• 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

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!

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.

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!

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

from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen

Makes 2-3 cups

• 10-12 medium (about 1 lb. total) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and halved
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
• Hot green chiles to taste (I like 5 serranos or 2 jalapeño), stemmed and roughly chopped
• About 1/4 cup (loosely packed) roughly chopped cilantro
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped (we used our CSA food box Spring Onions)
• Salt, 1 tsp
• Sugar, about 1 scant teaspoon (if needed)

Lay tomatillos (cut side down) on a baking sheet and place four inches below a very hot broiler.  When the tomatillos blister, blacken and soften on one side, about 5 minutes, turn them over and roast the other side.  Cool completely on a baking sheet.

Scrape the tomatillos and garlic into a blender or food processor, and let cool to room temperature, about 3 minutes. Add the chilies and cilantro. Blend to a coarse puree. Pour into a salsa dish and thin with a little additional water if necessary to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency.

Scoop the chopped onion into a strainer and rinse under cold water. Stir into the salsa. Taste and season with salt.

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)

Marinate for 24 hours

• 6 California chiles
• 2 Ancho chile
• 2 Guajillo chile
• 2 Cascabel chile
• 2 Chile de árbol
• * I just used a whole variety of about 3-4 different kinds of dried chiles, some of the above and some others.
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 3  teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 tablespoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon achiote (seasoned achiote paste * for color)
• 2 onions, sliced thin, divided
• 10 pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt, cut into 15 chunks
• 1  pineapple, peeled, sliced 1/2-inch thick,and cut into quarters

Boil the dried chiles and bay leaves in a pot for 5 minutes.  Then remove the stems, seeds, and bay leaves.  Place the hydrated chiles in the food processor with the orange juice, pineapple juice, white vinegar, cinnamon, salt, pepper, garlic, garlic salt, oregano, and achiote paste (optional) and blend until smooth.

Cut up the pork into 15 chunks and place in  resealable plastic bags (we used 3) and pour the marinade over top and marinate for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat the oven to 350F.  Use three, 9″x13″ glass baking dishes or two roasting pans.  Place the cut up pineapple on the bottom  of the baking dishes and the onion slices over top.  Then place the marinated meat chunks over the pineapple and onion slices but make sure that the meat does not come up above the sides of the baking dish or roasting pan.  Cover the pans with foil and bake for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours until meat pulls apart easily.  It took our meat with three pans in the oven at once about 2 1/2 hours.

Note from Recipe Online: Put the meat on a rack in a baking pan, baste it with the pan juices and place under the broiler to crisp the edges of the meat, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook for a few more minutes.

Remove the meat and let it cool enough to be able to pull it apart.  Then place the shredded meat in a crock pot to keep it warm.  Slice up the pineapple and onion slices to mix-in with the shredded meat. Set up your toppings for the taco bar and go to town!

Another Slow-Roasted Pork Taco Recipe from the NY Times (less ingredients & quicker to make).

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

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!

One of the yelp reviews says, “Ignore the hippies and enjoy the food!”  We did notice that the owners of the Cafe were very aware of the Saturday night rowdiness and were attentive to the interesting dinner theater performance occurring around us.  They said it was particularly rowdy that night, I don’t doubt it.

This is not your big burrito, beans made with lard, oil drenched nachos kind of Mexican spot.  Cafe Campesino is a bit different than your typical Taqueria.  It is located in a small kiosk on the sidewalk in downtown Santa Cruz in front of New Leaf Grocery Store on Pacific.  It serves such dishes as Mole, Cactus, Gorditas, and Frida Kahlo Spicy Tomato Soup.  We had the Mole Plate, the Tinga Plate (Chipotle Sauce on Chicken with Potatos and Beans), Frida Kahlo Soup (Tortilla Soup) and a Pollo Big Taco with Spicy Guacamole, tomatoes, and potatoes.  Even though this is a casual kiosk, all of the dishes are lovingly presented on ceramic plates.

Tues.-Thurs. 11:30am-7:30PM
Wed.-Sat. 11:30PM-9:00PM
Sun.- 12-7PM
Closed on Mondays

1130 Pacific Ave
Santa Cruz, CA 95060-4581
(831) 425-5979

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=6485828850245878238

Lesley: I really liked my tortilla soup because of it’s temperature, crunchy chips, and avocado and sour cream on top.  The soup was especially nice on a cool fall evening as you order your meal at the kiosk and sit at tables outside on the street.  I felt full and healthy after this dinner.

John: The Mole plate was delicious because of the Mole.  The chicken was not cooked with the spice, so if you are unlucky to get a bite of chicken without the sauce you would be disappointed with the lack of flavor.  Thankfully, there is a proper amount of sauce waiting for you to mix it with the chicken, beans, queso, and hidden tortilla/crepe-like savory thing hidden under the chicken and sauce.  The Mole was fantastic, with a good amount of heat, multi-layered flavor, and a just right amount of chocolate/cocoa to round it out.  If you’re escaping Silicon Valley in Santa Cruz, try the Mole.

Also, the people performing on the street were quite amusing that evening, expounding on a variety of topics ranging from race relations to the fallacy of organized religion.  When we left, I thanked them for the evening’s entertainment, to which they replied that we should come see them in Berkeley.  Perhaps we will, I hear there’s good food up that way.