Mexican Chocolate Cake.

In honor of the Cinco de Mayo party I attended and the rare rise of the "super moon" , I baked a cake (well, actually two). I originally was going to use a recipe I cut from the Los Angeles Times, eons ago, but decided to do a quick search for Mexican chocolate cake recipes online.  This one popped up first from Baked Bree, who I met at Camp Blogaway, a year and a half ago.

Initially, what intrigued me about Bree's recipe was that she did not use the mexican chocolate tablets and she used balsamic vinegar in her cake batter. The cake is complex in flavor, but not over-powering.  The frosting is perfection, creamy, light and slightly sweet.  If you're looking for something special and unique, I'd definitely recommend giving this cake a try!

Grand Opening.

There are moments you will always remember fondly and then there are moments you will never forget. Tonight has to be one of those nights, it will go down in my foodie history book. A couple weeks ago, my elusive foodie cohort found out that Rick Bayless was consulting a restaurant here in LA. Like white on rice, we jumped on the bandwagon and miracle of miracles, we were able to get a reservation for "opening night". When I got the text message that we were attending opening night, I just about peed my pants.

Red O, cooly located on Melrose Ave, in West Hollywood, is designer chic, classic Mexican elements doused the interior with a dash of modern hipster edge. The photos don't honestly do this restaurant justice, but it give you an inkling of the precision and attention to detail that the designers paid when creating this beautiful space. It feels homey and is far from a stiff drink in atmosphere. Even the servers and staff were decked out with Levis 501s, red Adidas and blue work shirts.

To start the evening, I ordered the tamarind margarita - semi-sweet, balanced and refreshing. I'm not the most enthusiastic about margaritas, but this one could convert me, if it tried. And I'll be honest, ir didn't have to try too hard now. An appetizer of guacamole and chips to wet the palette - Bayless studs his guacamole with sundried tomatoes and onions. Simple, this guacamole could've come in a bathtub and I would've soaked in all of its goodness. I thought it was well seasoned - creamy and delicious. The "house" salad consisted of arugula, romaine and watercress with "angel hair'" strips of tortillas, pickled red onions. The greens were dressed with a roasted garlic lime dressing that popped in your mouth like pop rocks (remember that candy from your childhood). Tart and bright citrus flavors pierced your tongue, along with the sweet and savory notes of roasted garlic.

It was a toss up between the striped bass grilled with red chile and served with rice, sweet plaintains and three salsas or the roasted suckling pig served with black beans and a green salad and pickled red onions. Guy, our server, twisted my arm and I ordered the roasted suckling pig, which was a good decision on my part. The roasted suckling pig was wrapped in banana leaves before it went to roasting heaven. So tender, and no need for a knife, the pig was succulent, juicy, smoky and juicy. Wrapped up some of the roasted pig in a tortilla with some black beans, pickled red onion and salsa. O.M.G. Guy brought us a tasting of three salsas, a roasted tomato salsa, salsa verde and habenero. My favorite was the habanero and the salsa verde. Each salsa was distinct, sweet, spicy and robust. My foodie cohort ordered the Carne Asada Brava - ribeye served to perfection. Beautiful marbling on this steak, juicy and uber tender as well. Melted in your mouth like butter. The sweet corn tamales topped with crema were tasty as well - creamy, hearty, comfort food in Spanish.

With room for dessert, I was immediately drawn to the Bunelos served with salted caramel ice cream and a warm Kahlua chocolate sauce. The bunelos were light, crispy, rolled in cinnamon-sugar goodness. The kicker for me was the salted caramel ice cream - genius lies in this deadly combination of opposites attract. It was a light dessert, but a perfect way to end the meal.

To finish the night with dessert wasn't the "cherry" on top though. Guy hooked us up with a chance to meet Rick Bayless and get our photo opp! Rick was pleasant and seemed pre-occupied with dinner service, it makes sense. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy and we were honored to meet him and take a picture with him to document this foodie adventure! It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, gorgeous and tall LA eye candy and a few celeb spottings while we were there too. I'm definitely grateful to live in a city the embraces culture, food, and art, tonight I totally felt like I was living the dream.

Honorary Mexicans for a Day.

Hola amigos! I had a serious craving for some carne asada over the weekend and decided my Memorial Day would be spent honoring veterans by chowing down on some carne asada tacos and corn (Mexican style). I took my Latin inspiration from none other than Rick Bayless, author, chef, and PBS personality. I prepared a rustic roasted tomato salsa, which packed a helluva lot of heat to accompany the juicy, perfectly cooked carne asada (which I cooked my indoor grill). The carne asada (I used flank steak) marinated since morning in a garlicky ancho chile rub consisting of ground ancho chile powder, dried oregano, brown sugar, cumin, salt and pepper. Warm soft corn tortillas and guacamole turned these tacos into bites of bliss. I steamed some ears of sweet corn and doused them with a little butter, homemade mayonnaise, chili powder and squeezed some lime juice on them. The combination of sweet corn with the heat and acidity of the chili powder and lime juice, made for a dynamite explosion of flavors in my mouth. I kept tooting my own horn yesterday, mainly because it was my first attempt at salsa (THAT GOOD) and carne asada! My mouth and my belly were so happy, they were performing their own version of a "happy dance". Every meal should be so fruitful.

oy vey, ole!

I don’t want to admit this, but since Molly Wizenberg of Orangette can spill the beans, so can I. There are recipes that fail miserably, be it oversight on my part or a poorly written recipe. For a foodie, it’s disheartening and often the source of anger, resentment and what I’d like to diagnose as “pad thai depression” (PTD). It happened Monday night. I was giddy to try a new recipe for pad thai that I pulled out from one of my favorite food magazines. It smelled good, it looked good, and all was right with the world until I took a bite. Overpowered by sriricha sauce, my pad thai was ruined (in my book) and I sunk into some serious PTD. Like an artist disappointed with a ruined canvas, I too, take it personally when something doesn’t turn out perfectly. Classic type “A” personality, yes, but also neurotic and passionate about the kitchen? Most definitely, especially after a weekend of successful cooking!

I was too distraught to post about the PTD, but I saved the best for last. Last Friday, I made chile rellanos. Chile rellanos are one of my all-time favorite Mexican dishes and I’ve always “oohed” and “aahed” over how the mechanic’s of this delicious treat, until now. Time consuming? Yes, yes, and yes. Not only did it test my culinary skills, but also required some last minute creativity. The effort paid off as you can see.

cravings.

The night before I headed to Washington state to visit my mom and stepdad I made chicken enchiladas. As I was planning my meals for the week, I had this major craving for enchiladas. It was as if the enchilada mummy awoke from its deep slumber and attacked my taste buds! When this craving beckons, I heed it's call! Years ago I pulled an enchilada recipe off the Food Network and ever since it's been my "go to" recipe for enchiladas. Of course it calls for making a red sauce which as far as I am concerned is the deciding factor in a dish of enchiladas. This particular recipe calls for New Mexican chile powder - its flavors yield a very mild, smoky and complex chile. Though enchiladas require some leg work, it if definitely worth the time invested. But doesn't anything good in this life require investment?

Tres Hermanos (Three Brothers)

I don't know if the owners are actually three brothers, but I do know one thing - Tres Hermanos is by far one of the best Mexican food joints in the S.F. valley. Highly regarded by all of my family members, this was one stop I had to make. One of Fort Wayne's greatest culinary disappointments is the lack of REAL Mexican food. I think what holds back authentic Mexican food in this area is the people who live here, and it's a shame because y'all are missing out! I've included pics of the two items Paul and I shared at Tres Hermanos, while we were in California - carnitas tacos and the pepita grilled shrimp salad. Is your mouth watering yet? One thing I can say for Fort Wayneians is that there is ONE place I know of that sells good tacos, real tacos, and that's at George's International Market on Broadway and Taylor. So step to it, people and go eat some tacos!