La Casita Opened My Eyes...

For those of you living in Los Angeles, Mexican food is as part of our culture as Disneyland and the Dodgers. Regardless of what part of town you're in, you're bound to see one, two or more Mexican restaurants in your neighborhood, from fast food joints like Taco Bell and chain restaurants like El Torito to small hole in the wall taquerias and casual family-run restaurants.

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you probably know that while my emphasis tends to be on Asian dining, I love trying various cuisines, but the one cuisine that I tended to overlook in the past was Mexican food. I always felt like there wasn't enough variety. The menus of the Mexican restaurants I'd walk into consisted primarily of tacos, burritos, tostadas, quesadillas, etc. Not that those dishes weren't tasty, but once I sampled everything, there wasn't anything to look forward to.

It wasn't until my first meal at La Casita that my eyes were opened to new and different tasty possibilities that I never experienced before and all because of the soulful cooking of Chef-Owners, Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu. I've dined at La Casita for the past 3 years and with each meal, I'm just thankful that I've been able to expand my view of Mexican cuisine and experience more of its culinary traditions.

Given that I've been a steady visitor of La Casita, I thought I'd share with you some of the dishes that have wowed me over the years. One thing to mention is that while I have eaten dishes from their regular menu, there have been times when I've had off the menu items as well because of one of the Assistant Organizers of my dining group, Pleasure Palate. She truly is a frequent customer and as such, has a special rapport with the two chefs, which has resulted in some pretty special meals . I'll be sure to note those off menu items in my descriptions below. If you'd like to order any of the off menu items, call ahead at the restaurant and they may be able to accommodate you.

As mentioned above, my first visit to La Casita really gave me a new perspective on Mexican cuisine and on that first day, the following are some of the dishes that made me say, "I didn't know Mexican food could be like this." One of our starters for that meal was the Cream of Pork Rind Soup (off menu). Who would have thought the crunchy goodness of pig skin could be made into a soup? Yes, it is possible and wow, was it good.

Then there was the Traditional Mole Poblano with Chicken. This was actually my first taste of mole and the flavors hitting my taste buds were amazing ~ nutty, smoky, a little bit sweet, a little heat. Simply amazing.

The two desserts we had that day were quite unique. One was the Dulce de Jicama (off menu), candied jicama with cinnamon in a creamy sauce. It reminded me of rice pudding, but the jicama added a nice juicy crunch.

The second dessert were Guayabas Con Rompope, stewed guavas in a Mexican eggnog liquor. Tart and sweet. Christmas came early.

A subsequent visit was a Day of the Dead dinner where I was introduced to their Tamalito of Green Chile and Panela Cheese with Red Mole (off menu). It was moist with a bit of a kick from the tender chili peppers and the red mole sauce was outstanding.

This particular visit was also where I first tried one of La Casita's signature dishes, the Chili En Nogada. The Chili En Nogada is a poblano pepper stuffed with pork, dried fruits, walnuts, candied cactus, pecan cream sauce and topped with pomegranate seeds. I liked how the poblano pepper still had a slight crunch to it. The filling was delicious and the pomegranate seeds added just the right touch of tartness.

It wasn't until several months after that Day of the Dead dinner that I was able to re-visit La Casita and what a welcome back it was. While I got to try some new things, there were definitely a couple of items I wanted to savor again like their Cauliflower Cakes (off menu), which were battered cauliflower smothered with a red chili sauce. Cauliflower, as a whole, can be pretty bland, but not the way it was prepared at La Casita.

I was also happy to get a repeat taste of their Divorced Chilaquiles, with one half of the tortillas topped with salsa verde and the other with a red chili sauce. I loved how light and crunchy the tortilla chips were and always are.

As mentioned, there were a few new dishes included in our meal. Two of them really stood out. One was the Chiles Rellenos with Fresh Corn and Squash in Chile Rojo (off menu), which was a fresh and bright change from chili relleno that is usually stuffed with cheese.

The Fish in a Blackberry Mole (off menu) was truly a revelation. By this time, I've experienced quite a variety of moles, from chocolate and pipian moles to green and yellow moles to even green and white moles at La Casita as well as other Mexican restaurants, but none had such a concentration of a particular fruit or ingredient as that blackberry mole dish. It was truly superb, both sweet and tart.

At other visits, we ordered strictly from the menu. Be sure to check out their two melted cheese dishes. If you love chorizo, a must order for you is their Cheese Fondue with Chorizo. Tear off a piece of tortilla, add a dollop of cheese and chorizo, wrap it, eat it and repeat it. Delicious!

If chorizo is not your thing, check out the Aztec Cheese which is filled with poblano chile slices, mushrooms and herbs. The cheese for both dishes are made up of 4 different Mexican cheeses.

Looking for something light? If so, then the mini chicken tostados may be small enough to satisfy without filling you to absolute capacity. How can you go wrong with marinated chicken, chunks of cotija cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and red onions on top of crispy round tortillas?

Their Chili Relleno with Hoop Cheese is also quite tasty and when you cut a cross-section of the poblano pepper, you'll see right away that they are definitely not shy about taking care of any cheese cravings you may have.

If you have a sweet tooth, their mini housemade churros stuffed with cajeta or chocolate will put a smile on your face and if you happen to order a Mexican hot chocolate, dipping your churros into that chocolate goodness is a must try.

As you can see, La Casita is definitely one of my favorite restaurants and just when I think that I can't be surprised by Chefs Jaime and Ramiro anymore, it happens again. Recently, I took part in a 17 course dinner at La Casita that even now makes me happy from the inside out just thinking about it. The meal was a mixture of dishes I've had in the past and also, off the menu items like the Tequila-Infused Guacamole with Grasshoppers (off menu). I loved the creaminess of the guacamole and the light crunchy, earthiness of the dried grasshoppers.

We also got to sample their Green Ceviche (off menu), a pollock fish with poblano pepper, cilantro, onions, cucumber and lime juice. Refreshing and tart and I really enjoyed the crunch of the cucumber. What a great addition. This would be something perfect to have on a hot day.

The other seafood offering was a Fish with a Morita Chile Sauce (off menu). That morita sauce really gave some my fellow diners who had untrained palates when it came to spicy food, a rush towards a glass of water or bread to calm the flames. Not that I'm that much of a chili head, but for me it was just right and reminded me of tamarind for some reason. It had tangy flavor that I liked.

Part of the meal also included a recipe demonstration from the cookbook Chef Jaime and Ramiro are working on, revolving around the use of a Molcajete when it comes to making salsa. I think Mexican restaurants should adopt table side salsa making. It was fun to watch plus when everything was said and done, that salsa that was made right in front of me was absolutely fantastic.

That 17 course meal extravaganza ended with 4 desserts, two of which I've already talked about previously. Two of which were completely new. First, there was the one I'm going to refer to as an Arroz Con Leche Tortilla Won Ton (off menu), which was basically rice pudding in a tortilla shell.

The final dessert of the evening was Sweet Potato and Pineapple on a Cinnamon/Sugar Tortilla Chip (off menu). I liked how the opposing sweet and tart flavors of the two ingredients balanced each other out.

Overall, if you couldn't tell already, I'm a big fan of La Casita and if all you've ever had of Mexican food has been limited to tacos and burritos, La Casita will definitely open your eyes as they have mine to what else is out there when it comes to Mexican cuisine. All you have to do is take that leap.

To see all the pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594224654031/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594375399445/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600255483152/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157611933670065/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157614230393391/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157614786199025/

La Casita Mexicana
4030 Gage Avenue
Bell, CA 90201
(323) 773-1898
http://www.casitamex.com/

Alamada Swap Meet and La Casita Adventure

One hot summer day, I hosted a really special event for my dining group. It was a two-part event where the morning was spent taking a tour of the Alameda Swap Meet and our tour guides were none other than Chefs Jaime Martin Del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu of La Casita Mexicana Restaurant and this was followed by a lunch at their restaurant.

First, let me talk briefly about the Alameda Swap Meet. While waiting for our two guides in front of the Swap Meet, we were just amazed at the eye-catching colors of the buildings from the bright yellow and green of the building housing the Swap Meet to the tropical blue of the building across from us. One of my members even commented on how the area was like being in Mexico.

Once Chefs Jaime and Ramiro arrived, they took us into the produce section of the Swap Meet and immediately started talking about the various greens, veggies and fruits that can be used for different styles of Mexican cooking. There was produce in that market that I never even heard about until they were pointed out to me. Things like epazote leaves that can be put into tortillas or put raw into salads. There were things I heard about, but have only seen one kind of usage like alfalfa. I'm used to alfalfa sprouts again in salads or sandwiches, but full grown alfalfa plants that can be blended, strained and with the addition of ice, lime juice and sugar made into a refreshing drink was definitely new to me.

The amount of information coming out of the two of them was just amazing. I only wish now that I had a tape recorder or something so that I could have captured more of the verbal gems they were giving to us. Once you're able to pull yourself away from the produce section and walk towards the back, past a whole section devoted just to Mexican candy, you'll make it outside to the plaza where culinary delights will await you.

Mexican juices and waters, especially on a hot day, are there to refresh your palate. Golden brown churros dipped in sugar await your sweet tooth. If you're looking for a more substantial meal, there are a couple of places there where you can feast on tacos, burritos or whatever catches your fancy. There was really something there for everyone. Just those couple of hours with Chefs Jaime and Ramiro at the Alameda Swap Meet would have made my day, but the second half of the event really made my month. After exploring the Swap Meet, we all trekked over to La Casita Mexicana for a feast that I'll never forget. When this event was first set up, Chefs Jaime and Ramiro promised a culinary tour of Mexico and they certainly delivered.

Upon our arrival at the restaurant and our drink orders were taken and throughout the lunch, we were able to quench our thirst with either the lemonade with chia seeds or the cactus pear water. We were also given the option of having the alfalfa drink that I mentioned earlier and I have to tell you that it was my favorite aqua fresca of the three. I'm not even sure how to describe it, but I liked the "grassy" taste combined with the lime and sugar. It was a very refreshing drink without being overly sweet.

While waiting for our drinks, we started snacking on tortilla chips that had their dark mole sauce drizzled over it. With that delicious mole sauce, I didn't even need the salsa that was also on the table. The mole sauce had a rich, dark smoky flavor to it and was a good preview to the traditional mole poblano that was going to be coming later on in our meal. Some of the members in the beginning part of the lunch were able to go back to the kitchen to see some of our dishes being made.

One of them brought back to the table a quesadilla made with a homemade corn tortilla. Mixed in with the masa before it was cooked, were little bits of the epazote leaves and the quesadilla was stuffed with melted cheese and squash blossoms, purchased. Already here are two appetizers that were so impressive that I was definitely looking forward to what was going to follow and look below for what that comprised of:

1. Aztec Cheese Fondue with Epazote Tortillas (4 different Mexican cheeses filled with poblano chiles slices, mushrooms and herbs wrapped in plantain leaves and grilled.) --- The consistency of the four cheeses combined was stretchy. If you keep pulling at it, you could probably stretch it pretty far and wide.. It was an interesting texture and when eating it with the tortillas, it gave me a meaty feel as opposed to the more runny nature of most melted cheese that I'm familiar with. I liked it, although I think it needed more flavor.

2. Divorced Chilaquiles (fried tortilla chips topped with salsa verde on one side and a red sauce on the other side) -- This dish was actually a revelation for me. In the past when I've had chilaquiles, the tortillas were mushy to me. I never understood why people liked chilaquiles so much, but these tortilla chips stayed crispy even with sauce poured over them. Now that takes skill and of course, the two sauces were very flavorful.

3. Blue Corn Pozole (from Jalisco) or Cream of Pork Rinds (from Puebla) -- We had a choice of soups so I opted for the cream of pork rinds just because it seemed so odd to me that I had try it. Let me tell you that the soup definitely tasted like pork rinds and since I happen to love pork rinds, I made a good choice.

4. Red Enchiladas (from Jalisco) (filled with cotija cheese, smothered with a red sauce) -- The tortillas were cooked just right, not too hard around the edges that happens when it's overcooked. The red sauce, which I found out is made of simply tomato and cascabel chile, combined with the slight saltiness of the cotija cheese was in complete flavor harmony, which gave this dish a definite yum factor.

5. Cauliflower Cakes(from Zacatecas) (smothered with a red mild sauce) -- The cauliflower cakes was actually one of my favorite dishes. Cauliflower in itself is a pretty bland vegetable, but I actually think they added some spices to this vegetable before dipping it into an egg batter and than deep frying it and with the addition of the sauce, this cauliflower certainly was no longer a wallflower.

6. Traditional Mole Poblano with Chicken (from Puebla) -- I can't say enough good things about this mole sauce. Made out of 46 different ingredients, the sauce rocked my world. Even when the chicken was gone, I grabbed tortillas and was mopping it with that so that I can continue to experience its greatness.

7. Conquista Plate (from Oaxaca) (thin steak over grilled cactus; Oaxaca cheese, chile guajillo sauce served with white rice) -- I have to say that this was my least favorite dish. The combo of the cheese, the meat, which seemed a little tough to me and the cactus didn't appeal to me at all. Like all sauces at La Casita, the chile guajillo was wonderful, but that was the only part of the dish that I liked.

8. (2) Fish Dishes -- We actually had two substitutions for what would have been the chili en nogada and instead got two different fish dishes. One of them had this very tasty chipotle sauce that was just out of this world. The other fish dish seemed blander to me, even though it was cooked with garlic, onions and green peppers.

9. Dessert: Guayabas Con Compope (a La Casita Original) (stewed guava in a Mexican eggnog liquor) - This dessert was fantastic. I love guavas and eggnog and to somehow have both of them combined was a win-win for me. I don't even know how to describe how it tasted. Tart-sweet is what comes to mind.

10. Dulce de Jicama (a La Casita Original) (candied jicama with cinnamon in a creamy sauce) - While at the Alameda Swap Meet, the Chefs mentioned candied jicama as a dessert and somehow the concept seemed kind of odd to me, but after experiencing it in person, it definitely works. This dessert reminds of me rice pudding but instead of rice, you get the crunchy sweetness of the jicama.

Overall, our adventure with Chefs Ramiro and Jaime, both at the Alameda Swap Meet and than lunch at their wonderful restaurant was just truly amazing and even with the scorching weather both at the swap meet and at the restaurant, since their air conditioning wasn't working, I would not trade this experience at all and in fact, would definitely try to plan a repeat sometime in the future. By the way, the items described are on their regular menu, so definitely check out La Casita Mexicana whenever you get a chance.

To see all the pics, click here!

Alameda Swap Meet
4501 S Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 90058
(323) 233-2764

La Casita Mexicana
4030 East Gage Ave.
Bell, CA 90201
(323) 773 - 1898