Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation BCR, BART, Anyone else...

BCR, Bart

We are really lucky (if you like mexican food) in that this part of Alabama has a huge population of folks from south of the border.

I don't want to start a political discussion about immigration or the like, but would like to ask a question or 2 foodwise because I know cultural and regional differences exist in all cuisines. Most of our "mexican" population here look similar. They are shorter and stockier. An aquaintence of mine runs a business called H.E.L.P. Its basically a temp/employment agency for Hispanics. My aquaintence is tall and thin. Also have a girl that does some translations for me. She is 1/2 PR. She informed me that what immigrates (and as I understand it the majority of the folk here are here legally or atleast came legally and outstayed their visas) here are what would be considered the "indians" of mexico...not the people you'd find in Mexico City. I don't know if thats true or not. Would that be northern mexico?

If you know...what is the basis of the cuisine "these folks" (sorry I don't know a PC way to phrase that) would create, vs any other from Mexico...or what is called Tex-Mex. About the only thing I have been able to gather is that pork is HUGE in their diets, as is meat in general. We have some 'hole in the wall joints' where I have been the only white guy, AND I can't read the menus AND nobody hablas. I know some basics of espanol enough to know pollo=chicken and camerones=shrimp etc and got some good dishes at one place, and some were not so good at other places. I don't know any other way to ask this...but what would this culture or region of hispanic people be good at making? What are their staples? What should I look for in looking for places to get authentic AND good food? If you can answer at all. That may be too generic.

I have a place that I frequent. It was started by 3 brothers, and started out as a hole in the wall. They are a little more polished than most of their compadres, but basically like them. Their resaurant always serves up fresh items. I don't know how "authentic" it is, but its good quality. And the local health and fire inspectors say they keep the cleanest kitchen of any place they see. The salsa is very good. They don't serve too much that just looks like something rolled in a tortilla and covered in red sauce. It presents well. They also still give me my police discount too. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I wan't to know if this is what I need to look for, or something else? This is a good family place, and its packed daily for lunch and dinner....but I want to find the best "authentic" cuisine too.

Wow .280 you ask alot...
My taste probably differs from Boggy's.
What I think is the best thing about a cafe is
first,the hot sauce...Then the Enchilada sauce.
Then is the beer cold...
The best Tex-Mex restaurant in the world is El Fenix in Dallas.
The Martinez family does it the best...
If you want the best start there.
Bart

Man, 280 you don't ask much do you <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> the regional cooking of Mexico would and does fill books. What we here in Del Norte ( the USA ) call Mexican food is almost without exception Northern Mexico that has been Americanized and called Tex-Mex. This is your enchaladas, chilis, tacos, nachos, etc that is standard bill of fare at "Mexican" cafe's.

Without trying to write a guide book and realizing that there are exceptions I'll put it this way:

Northern Mexico- leans heavily to beef and goat (chicken is universal everywhere just fixed different) usually the food is more spicy and the tortillas are flour more than corn.

Futher south you get into mole country this is a thick usually sweet sauce that most of the time has some quantity of chockolate in it. They put mole on everything like frenchmen. Turkey ( pavo or gualote con mole is very good if fixed right.

Still futher south the food is not spicey at all and runs heavily into the inclusion of fruit in the dish, mango, banana, coconut, oranges etc. Two great dishes from that region are pollo pibil chicken baked in banana leaves or cochinta pibil which is pork done the same way. Pork and mutton are featured more than beef.

Any thing you see on the menu that says a la Veracruzana will be fish of some kind topped with a sauce of tomatoes olives, capers and chiles. It won't be too spicey though.

Most of the wetbacks coming now are actually from Central America which is a whole other deal food wise and one I am not too familiar with.

In Mexico and the "higher class" view of the people who are more Indian than Mexican and therefore darker, with more Indian features would make you think you were in Birmingham, Alabama in the 60's. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

In your restaurant if you see carne asada on the menu try it. Bet you will like it.

BCR

Thanks BCR and Bart,

Anyone else wants to chime in please do!

BCR...the carne asada is pretty good. My absolute favorite is the Camerones Rancheros. The way they make it at my fave place it resembles a shrimp, onions, and peppers stir fry in a chili oil with some tomato bits. I don't know if its the same as Ranchero Sauce, but often times its pretty spicy which is how I like it. Its not a heavy sauce, in fact its not really a sauce at all...like I said more of a stir fry. A couple of other places make a camerones diablo. Pretty good, and pretty spicy!

Like I said the best thing about my favorite place is, decent food made with fresh ingredients...outstanding service (former cop there, and a lawyer now...Im treated very well and they cut my check about 30% for my 'police discount'...but they really give good service to all), they have very cold beer and huge a$$kickingly strong Margaritas.

Yes, that is a ranchero sauce. What they are doing is using it as a part of making the dish instead of just putting it on top of the dish (what ever it is) after it is cooked.


BCR

Ok,

BIG help...I have been wanting to make this at home. My guess is its basically a stir fry type deal witht he Ranchero tossed in right at the end and mixed in? So IF I can produce a good Ranchero sauce I can knock this out at home?

Made properly...is ranchero sauce typically pretty hot, or varies like all things cuisine? Some days this joint's camerones is like about a 2 on the heat scale (2= a green bell pepper hot or not hot at all) to a 7 maybe (which is to me hot like fresh jalapenos heat, good heat but not unbearable, maybe have to take a beer break every couple of bites without ruining the taste) The quality control is sometimes lacking...or maybe just differences in the cook.

Ranchero sauce is usually pretty mild. I'd think differences in the cook and differences is what the sauce was to be used with or for.

With shrimp you don't want to mask the shrimp flavor but add too it with a good sauce. Too much fire will kill your taste buds and you don't know what you are eating.

Just experiment with it a bit you will hit it right.

Hoist a Dos Equis or Negra Modelo while you are trying. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />


BCR

Love me a good crisp Negra Modelo!