Sunday, May 24, 2009

Las Vegas Restaurant Review: Los Molcajetes


Los Molcajetes, 1553 N. Eastern Ave, las Vegas, NV

May 23, 2009

I first read about this spot in Norm's column in the Review-Journal. He is a gossip/celebrity columnist and his spies had seen some local chefs head to this restaurant. If you would like to see the entire column.....check out: http://www.lvrj.com/news/44579597.html. It has always been my opinion that great chefs are worth following when it comes to good restaurants even if they don't carry a heavy price tag!

We made the drive to this little place to a part of town that we would never have explored otherwise. The interior of the restaurant was clean, bright, and felt like your Mexican mother's kitchen table. There were some pictures of the food on the walls, cute little lights, and shiny and warm Spanish tiles on the floor. We chose a table near the wall so we could check out the scene. I think we were the only white people in the place and that's usually a good sign when judging a restaurants authenticity.

Our waitress was friendly and attentative. Upon our arrival she brought chips and salsa right away. The salsa was a little watery, but had huge chunks of onion, tomatoes, and green chile's amongst the little red chiles that gave it so much heat. The salsa was pretty to look at and enjoyable with the crunchy chips; the heat definately increased with each bite.

After looking through the menu we decided to try two of the molcajetes and a chicken mole. Our waitress was helpful in pointing us in the right direction and answering our questions. The Menu was also written in English and Spanish to make things a little easier. Our conversation was lively after our beers arrived and we anxiously awaited our food.

When the food did come out it was quite a sight to see. Large black calderons (Molcajete's) of bubbling red liquid filled with or chosen fillings. The two molcajetes looked so big next to the chicken mole, but it's deep dark brown sauce looked very inviting as well.

I ordered the shrimp and octopus molcajete and it was loaded with both items. The hot calderon also was accompanied with corn/flour tortillas served warm and wrapped in a towel. It also came with a salty square of cotija cheese, roasted napales (cactus leaves), an avocado slice, and some green onions. The star of the molcajete is the red chile sauce that is literally bubbling out of the pot. The sauce acts as the cooking liquid for the seafood and meats. All that is needed to eat is a spoon and plenty of the napkins. The flavor was unreal, with deep, comforting, chile flavors that were spicy, but not overwhelmingly hot. The dish was perfectly seasoned and the shrimp was totally succulent. There was one bump in the road and that was the octopus. It was definately chewy. I guess that needed more time than the shrimp to cook and soften up.

My cousin ordered the mixed molcajete and was just like mine, but it was filled with roasted chicken, shrimp, and beef. Equally delicious as mine but with meatier fillings!

My wife ordered the chicken mole and was not dissapointed. The mole was the star that enhanced the chicken roasted on the bone. The sauce was perfect with chile and peanut overtones but also smooth and silky.

After a few more cervezas and cleaning our plates we left very happy and fully packed! We will definately make the trip back as this spot is gem worth travelling to.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Vinaigrettes are quick and easy.....here's how

One of the easiest and quickest sauces to make is an emulsified vinaigrette. Emulsified just means that an oil and water (in this case something acidic-vinegar) are mixed together so that they bond. Okay, enough science, let's get to the good stuff.....



First, there is a general rule of thumb for any vinaigrette: 1 part acid to 3 parts oil plus emulsifying agent plus seasonings.



Let me clarify and give examples of each part.....



Acid: Usually a vinegar, but also could be a fruit juice. Red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, champagne vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice, lime juice, grapefruit juice are all examples of ACID.



Oil: This is pretty self explanatory, and feel free to experiment but examples include: extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, walnut oil, avocado oil, sesame oil, etc.



Emulsifying agent: This is the science part, but it's easy to understand. Water and oil don't like to mix so an agent is needed to help them bind together when they don't naturally want to do so. Egg yolks, Mustard powder, and Dijon mustard are common examples.



Seasonings: Let's say these are ingredients that you add to give the vinaigrette character. This list is endless, but some examples could be: fresh herbs, citrus zest, bacon, cheese, onions, garlic, hot sauce, dried herbs, nuts, cheese, honey, garlic....you get the picture.



Second, vinaigrettes dont have to be used just for salads, they can make a great sauce for fish, meat, and vegetables.

So get creative, get cooking, and get going.....check back for vinaigrette recipes.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Saturday Wine Night

On Saturday we got together with our Vino friends and had our four bottle tasting. Usually, we end up drinking a lot of reds, but that night we had two whites and two reds.

1. 2005 Jordan Chardonnay, Sonoma, CA-full bodied with lemon peel and honey. Lots of acidity and very little Oak. This wine was purchased on a trip to sonoma and was about 25$ at the winery


2. 2007 A to Z Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, OR- Light, Mineral tones, and tangy; Tart. Purchased this one at Costco for $17. Good cheap summer wine. Food Friendly (we had Thai curry that night)


3. 2005 Zenaida Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, CA- Medium bodied with Leather and blackberries. Medium Tannins and nice lingering finish. For some reason I didn't remember it being this good at the winery, but we'ed been tasting wine all day and this was our last stop. $15 at the winery. Nice Value.


4. 2006 Siduri Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma, CA- Thanks to our friends for bringing this show stopper out. Full bodied beauty with tons of cherry and cola flavors. Silky smooth tannins and acidity. Nice lingering finish of blueberries. This was purchased at the Siduri Tasting room in Sonoma, CA and was $53. The year and a half of aging was definitely a plus.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

I just wanted to let everyone know that the homemade ricotta cheese came out really well. I got the recipe from a cheese magazine at wholefoods. I had been wanting to make the cheese for sometime because I knew there couldn't be much to it.

I doubled their recipe using:

1/2 Gal Whole milk
1 C Heavy cream
4 T Lemon juice
salt to taste

Heat the first three ingredients at medium heat until they reach 205 degrees. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 for the curds to form. When I did this the milk mixture actually started to boil (being at 2700 ft) but the pot still made it to 205 on my insta-read thermometer.

Place a cheese cloth or coffee filter in a strainer and then scoop the curds out of the pot and into the strainer. I used a fine sieve and a chinois to let the whey drain out in this step. allow the liquid to drain. Transfer to a bowl add salt to taste and then place in an airtight container.

I served this with Port Poached Figs:

1 bottle of Port
1-2 Cups Dried Black mission figs, cut in half
1 cinnamon stick

place port in a medium pot with the cinnamon stick and bring to a simmer. Add the figs and reduce heat to low for about 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove the figs and place in a storage container. Continue simmering the port until you have about 1/2-3/4 cup of reduced liquid. Pour reduced port over figs and cover. I let mine marinate overnight.

Serve the figs with a quenelle of fresh ricotta and some nice seeded crackers for a quick and satisfying dessert.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

A Food Loving Blog Virgin

I decided that maybe, just maybe, I might have something valuable to add to this large space known as the Internet; or blog-o-sphere.

Hopefully, this blog turns into one about food, recipes, restaurants and maybe some travel. My profession lies in cooking, creating, and enjoying food. I am allowed to dabble, in my current position, with pretty much whatever I can get my hands on food wise. Sometimes creating a menu can be a challenging and difficult because the creativity just isn't always "ON". So I try to rely on print and online resources, past eating experiences, and new ideas that have been floating around.

For example, my most recent "project" is a book club luncheon. The challenge is everyone is served the same meal. This one will be 3 courses with an amuse bouche to be served prior to the meal; possibly at the bar with a class of wine or cocktail. But, this can be a difficult task when dealing with food restrictions: No seafood (allergies), no pork (religious), and low fat (women are always worried about weight). This usually leads me to chicken since it is leaner then beef and lamb.

In addition to dietary restraints I also have to consider textures, cooking techniques, and flavors so that there is some variety of the courses. Currently, I have planned these courses as follows:

Amuse bouche: Roasted Lamb Kabob with Yogurt dipping sauce

First Course: Mixed Green Salad with Shaved Apples, Meyer lemon-honey-herb vinaigrette, Shaved Manchego cheese and Candied Walnuts

Main Course: Moroccan spiced Chicken "pie", Crispy phyllo, with roasted Cauliflower and Cilantro oil

Dessert: Homemade Ricotta cheese with Nut Crackers and Port Poached Figs

This menu definitely has a Mediterranean twist to it and I think it will satisfy any pallete. I hope that by keeping the portions tight and trim, that even with some rich ingredients, this won't be too indulgent and rich. For this event I try to use ideas that I have made before, however, I have not made homemade ricotta before and look forward to the challenge.