October 31, 2005
mushroom flavored ice cream
is actually extremely good. On Saturday morning at the Ferry building, the cashier at the mushroom store was giving out scoops of his homemade mushroom ice cream. He was trying to sell the mushrooms, which went for some absurd price ($20/oz?), but the ice cream itself was unfortunately not for sale. Alas.
Posted by onion slayer at 10:06 AM | Comments (0)
September 15, 2005
in praise of tacos el grullense
Whenever I am afforded the opportunity, I eat lunch at an establishment in Redwood City called Tacos El Grullense.
A quick Google search revealed a scarcity of attention paid to this excellent locale--and so, I believe it my solemn duty to sing its praises herein.
I know of several restaurants in the Peninsula known as "Tacos El Grullense"--however, having lunched at two of them I know that not all Tacos El Grullenses were created equal. The El Grullense to which I refer in this entry, and which I encourage all reasonable human beings to visit, is located at the corner of Middlefield and Charter Streets in Redwood City. It is patronized primarily by local Mexicans, though I have heard that it is also quite popular with white police officers.
A disclaimer: I can't comment on the quality of El Grullense's burritos, tortas, quesadillas or birria. I can say, however, that the tacos are very good and authentically Mexican, nearly identical to those my uncle serves at his restaurant in Tijuana. That is--two small tortillas filled with a generous portion of meat (I prefer the carnitas), onions and cilantro (pathologically avoided by this onion slayer), and salsa (the spicier kind is best). In my spice-fiendishness I also add extra peppers, and squeeze a slice of lime on top of the tacos. These tacos, in addition to being near perfect, only cost a dollar each.
As delicious as they are, though, I can rarely bring myself to order them, too great being the opportunity cost: a missed chance at enjoying El Grullense's flawless sopes.
I was unable to find a satisfactory image of sopes online, but here is the best I could find:
Sopes are somewhat like small tostadas. Each is made up of a thick cornmeal (masa) shell, about three inches in diameter, that is fried in oil or lard and can range widely in softness and quality. As with many things, the best sope shells toe a delicate line between two extremes, and the best ones are not too soft but not too rigid, either. The Mexican restaurant I've gone to in the Castro, "La Tortilla", errs on the side of too soft. I don't believe I am exaggerating when I say that El Grullense's sope shells don't err at all.
What goes atop this masa shell also varies widely. My mom's sopes, which are just as good as El Grullense's, are a wholly different and far more elaborate dish involving a delicate process of preparation: cabbage, zucchini, radishes, and chicken broth are among its many ingredients. El Grullense's, on the other hand, are elegant in their simplicity. I order them as follows: on top of the masa shell there goes a small amount of melted fresh Mexican cheese, and then a spattering of pinto beans, a modest layer of finely shredded lettuce, a dash of cream (not the heavy dollop of sour cream that overwhelms La Tortilla's sopes), and finally a spoonful of red chili salsa. Because of my irritating compulsions regarding food I also order a small plate of carnitas (tender roasted pork) on the side so I may painstakingly remove all extraneous fat and gristle before placing it on the sopes such that it does not cause me distress in the eating. And once again, I am sure to add lime juice and slices of serrano peppers.
So simple the recipe, but so wildly successful the result, and I haven't yet found anything remotely comparable in a restaurant setting. But there is only so much that words alone can do in convincing the reader as to the excellence of Tacos El Grullense and of the sopes in particular. I thus repeat my recommendation: go there, and if you are a reasonable human being*, you will not be disappointed.
Postscript: Each sope costs $1.95. Two or three of them make a good lunch.
* This excludes vegetarians.
Posted by onion slayer at 08:44 PM | Comments (0)