Perused the special St-Estèphe menu, that chef John Sendler resurrected for the month of September, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the birthplace of modern Southwest cuisine. Despite even the prices being the same as in 1981, we passed. We, or rather I and I dragged her along, intended to eat the pibil!

Started with one of my favorite drinks, Rivera’s classic Barbacoa with mezcal. The beef jerky in the drink never gets old. This time, I really appreciated the sliced bell peppers infused with the drink. Always tasty.

To start, we had the Choros al Vapor. mussels, chorizo, aji amarillo pisco broth. So good, I wish that they had offered us more bread to soak up the juices!

Rather than get another appetizer, we dug ourselves into the delicious black mess called duck enfrijolada. blue corn tortillas, black bean puree, chevre, red wine chile sauce. the duck was prepared and had the texture of carnitas.

Before the main even, I had the Oaxacan Piece Pipe. Chichicapa (this word caught my eye and was the reason why I ordered this, Ha!) mezcal, rye, black pepper, cumin syrup, dandelion and burdock bitters, grapefruit essence. This thing was strooooong. Good and strong.

and why we came here……. the Yucatecan Puerco Pibil. banana leaf-wrapped pork shoulder, braised sous-vide. I’d argue is Rivera’s best dish.

So good, we each had our own.

For dessert, we were intent on getting the Spanish Olive Oil cake. lemon extra-virgin cake, creme fraiche ice cream, strawberry sorbet, jerez vinegar reduction.

… and at the last minute, we got the baba cachaca. individual sponge cake soaked in brazilian rum syrup, dulce de leche, fresh citrico. Amazing; it was my first time having baba.

 A great dinner. I’m looking forward to coming again.

Link: Rivera

El Rey del Mar, 18530 Sherman Way,Reseda, CA 91335

Chef Centina of Chichen Itza can take solace then that Agent Sands was only a fictional character because his pibil is AMAZING.

Seriously, one of my top 5 dishes.

You know what’s cool? The Los Angeles Times has the recipe. One of these days, I will make it myself.

Copy + Paste:

Chichen Itza cochinita pibil

Total time: About 1 hour, 10 minutes, plus marinating and baking time

Servings: 8 to 10

Note: From chef Gilberto Cetina of Chichen Itza Restaurant. Ground annatto seeds and frozen banana leaves are widely available at Latino markets. To thaw the banana leaves, remove the bag from the freezer about 1 hour before using.

Cochinita pibil

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

2 whole cloves

1 whole allspice berry

1 small pinch dried oregano

6 tablespoons ground annatto seeds

2 tablespoons salt, divided

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 cup orange juice

3/8 cup grapefruit juice

3/8 cup lemon juice

5 pounds pork (pork butt or boneless pork shoulder)

1/2 pound banana leaves, previously frozen and thawed

Pickled onion for garnish

8 to 10 whole habanero peppers for garnish (optional)

1. In a spice grinder, grind the peppercorns, cloves, allspice and oregano to a fine powder. In a bowl, combine the spice mixture with the ground annatto seeds, 1 tablespoon salt, garlic and vinegar along with one-fourth cup water; stir until it reaches the consistency of a paste. (Makes about one-half cup; it can be refrigerated for several months.)

2. In a large bowl, make a marinade by stirring 2 heaping tablespoons achiote paste with the citrus juices and 1 tablespoon salt until well-blended.

3. Cut the pork into large pieces about the size of your fist. Add the pork to the marinade, stirring to cover completely; cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 3 to 12 hours, turning at least once.

4. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a Dutch oven or heavy casserole with the banana leaves, overlapping the leaves slightly and covering the bottom and sides of the dish.

5. Place the marinade and pork in the banana leaf-lined pan. Pour the remaining marinade over the meat and fold the banana leaves tightly over the meat.

6. Cover and tightly seal the baking dish with heavy aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until the meat is tender to the point of falling apart with a fork. Divide the pork among plates, skim the fat from the marinade and pour over the pork, sprinkle with pickled onions and place a fresh habanero pepper on top. Serve with tortillas and habanero salsa if desired.

Pickled onions

1 large (or 1 1/2 medium) red onion, cut into 1/4 -inch dice

2 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/2 tablespoon salt

In a bowl, combine the onions, vinegar and salt with three-eighths cup water; let stand for 2 hours. Drain and serve with cochinita pibil.

Roasted habanero salsa

9 habanero peppers (stems removed)

7 cloves garlic, peeled

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Place the habaneros and garlic in a small, heavy frying pan and roast over medium-high heat until slightly charred. Place peppers and garlic in a food processor with vinegar and salt and blend until pureed. Add the oil and stir well to combine.

Each of 10 servings with 2 tablespoons pickled onions and one-half teaspoon salsa: 397 calories; 39 grams protein; 6 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 23 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 135 mg. cholesterol; 431 mg. sodium

………..i guess it’s also worth mentioning that I tried the Ceviche Pescado, which was basically basa fish marinated in lime, cilantro, onion, and tomatoes.. very refreshing…

Cheers!

Link: Chichen Itza Restaurant

La Serenata, 19265 Roscoe Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 91324.

Looking back at old blog posts, I realize that it’s been a year and half since I’ve been back!

We were in the neighborhood for the Clippers game (vs. the Houston Rockets) at Staples Center, and needed to grab a bite to eat.. or rather, I was craving their signature Barbacoa drink >=)

Anyways, the mezcal-based drink included chipotle, bell pepper, ginger, and beef jerky! Sounds weird, but I guarantee that it is one of the most refreshing drinks ever…pardon the crap iphone pic…

as for food, we started with the piquillos rellenos…stuffed spanish peppers, chorizo, golden raisins, and gruyere. delicioso

remembering how tasty the yucatecan puerco pibil sous vide was, I suggested she order it…

wanting to try something new but also kind of wanting pork…  i chose the costa rican puerco from the samba menu… similar to PR girl’s dish, my hunk of kurobuta pork tenderloin was braised in coffee, and it was served in a sugar cane sauce….yummmmmm..

We skipped dessert to make our way to the game………..

Bonus:

Blake Griffin shooting a free throw!

Link: Rivera

I was actually looking forward to it. The place is known for their house margaritas. In fact, LA Weekly considered them the best in 2009, one year after opening up shop. And did it live up to the hype? Yes! It was refreshing, and had just the right amount of tequila. I’d definitely come back for drinks or happy hour, but for straight food, that’s another story….. 

Always on the look out for interesting items, I ordered the Lamb Shank Birria, which included a 21 oz braised lamb shank, served with pickled onions, rice, and corn, in some kind of chile broth. Presentation-wise, it was acceptable. Taste-wise, it was well, edible. There was no wow factor, and actually, left me a bit disappointed. Though the meat was tender and fell right off the bone, it did not appear that it was properly marinated. The trimmings weren’t very spectacular, as well. Oh well, lesson learned. I think I will stick to ordering Lamb shanks only at Persian restaurants.

I tried some of PR girl’s Enchiladas Rojas Sencillas, which was supposed to have included braised beef shortribs, but really, the meat was pretty dry, almost like carnitas. Did the chef fuck up and stuff it with the wrong meat? Or was it just overcooked? During this time, I had a nice margarita buzz going to really care. In hindsight though, the enchilada wasn’t very good. So, this will be another dish that I’ll never order again.

Eventually, we made it to the end of the meal, and satisfied our collective sweet tooth with some churros! In contrast to the rest of the meal, this was yum and I was actually pretty sad that I didn’t just skip the appetizers and entrees and go straight to dessert. But really, you can never go wrong with vanilla ice cream, chocolate, and fried, sugary dough.

Overall, the experience was acceptable. I might be back. We will see.

Link: Ortega 120

I got the el caldo…beef and vegetable soup. It was tasty and had that home-cooking aura. I really liked the corn tortillas that they make in-house; they’re thick and flavorful.

. forgive the crap iphone pictures.

tried some of the half chicken special. It was like a leaner El Pollo Loco.

I don’t eat Mexican food that much, but if I’m ever in the valley and want some, I come here. 

Carillo’s Mexican Deli. 19744 Sherman Way, Winnetka, CA 91306.

I ordered the Chamorro, or Pork Shank. Crispy marinated pork shank served with red bean-chorizo chili and chipotle creamed spinach. It was huge and pretty delish.

Apparently, they’re also known for their fresh guacamole made table-side.

Overall, it was okay. Upscale? Maybe just the prices.

Link: Rosa Mexicano

Link: La Paz

inside of the Burrito de Machaca (shredded beef….no beans). YUM!

Link: Las Fuentes

According to the website, the sope is about 270 Calories, which doesn’t mean much since I also had an all meat al pastor burito, two carne asada tacos, and an horchata. muahahaha.

Link: King Taco

their selection from the well-stocked salsa bar.

Their horchata is pretty damn good. i’ll be back. Cheers!

Link: Las Fuentes

these burritos come with choice of meat, beans, and rice.

Free chips and salsa are served while waiting. Their horchata is also pretty damn tasty.

Will be back again!

Carrillo’s Mexican Deli, 19744 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91306