El Toro Blanco

I haven't seen Z in for-ev-er!! I think the last time we hung out was post Vendy's!! Crazy right? I've noticed that we end up at Mexican spots frequently, but I'm a fan. So when we were deciding between two places, it was pretty easy to pick El Toro Blanco.  The space is well designed with a simple and clean look. It was pretty lively in there and had good energy but it's definitely not a space for quiet intimate dinners. Thankfully we were definitely more on the lively end that night. We of course started our meal with guacamole.

It was creamy delicious avocado with the right blend of spices. But the true winner in the starter column is the spicy habenero salsa in the trio that accompanied the guacamole.

We loved it so much we ended up asking for more to kick things up later in our meal. Although the menu had lots of terrific options, we both decided on the tacos. Z ordered the Baja  Swordfish.

The meaty taco included avocado, roasted jalapeño aioli and citrus slaw. She added some spice to kick it up but definitely enjoyed the tacos. I went with the Camarones en Barbacoa.

It was a good looking taco and definitely lived up to expectations. The roasted tomatoes were not as flavorful as I expected so I also spiced it up with the salsa. There was nothing left on my plate. Of course we had to try something else so we went with a side of poblano rice.

Although it looks tasty it was definitely the most disappointing part of our meal. The rice was undercooked and boring! We mixed in the queso fresca but still got nothing out of it. There was no kick or flavor. Overall a very disappointing side. I had to make up for it with dessert.

The Mexican Chocolate Cake was a notch above what I usually expect. The matchstick churros and dulce de leche ice cream definitely brought this dessert together. The rich chocolate was completed by the ice cream and churros. I was quite pleased and this was the perfect end to the meal.

Our service was definitely subpar but it didn't take away from the meal. I was a huge fan of the variety on the menu and loved the tacos as guacamole. The rice was a low point, but the cake was a fantastic end. I'll definitely be back to more thoroughly explore the variety of the menu!

Hungry yet?

El Vez - Philadelphia

I fully intended on posting food news yesterday but in truth knowing that I would be out of town this weekend means I had less motivation to compile the list. (sorry!) I'm in Philadelphia for a firm retreat.  We are staying smack in the middle of Philly at the Ritz-Carlton.  I was initially excited because of the potential for delicious treats at the hotel, but that was quickly dispelled during our reception last night.  Breakfast this morning wasn't much better.  So for lunch, I set out on a little adventure to El Vez.

I read about the restaurant on Urbanspoon and figured if it was number 10 of all the restaurants in Philly, it had to be pretty good.  It was a surprisingly sunny day in Philadelphia so Ms. F and I sat outside.  Our server was very attentive and helpful in letting us know her favorites on the menu.  We started out with the "Indian Red" Lopez guacamole.  The guacamole is made with the usual ingredients and spicy crab, cilantro and salsa roja.

It's served with warm tortilla chips and red salsa.  The guacamole was amazing!  Fresh avocado, red onions and tomatoes mixed into a creamy delicious texture and topped with crab and salsa roja.  There definitely could have been more crab but I wasn't complaining (too loudly).  The chips were also really good and I definitely ate more than I intended.

Shortly after we started dipping into the guacamole, our Open Faced Shrimp Quesadilla arrived.

Looks just like pizza right?  This quesadilla contained oaxaca and chihuahua cheeses with pasilla chile sauce, red onions, jalapenos and of course topped with shrimp.  Woweee! This quesadilla was incredible.  Although it had tons of cheese, it somehow didn't taste too cheesy.  The onions and jalapeno added a nice contrast and bit of spice to the cheesy flavor.  Yup, I was definitely a big fan!  Once we devoured our quesadillas, our Sea Bass Tacos arrived.

The tacos were served with sweet potato puree, grilled scallions and fried jalapenos.  The sea bass was seared and sat on top of the sauce.  I was pleased with my first bite, but as I continued to chew, I realized  there was an odd taste that I wasn't ready to taste.   Somehow, they snuck a hint of cinnamon into this dish! Crazy yea? It actually worked pretty well but I needed the jalapeno to help cut through the sweetness.

After that taco, we were looking for something spicy.  Our waitress informed us that spicy isn't really their thing at El Vez and she recommended that we try the Duck Gorditas.

The presentation definitely looked good.  The gordita was stuffed with duck confit and chihuahua cheese.  It was topped with some combination of nuts and poppy seeds and served with pickled cucumber and mole negro.  I was so full by the time this arrived that I was only able to eat a small portion.  It was REALLY delicious.  I wish I could have eaten more but I could barely drink water let alone push another morsel into my mouth.

El Vez was definitely a good look and it's no surprise that they're currently ranked #10 Philly restaurant on Urbanspoon.  The service was on point, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was extremely lively.  Considering the track record at the Ritz, I'm happy I had such a delicious lunch so that way dinner won't matter much.  Although I must say, considering Eric Ripert owns a restaurant in here, they better step their game up!

Hungry yet?

Red Snapper with Mango Salsa and Wild Rice

I first started thinking about this meal a couple of days ago but I couldn’t quite figure out exactly what I would make and how I would make it.  I’ve thought about making tropical salsa for a while but don’t really know what to serve it with or which fruit to use.  I finally decided to focus on mango and go from there.  I knew I would go with seafood but it wasn’t until I got to the fish market that the red snapper spoke to me.  I really wish I could have found a filet, but in the end I had to settle for the red snapper steak.  Here’s the recipe that ended up producing this.

Ingredients

2 Red Snapper Steaks (or filets)

1 tsp chili powder or cayenne

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp grated ginger

salt to taste

juice of half a lime

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Pat the fish dry and lay on individual large pieces of foil. Mix spices in a small bowl and squeeze half of lime juice in and stir together.  

Use the mixture as a rub for the fish.  If using steak, rub both sides.  

If filet, only rub on non skin side.  Squeeze remainder of lime juice over the fish then fold foil ends so they meet then fold down and secure creating a wrap.  Place fish on a baking sheet and bake for 10 – 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.  When you remove it from the oven, open up and this is what you get

I tried to capture the steam rising but couldn’t quite get it.  Mango Salsa recipe below.