ¡gúacala!). All $8 pesos each.
Fotos much l8tr becuz all i Have with me is this ipod touch.
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