Taste of Yucatan at Chichén Itzá, Los Angeles

Repeatedly mentioned by LA Times Jonathan Gold, Chichén Itzá, located in Mercado La Paloma in Southeast LA, is a great place for good Yucatecan food that is fast and cheap.

There are 2 reason why you want to visit this place:

1. Yucatecan cuisine has Mayan, Spanish, Lebanese and South American influences, giving it a cosmopolitan flare compared to the Mexican food you may be used to.
2. Mercado La Paloma is an experience. It is more than just about food - it is a marketplace that offers Mexican crafts, cooking classes and community events.

Cochinita pibil is the restaurant's signature dish. Unique to Yucatan, cochinita pibil is a slow roasted pork dish marinated in citrus juices (normally Seville or bitter oranges) and achiote, which are the two main ingredients that give this dish its characteristic color and taste. Cochinita pibil is served in one of three ways: with rice and beans, as a soft taco, or as a sandwich (torta) with toasted French bread.

Tamale horneado is another unique dish where the tamale is baked instead of steamed, giving it a crunchy texture. The horneado tamale is stuffed with achiote chicken, hard cooked eggs and tomato. The kibi (ground beef and cracked wheat patties) is a dish with strong Lebanese influence.

There are bottles of habanero hot sauces available (which you can buy to take home) if you want to add some heat to your food. But if you don't find it spicy enough, ask them to bring you something spicier. In the back, they have a similar sauce but with alot more heat! The secret is rolling the habanero peppers between the hands (to release more flavor), and then charring them before making the hot sauce. Add this to your cochinita pibil, with a bit of fresh lime juice and salt, and you will be golden! This is how the locals eat it.

Torta de Cochinita Pibil

Taco de Cochinita Pibil

Tamal Horneado

Habanero Hot Sauce

A few miles from Chichén Itzá is an awesome market, ported over to LA from NYC this past year, called Artists & Fleas. Open on the 3rd weekend of each month at 647 Mateo Street, Artists & Fleas is an outdoor market with carefully curated local vendors featuring art, jewellery, housewares, vintage fashion and unique reclaimed wood work. It is an intimate setting where creative minds conjoin. A dedicated food area, featuring LA-based food trucks, is also set up for the hungry mouths.

Chichén Itzá

3655 S. Grand Avenue

Los Angeles, California USA
Telephone: 213-741-1075

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Good No Fuss Mexican Food at Las Delicias Mexican Bar & Grill, Memphis

If you're looking for good, no fuss Mexican food in Memphis, then head to Las Delicias Mexican Bar & Grill. This is a super popular joint that attracts huge line ups during lunch. This isn't really a place you go for atmosphere. The interior is extremely plain and has just the bare minimum needed to serve their customers - tables, chairs and a cash register.

Their tortillas and salsa that are served before the meal are always fresh. Their tortillas are crispy and have a nice airy texture. If you order the fajitas, don't expect thick cuts of meats served on a sizzling hot plate with toppings neatly organized for you. Their fajitas, served with small corn tortillas, are cooked pretty much the same way as their burrito filling - grilled meat, bell peppers, onions, bacon and melted cheese all tossed together.

Tortillas and Salsa

Alambre Fajita (Chicken and Beef) with Grilled Jalapeno

Chicken Burrito Grilled with Onions, Bell Peppers, Refried Beans and Cheese in a Flour Tortilla

Las Delicias Mexican Bar & Grill

4002 Park Avenue

Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Telephone: 901-458-9264

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Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

Back in February when I lived in San Diego for the month, I watched the Food Network day and night. I was addicted. The shows on the American Food Network were different from the ones on the Canadian one, so it was neat to see the small cultural differences in the food shows. A lot of dishes and recipes on the American shows were latino influenced, and I finally learned who Paula Deen was (and discovered deep fried macaroni and cheese along the way)!

One show I really got into was Tyler's Ultimate. Tyler Florence explores traditional meals and teaches you the ULTIMATE way to make them. I adapted my Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde from his show, and it was a rockin' meal. CK and I couldn't believe how awesome it was.

One thing to note is that Enchiladas are traditionally made of corn tortillas. This recipe uses flour tortillas. Use whatever suits your fancy.

When available, I prefer to use uncooked tortillas. I love watching them bubble as they cook, and they have a nice chewy fresh texture to them.

This recipe makes 6-8 enchiladas.

Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde
(Adapted from Tyler Florence)
- 2 small onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 can (7 oz.) of chicken broth
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 chicken breast, cubed
- 1 jar (16 oz.) salsa verde (I used Pace salsa verde. The jalapenos and smoked Spanish paprika in this salsa added a nice flavor).
- 3 plum tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup of cilantro, chopped
- 6-8 uncooked flour tortillas
- 2 cups of cheddar and jack cheese blend
- Extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- Guacamole to serve on the side

Method
1. On medium-high heat, cook the tortillas on an ungreased pan. Cook one side until the tortilla bubbles, flip it, and then cook for another 30-45 seconds. Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Sautee the onions and garlic with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil until onions are translucent. Add the chicken, chicken stock, salt + pepper, and simmer until the chicken stock dehydrates. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool. Shred the chicken with hands.

4. Fill the bottom of a large baking dish with a thin layer of salsa verde.

5. Construct the enchilada. Lightly coat both sides of the tortilla with salsa verde. Place a spoon of the chicken mixture onto the tortilla. Sprinkle some cheese, fresh tomatoes, and cilantro on top of the chicken mixture. Fold the tortilla over the filling, and roll the enchilada. Place it on the baking dish with the folded side down to prevent it from unrolling. Repeat until all enchiladas are constructed.

6. Pour the rest of the salsa verde evenly over the enchiladas. Sprinkle some tomatoes, cilantro, and the remaining cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven, turn off the heat. Garnish the enchiladas with more fresh tomatoes and cilantro. Serve with guacamole.

I kept this dish fairly healthy by skipping out on the sour cream (which I luckily don't really like anyway), and by using the tomatoes and cilantro as a main ingredient instead of a garnish.

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Alfajores, Attempt Numero Dos

My failed attempt at making alfajores last year has been haunting me. One, I hate failing at anything, and two, I really wanted to learn a dessert that incorporated the heavenly dulce de leche that I know and love. If you haven't tried dulce de leche yet, you need to! It is a wonderful Latin American milk-based creation that tastes very similar to caramel or toffee.

An alfajor is dulce de leche sandwiched in between two shortbread cookies. Although my cookies did not turn out perfectly, I have made big strides since last year, and am just happy that I did not have to discard all of my hard work this time around. My shortbread actually tasted like a cookie, and my dulce de leche was not runny (I need to thank Bri for pointing me to David Lebovitz' dulce de leche recipe).

This recipe involves three steps:
1. Make the dulce de leche
2. Make the shortbread cookies
3. Assemble the alfajor

This recipe makes about 20 cookies.

Alfajores
Dulce de Leche
(Adapted from David Lebovitz)
- 1 can (13 oz.) of sweetened condensed milk
- few flecks of sea salt

Shortbread Cookies
Makes approximately 40 cookies
- 3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 sticks of butter at room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup of confectioner's sugar
- 1/4 cup milk (optional)

Method for Alfajores
Make the Dulce de Leche:
1. Preheat the oven to 425° F (220° C).

2. Pour one can of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk) into a glass pie plate or shallow baking dish. Stir in a few flecks of sea salt.

3. Set the pie plate within a larger pan, such as a roasting pan, and add hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the pie plate.

4. Cover the pie plate snugly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 to 1¼ hours. (Check a few times during baking and add more water to the roasting pan as necessary).

5. Once the Dulce de Leche is nicely browned and caramelized, remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool, whisk until smooth.

6. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Warm gently in a warm water bath or microwave oven before using.

Make the Shortbread Cookies:
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

2. In a separate bowl, sift the flour and salt.

3. Slowly add the sifted flour and salt into the butter mixture, and mix on low speed.

4. If your mixture is too crumbly, add in the milk, and mix on low speed until a dough is formed.

5. Roll the dough into the shape of a flat disk, and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigrate for 30-60 minutes.

6. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

7. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick, and cut the dough with a round 2 inch diameter cookie cutter.

8. Place the cookies on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes. This will ensure your cookies keep their shape while baking.

9. Bake 15 - 20 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. Cool the cookies on a rack.

Assemble the Alfajor:
1. With a butter knife, spread the dulce de leche on a shortbread cookie.

2. Sandwich the dulce de leche by placing another shortbread cookie on top.

3. To garnish, sift confectioners sugar on top of the cookie until it is fully covered.

The goal is to get as much dulce de leche in the sandwich without it spilling over the edges. I always get greedy and fail at this part (blush).

Because I tend to put too much dulce de leche in the middle, I store the alfajores in the fridge to avoid the dulce de leche from becoming too soft. If it does become too soft, the cookies start to slide, causing the sandwich to be lopsided.

Looking for some more dessert recipe ideas? Why not try these ones:

Easy to Make Palmiers

Orange and Nut Date Cups

Low Fat Tiramisu

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The Mission, San Diego

I love discovering neighborhood cafes and restaurants, especially if the ambiance is charming and the food is good.

CK and I wanted a quick lunch where we didn't have to travel far, so we ventured around the corner to The Mission in Mission Beach for lunch. Although The Mission is better known for it's all day breakfast menu, we both decided to try something from their lunch menu. We weren't sure what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised.

If you're into eclectic, healthy, fresh ingredients, with an international flare, then this place is for you. Besides the vegetarian thing, the food here reminded me a lot of my meal at Naam in Vancouver.

I've been very curious about tamales lately. I've never tried one before, but the word just screams 'FUN' to me. I've also been stumbling upon tamales in blogs, and TV shows I've read and seen recently. On top of that, my friend J holds an annual tamale making party that he raves about.

A Mexican tamale is typically steam-cooked corn dough wrapped in a corn husk. You do not eat the corn husk, it is strictly used for steaming or cooking. Tamales can be plain or stuffed with meats and cheeses.

My lunch was the vegetarian tamale with roasted salsa verde. Salsa verde is a tangy salsa made up of tomatillos, jalapeños, and white onions. The tamales were served with black beans, rice, and salad on the side.

Although the tamales were not stuffed with anything, they were packed with a lot of flavor. The corn dough produced a wonderful sweet taste.

I also had a mocha with my meal.

CK ordered the Indo Chine Double Happiness Bowl. This was a DELICIOUS dish that was full of flavor. The presentation was also colorful and fun. I definitely had food envy, and ate a good amount of CK's food. The Happiness Bowl is grilled brown rice with zucchini squash, sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, topped with a choice of two meats, and lightly drizzled with a peanut sauce. CK chose beef and shrimp for his meats.

The Mission
3795 Mission Boulevard
San Diego, California, USA
Telephone: 858-488-9060

Menu

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La Playa Taco Shop, San Diego

CK has been craving Mexican since the day he stepped foot in San Diego. We had delayed going for some because I was sick with the flu and couldn’t taste anything. Now that I'm better, it is his turn to be sick. However, he decided to delay it no further, and made the executive decision to go for Mexican tonight. We headed to the little taco hut down the road from our house, La Playa Taco Shop.

La Playa Taco Shop is a little family run business in Mission Beach that serves authentic Mexican with no fuss. Their specialties are tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. I asked the lady at the counter what she recommended, and she gave me a few choices: their most famous quesadilla is the shrimp one, people love their carne asada burritos, and the California burrito comes in a close second. They also make good carnitas that are not fried.

CK and I ordered a few things to share amongst the two of us:

First up was the Taco al Pastor, aka Taco “shepherd style”. The meat is marinated in chilis, herbs, and spices, and is cooked in a similar manner to Greek gyro meat or Lebanese shawarma meat. It was served in a warm corn tortilla, and the taco had a nice tangy taste to it.

As per the woman’s advice, I ordered the carne asada burrito: a burrito with marinated beef cut into cubes. The burrito was dressed with everything: guacamole, sour cream, onions, tomatoes, cheese, and lettuce. It tasted great with their home made salsa drizzled on top, and all of the ingredients melted nicely together.

CK ordered the California burrito with beef. This was basically the same as my burrito except for the fact that the California burrito had fries in it!! It made the burrito especially filling, and I definitely preferred the no fries version. The fries just took up too much space, and didn’t add much to the taste.

La Playa Taco Shop

3973 Mission Boulevard

San Diego, California, USA

Telphone: 858-488-7405

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Excellence Resort, Cancun/Mayan Riviera

My time in Cancun was extremely relaxing. It was great time to escape the cold in Ottawa, and it was amazing how being immersed in warm, sunny weather took away the stresses from every day life.

I met my friends M and JL at the airport, and straight away, it started out with chaos. I landed in a different terminal than my two friends, and not realizing that, we had made a point to meet at the Hertz rental counter. Unfortunately, there was a Hertz rental counter at every terminal. M and JL went ahead to book a car while they waited for me.

While trying to locate M and JL, I got a text messaging saying that they had run out of cars, so they got three mopeds instead. That was an ok plan for them because their luggage never made it, but I thought to myself, great...how on earth am I going to moped 20km with my 2 pieces of luggage, plus my purse?

Luckily, when we all finally found each other, they had a van available. Off we went to Excellence Resort in Cancun, which is technically on the Mayan Riviera.
 

The resort was stunning. We arrived to refreshing wet towels, and champagne waiting for us. Our check in was a breeze, and we decided to meet for lunch at The Grill restaurant. The Excellence resort offered 8 international a la carte restaurants, which meant NO BUFFETS..woo hoo! They had a breakfast and lunch buffet at their Mediterranean restaurant, Barcelona, but that was it. The rest had to be ordered off menus.

Most of their portions were small to moderate, and it was evident that they catered to healthy eaters. Because their portions were not that big, I was able to order an appetizer, salad, soup, main, and dessert for most dinners. I was a little bit stuffed at times, but not the belly aching, roll on the ground type of full.

With so much to eat, here were just some of my meal highlights:

BREAKFAST: I am very particular about my breakfasts. I always need my cereal in the mornings so I stuck to the breakfast buffet at Barcelona restaurant. Here is what one of my typical breakfasts would look like:

All Bran flakes with eggs, yogourt, fresh fruit, and fruit juice.

They had a lot of egg white choices at Excellence resort. Some days I would have a hard boiled egg white, while other days, I would have an egg white omelette. Ahh..life is tough.

If you wanted a Mexican breakfast, they had red chilaquiles. If cheese is your thing, they offered panela, hokoke, and tofu cheese. If you need your healthy juice fix for the morning, there was a counter of colorful juices that matched all the colors of the rainbow: red, pink, orange, yellow, green, you name it. They also offered neat garnishes such as lime rind and cinammon sticks.

LUNCH: Here were some of my favorites. You'll see that The Grill restaurant was my favorite place for lunch. This was mainly because the restaurant was outdoors, and their meals were casual, and light.

Ceviche at The Grill restaurant.

Chicken quesadilla at The Grill restaurant...this was one of my favorites. So simple, but so good.

Grilled mahi mahi at The Grill restaurant.

One thing I grew to really like was the Mexican cactus salad. It was refreshing, and the texture was crunchy.

Their lunch desserts were also very good. My most memorable were: flan with fresh fig, cinnamon ice cream, and amaretto ice cream...mmm, I'm drooling as I type.

DINNER: Here are some of my dinner highlights. The Asian restaurant, Spice, won hands down. This, I did not expect at all. I thought they would totally butcher the Asian dishes, but to their credit, they did a good job.

Lobster at Agave Mexican restaurant.

Lobster cocktail with lemon, papaya, avocado, and coctail sauce at the Lobster House.

Grouper with a chipotle garlic sauce at Agave Mexican restaurant.

Grilled grouper with a spicy chili-basil sauce at Spice asian restaurant.

Coquilles St. Jaques et crevettes at the French restaurant, Chez Isabelle.

Triple spicy duck and vegetables in a spicy basil sauce at Spice asian restaurant.

Thai beef salad at Spice asian restaurant.

Deep fried ice cream at Spice asian restaurant.

ROOM SERVICE: I decided to be lazy one day, and ordered room service. I enjoyed my meal on my comfy couch while watching TV. I ordered the spa mixed salad, a tortilla soup, and a miile spa wrap. The wrap was a spinach roll with yogourt, Lebanese cream, and veggies. The meal was great, and when you've finished, they had a neat system to take away your dishes. There was a cupboard in the room, called an "xbox", and it opened from both inside and outside of your room. When there is something for the staff to take away, you place it in the "xbox", and they remove your dishes from the outside, without ever having to disturb you.

Earlier on in the week, JL, M, and I headed to the Cancun Wal-Mart to buy some clothes and toiletries to replace some of the essentials that never made it. Driving in Cancun was a mess, there were no lanes, and the roads were not marked clearly. M had to use the GPS on his blackberry to get us out of Cancun. We were stuck there for about 4 hours circling around.

At the Wal-Mart, they sold fresh tacos al pastor...the way we sell shawarmas in Ottawa.

They also had boxes of camaron seco (dried whole shrimp), and pre-made pescadillos ready to eat. I bought myself a bag of cured serrano ham flavored chips to bring back to the resort. These came in handy a few times!

That pretty much sums up my trip. I was really hoping to check out some of the Mayan Ruin sites like Tulum or Chichen Itza, but I was moving to San Diego (temporarily) the day after I got back from Mexico, and the apartment I had secured bailed on me. Needless to say, I spent my free time house hunting.

I am back from Mexico, living in a hotel in San Diego sick with the flu, BUT finally found a place to live! I'll be moving into the new pad later on this week, and I'll provide updates when I can.

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