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Carnitas @ Taqueria Los Pericos: Santa Cruz

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
  • Carnitas and the Chips and Salsa bar.

There is really not much more to say here.

But, I will say more … with so many taquerias in the area, each being good for different reasons, we never had a reason to stop in to Los Pericos.  LP is an unassuming spot often filled with college students, young families, and sometimes a random homeless person. We now frequent Pericos to eat their tasty carnitas on nachos, in burritos, on salads, you name it.   We also appreciate their chips bar with tasty salsa varieties (see photos).  I don’t fill up the tiny cups,  I put the salsas all together in the paper chips basket.

  • $3.25 bottles of beer
  • Large, long tables for groups, we’ve eaten at LP with ten before

Give the chef a nod and he just might hook you up with extra meat, for real!

139 Water St
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

(831) 469-7685

Posted in Eating Out, Santa Cruz | 2 Comments »
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How to make Crispy, Hard Taco Shells!

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

When our California friend Flo made these crunchy taco shells for us one night we were immediately intrigued about how to make these much tastier, non-taco bell hard shells (funny since our friend had never even been to a Taco Bell until she was in her twenties).  We’ve found out since then that these hard taco shells are also a mysterious and delightful home-made surprise to many who have never made them before either! And, it is pretty easy to make these and they are way better than the hard taco shells you buy at the store. The shells are probably a bit less healthy too, but hey, they are really good, add a uniqueness to your meal,  and have an impressive crunch too.

Perfect Fillings for Homemade Taco Shells:

  • Shredded Taco Chicken Meat (Roast an entire chicken or get one already cooked from the store and pull the meat off, then put the meat in a pan on the stove w/ taco seasoning and black olives from a can and cook it up a bit – another Flo special recipe! Serve with all the taco bar fixin’s)
  • Al Pastor Recipe
  • Carne Asada
  • Achiote-Orange Pulled Pork (One of my all-time favorite Sunset Magazine Recipes that could be made into a creative taco filling)

Hard Taco Shells Recipe

Ingredients:

  • Corn Tortillas
  • 2 Cups Vegetable Oil

Tools:

  • Heavy Skillet or Cast-Iron Pan
  • Two Forks
  • Cookie Sheet with Paper Towels

Steps for Making Hard Taco Shells:

  1. Pour about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of oil into a skillet or cast iron pan.
  2. Heat Oil to medium or medium-high heat. Make sure it is hot enough before you start
  3. Place corn tortilla in hot oil and it will start to sizzle.  Let sizzle for 15 seconds.
  4. Take two forks and fold the tortilla in half, then push one side of the tortilla down on the bottom of the skillet and hold the shell in place to cook one side first (about 15 seconds).  Be sure to make the folded space big enough to put taco fillings into.
  5. Once one side is crispy enough, flip it and cook the other side (see photos above). Cook for another 15 seconds on this side or until crispy brown.
  6. Now place the crispy taco shell on the paper towel lined cookie sheet to drain the excess oil.
  7. Eat these crispy taco shells right away or they will get soggy!

Posted in Home Cookin', Main Dishes | No Comments »
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Cabbage Salad with Avocado, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, and Lime Vinaigrette Recipe

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

A few weeks ago I was inspired to recreate this Mexican salad after I had a version of it at Tacubaya, a tasty upscale Taqueria in Berkeley and the casual sister restaurant to Dona Tomas.  This salad is great because it’s crunchy, tangy, and versatile.  You can eat it on a weeknight as a main dish when you’re on a diet, use it as a base for a taco salad, as a relish for fish tacos or pulled pork sandwiches, or just as a side dish for any Mexican entree such as Chili Rellenos or Enchiladas.

Oh, I got a new photo-toy for photographing food for the blog!  It is called a Photo Softbox Light Tent!  It should be fun to see what we come up with. What do you think so far?

Mixed Cabbage Salad with Pumpkin Seeds, Avocado, and Lime Vinaigrette Recipe

  • 1/2 head red cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups salad herb mix (any mixed organic salad greens are good)
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • 3 carrots, shredded
  • 1  red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2  cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • Optional: 1 Jalapeño or serrano chile pepper, minced
  • 1/2 cup Pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted
  • 2 Avocados, cut into bite-size pieces

Mix all Cabbage ingredients in a large salad bowl.  Toss salad well with Lime Vinaigrette.  Put the dressed cabbage mixture on each plate and top with toasted Pepitas and sliced avocados.  Serve!

Lime Vinaigrette Recipe:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar OR red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Salad Description @ Tacubaya:

Ensalada de Primavera- mixed greens, shredded cabbage, carrots, red onion and avocado tossed in a lemon vinaigrette, sprinkled with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Posted in Home Cookin', Salad | 1 Response »
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Two Spaces in One: Maya Restaurant in SF

Saturday, November 20th, 2010

Last night we joined three other food bloggers and two PR execs from the Bay Area for a dinner at Maya in SF.   The occasion was a reveal of a new menu and decor for the eleven year old restaurant in SOMA.   The bar is known for its large array of Tequilas including blancos (aged 0-2 months), reposados (2-11 months), and anejos (aged at least 1 year).

Style: White linens surrender to … creative cocktails, zebra wood tables, tasty tacos & striped dishes. Upscale Mexican cuisine is the mainstay.

Our Favorite Picks Include:

  • Their Happy Hour Deals after work!
  • Drink: Big Nose Goes to Mexico $12! (Blanco & Repisado Tequila w/ Guava Puree, Hibiscus Salt on the rim and a Lime half floating on top w/ 151 rum in it, then they light it on fire … see our photo! *not on the happy hour menu)
  • Guacamole: Chile Toreados $8.5 The house guac was good too but we liked the creative toasted Pepita (w/ pumpkin seeds on top).
  • Ceviche: Mahi Mahi $12 (w/ pica de gallo, & a sweet and spicy tomato-chili broth) It had a great sweet and spicy mix with a little kick!
  • Tacos: (Apps, Entree $14-16 for 4, OR Taco Tuesday Happy Hour – $2 each): Langosta Taco (Lobster, avocado, black bean puree, chile de arbol roullie, cilantro) & Rajas con Papas “Deconstructed Chili Rellenos Taco” (poblano, potato, queso fresco, salsa verde, crema fresca)
  • Desserts: Empanadas de platano $7 (turnovers filled with bananas, walnuts & crema fresca/ strawberry sauce/ coconut ice cream) & Capirotada agavero (Bread Pudding) $8 (agavero tequila liqueur bread pudding/ fresh blueberry tequila sauce/ raspberry cabernet sorbet)

The warm approachable decor of the new dining space is contrasted by the hipper vibe of the bar and lounge area.  You could meet your friends for cocktails and $2 tacos at Happy Hour in the bar and then have your parents to dinner in the restaurant (or even better a company meal or event in a private room when they are footing the bill).  The restaurant was comfortable with well-spaced tables but without the zing of the lounge with bar tables and chairs (although the dining tables were beautifully made from something that looked like zebra wood).  The dining room made me think of spots you might grab dinner before a show, ballet, or opera in NYC so you could definitely have multi-generational dinner with family (maybe not young kids but parents and grandparents for sure).  We loved the large red spiral plates mixed in with the over-sized white plates too. There was a touch of fun to them in the contrasting dining room.  There are dinner specials every night but the main menu entrees and tacos were our faves (mole was very good, chili rellenos, salmon).

The Guava/Tequila “Big Nose” cocktail (note: this one is not on the $5 happy hours list) was fabulous.   For my birthday, light me up a Big Nose Cocktail and serve it to me with a Banana Empanada. Then throw me in a serenity pool somewhere on the Yucatan Pennisula!

Happy Hour Specials @ Maya (Everyday, $2 tacos, $5 drinks, $3 beers)

Nice Dinner Special: $18 soup or salad/ 1/2 entree or tacos/ sorbet  +$5 margarita/ mojito/ house wine

303 2nd st. between harrison & folsom, san francisco ca 94107
415.543.2928 ~ fax 415.543.6679

- Read here for a fellow food blogger’s review of Maya from the same dinner!

Posted in Eating Out, San Francisco | 1 Response »
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CSA Food Box #19: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Recipe

Friday, September 10th, 2010

We made a big batch of this salsa and put it on Carrot Soup, Frozen-Microwaved Burritos, Chips, Scrambled Eggs and anything else you can think of this week.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Recipe

Click to continue »

Posted in CSA Food Box Recipes | 1 Response »
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Party Cookin’: LA Times Al Pastor Recipe for a Taco Bar

Monday, May 24th, 2010

We’ve made this LA Times Al Pastor recipe twice, once for camping and once for a party.  The great thing about it is you can make it in advance and heat it up later!  You can even cook it up in the oven and then shred it and put it in your crock-pot to keep it warm for a long partying night.  The crock-pot is the secret to having the taco bar open and ready for the guests all night long!

This is an adapted recipe from Raúl Morales for the oven by the LA Times. I used a variety of dried chilies from a Mexican market (or Whole Foods).

Al Pastor Recipe

(Party-Size Recipe Serving for 20-30 people) Click to continue »

Posted in Home Cookin', Main Dishes | No Comments »
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Tater Tots in my Breakfast Burrito: Henry’s in Santa Clara

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Henry’s is a Santa Clara University favorite.   They have the greatest breakfast burrito around.  After trying many others about town, we fell back on Henry’s great tasting, awesome tater-tot filled breaky burrito!

Henry’s Fresh Mexican Grill

787 Franklin Street Santa Clara, CA 95050-4930 - (408) 249-2922

Posted in Eating Out, South Bay - Silicon Valley | No Comments »
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Burrito Factory in San Jose

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Long time San Joser’s told us to include Burrito Factory in the San Jose Burrito challenge. They instructed me to try the chicken burrito.  I have to say, I didn’t try this one yet.  By the time we got to Burrito Factory last October (open until 10pm), it was closed.  So this weekend we finally got the chance to try it.  Everyone was griping thinking for some reason it would be a chain like Chipotle.  It is not a Mexican chain like Chipotle, even though it is in a strip mall.  However, they do have four locations in the San Jose area.

The food was good and we liked their salsa which had some good heat (you purchase the chips and salsa).  I got the crispy tacos with steak and el pastor and they each got a Chorizo breakfast burrito.  John said it is now the second best breakfast burrito in San Jose.  His first favorite breakfast burrito in San Jose is from Henry’s Fresh Mexican Grill in Santa Clara because they put tater tots in their breaky burrito!   The staff was really nice at the B.F. we tried on Camden.

We know the food is made with vegetable oil because a friend with allergies called and talked to them about it.

Zach: Good. Good service. Salsa was good.

Lesley: It was pretty good.  We need to go back and try more things on the menu to really see what we love there. But my tacos were tasty, particularly the shell.  I like more stuff on my tacos so I would probably get a burrito next time, a super burrito!

Posted in Eating Out, South Bay - Silicon Valley | 2 Comments »
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