La Casita de los Guisos

[loangalsal]

Can't imagine calling a walk around Playa looking for a restaurant a "wasted trip"! No big deal. I know now to try again next time! It must have been Tuesday, can't remember.

Thanks!

[Jesus]

Originally Posted by Heather

Huevos al gusto: scrambled eggs with some sort of chorizo, black beans, tortillas, habanero salsa, and fresh OJ...mmm...

Huevos al gusto translates to: Eggs in any style you want.

Guiso or guisado tanslates to cooked dish or main dish, like in a comida corrida, you get:
soup
Maybe an entree - posibly a salad or rice or a little bit of cold pasta
guisado - the main dish can be whatever they fancy
dessert

But if you go to a taqueria, "tacos de guisado" will mean that instead of simply chicken, beef, pastor, etc. you will get a taco of for example chile relleno, tinga de pollo, rajas, nopales con huevo, etc. That is, something you could normally have as a main dish by itself but served in tacos, so you can pick several small portions of each guisado depending on your cravings. Maybe you just want to have a little bit of nopales con huevo but don't want to order the whole thing as you won't have the appetite or hunger to eat it all.

[Jesus]

Originally Posted by loangalsal

Can't imagine calling a walk around Playa looking for a restaurant a "wasted trip"! No big deal. I know now to try again next time!

Next time you are in Playa and can't find something, go running to the internet cafe and read and post questions on the spot, that will save you some frustrations.

[Heather]

Originally Posted by Jesus

Huevos al gusto translates to: Eggs in any style you want.

Thanks, Jesus. I just pointed to what 2 men at another table were eating and said, "whatever that is, I want that." Works for me pretty well, usually. Except once I got Mondongo that way, and I did NOT like that.

[Jesus]

Originally Posted by Heather

I just pointed to what 2 men at another table were eating and said, "whatever that is, I want that." Works for me pretty well, usually. Except once I got Mondongo that way, and I did NOT like that.

Yep, the pointing method is good to a point. Point, eehhrrr, pun intended.

In Mexico you get the first impression of food via the eyes, we say "de la vista nace el amor" = "from sight love is born" and we apply it principally to food.
But there are some combinations that are not for everybody, and sometimes you learn the hard way. One day when I was 8 years old, I saw a big container with a white iced beberage on a hot afternoon I though it was horchata (for those of you that haven't heard of it is a fresh drink made of blended raw rice and/or melon seeds, a dash of cynamom and served very cold), but it was pulque, fortunately the vendor gave me a weird look and so did my Aunt and I didn't got my drink that day.

[jwp0077]

I ate lunch at this place today, fried grouper was the special of the day - it was excellent, complete meal with a coke was 38 pesos. Got talking to the fellow in an adjucant table - hr is a local writer, actually a food critic for an internet service . He can eat free anywhere in Play, but he pays for food here 3 times a week , thanks for the recommendation Heather..

[mustsmyle]

Thanks for the tip on a good place to eat! We stopped here on our last day in Playa (Jan 31). The red chairs were the perfect tip to find the place. No tamales left when we got there, about 3 p.m., but had pollo barbacoa(?), and two of the fresh made tortillas with beans, etc. The chicken came with rice and beans, and tortillas. Plus 2 Cokes...all for about 60 pesos. Good, cheap eats, and we were stuffed!

Ok, so I want to eat tamales too. I love them. So where is the best place to eat them? Best time to go and eat them whenit will be open? Havent had them in ages. My mouth is watering now.

[tommy]

Originally Posted by Heather

While wandering around the festival to celebrate Mexican Independence Day (Sept. 16), I tasted the best tamal I have ever had in my life. The woman directed me to her full-time business, which is a tiny little place called "La Madrina," on Avenida 20 and Calle 6. The owners, Delia and Ramon, are from Veracruz and in addition to the more traditional chicken and red chile tamal, they make a garlic and chipotle version that they say is Veracruz-style. I just brought one to James and he agrees--they are out of this world. They also make fresh tortillas daily, and are extremely friendly people.

Sun_goddess......read the original thread to answer all your Questions!!!!!!! Oh and before 3pm!

[Heather]

They told me they are only going to have tamales on the weekends now. Make sure when you get the tamales, you get the kind in a banana leaf. They had a new cook from another part of Mexico and she made some that were tightly rolled into a corn husk and, apologies to my friends Delia and Ramon for saying so, they were quite dry.

[Jesus]

Originally Posted by Heather

Make sure when you get the tamales, you get the kind in a banana leaf. They had a new cook from another part of Mexico and she made some that were tightly rolled into a corn husk and, apologies to my friends Delia and Ramon for saying so, they were quite dry.

That is because your first contact with tamales was with those on banana leaves. The leaf keeps them moist all the time.

In the rest of the country the normal, mostly, kind is the tamal in a corn husk. If you find a moist one, you got an old one or one that hasn't fully cooked or it was at the bottom of the container and it had overflown. These tamales are dryer and you normally eat them acompained by Atole, a drink made also with corn. It's thick like chocolate but flavoured with different fruits like straberry, guayaba or with rice, vanilla or even chocolate.

[Heather]

Originally Posted by Jesus

That is because your first contact with tamales was with those on banana leaves. The leaf keeps them moist all the time.

In the rest of the country the normal, mostly, kind is the tamal in a corn husk. If you find a moist one, you got an old one or one that hasn't fully cooked or it was at the bottom of the container and it had overflown.

Actually, I've been eating tamales for many years (Chicago has street vendors all over the place) and never had one in a banana leaf until I moved here. I've come to prefer them!! But I have to say, I haven't found decent corn from a vendor here yet (the corn is much tougher and not as sweet). I really miss Chicago's elote vendors!

Thanks for your insights, Jesus. It's always informative to read your posts.

[Jesus]

Originally Posted by Heather

Actually, I've been eating tamales for many years (Chicago has street vendors all over the place) and never had one in a banana leaf until I moved here. I've come to prefer them!!

You are welcome.

Every day I find a lot of interesting facts about my gringos friends. I would have never guess that there are tamales in Chicago, maybe the Mexican area of L.A. or somewhere in Texas, but that North, huuu!!

I haven´t tried the corn ones in Playa as I can get those at the corner of my house so I have no idea what can be wrong with them.

[Heather]

Originally Posted by Jesus

Every day I find a lot of interesting facts about my gringos friends. I would have never guess that there are tamales in Chicago, maybe the Mexican area of L.A. or somewhere in Texas, but that North, huuu!!

Chicago has a huge Mexican population. In my 11 years of living there, I did my best to make sure I lived in neighborhoods that had authentic Mexican restaurants and street vendors. Incidentally, my brother in law is from San Luis Potosi, and his sisters make the most wonderful food. I love going to parties at their house. They always try to fix hot dogs and hamburgers for us gringoes, but I always make them let me have some mole instead!

[frostybear2]

Originally Posted by Heather

Chicago has a huge Mexican population. In my 11 years of living there, I did my best to make sure I lived in neighborhoods that had authentic Mexican restaurants and street vendors. Incidentally, my brother in law is from San Luis Potosi, and his sisters make the most wonderful food. I love going to parties at their house. They always try to fix hot dogs and hamburgers for us gringoes, but I always make them let me have some mole instead!

hey heather, silverio is on his way to his sisters now for some tamales and mole. should i have him pick you some up???