Leaving Mexico City

As of this week, I have resigned from my post as executive chef of Social House Mexico City.

No regrets. No hard feelings....
Social House gave me a great opportunity to grow and learn about the business.

Of course, I'm holding back. If you asked some other people, they might say something different.... just saying.

All about Tacos Al Pastor

Tacos Al Pastor, literally meaning "Shepard Style" is made from marinaded pork cooked in a spit grill. Each taco vendor has his or her own marinade containing a combination of chiles and anatto, which gives the pork its color. It is cooked on the spit or rotisserie. A chunk of pineapple is placed on top during the cooking process, which contains an enzyme that helps tenderizes the meat. The influence comes from the Lebanese shawarma and is considered a "must try dish" whenever visiting Mexico DF. Wars of words go on each and every day about who serves the best variation of this classic taco.

The picture above, is a meal that I had at El Charco de Las Ranas in Pedregal. It was delicious, but pricey (25 pesos each taco), since I can eat about 10 of these in one sitting.

The great taco debate still goes on!

The Prince of Street Food: The Mexican Torta

Torta de Chorizo con Huevo, weighing in at over a pound!!!


What is a torta? In different countries, the word "Torta" carries different meanings. The word torta, depending on whom you ask, can mean: cake, omellete, or even scrambled eggs. But I want to talk about the Mexican Torta.

The torta is a Mexican sandwich. It is what the panini is to the Italians or the banh mi is to the Vietnamese. This sandwich can be found all over the country in restaurants, such as La Castellana or the thousands of street food vendors all over the city. The two types of bread commonly used in tortas are bolillo (oval shaped) and toleras (round shaped). They are packed with different fillings ranging from chorizo, ham, to milanesa and bacalao. Then these sandwiches are garnished with items such as avocado, sour cream, mayonaisse or frijoles. The torta is the quintessential street food. So if the taco is the "king of street food", then the torta is the "prince".

All about "Comida Corrida"

(at a Comida Corrida by Metro Barranca del Muerto, Mexico DF)

Comida Corridas are all over Mexico. Basically, it's a restaurant with authentic Mexican home style cooked foods. Nothing really fancy, but kind of like having a lunch over at a Mexican grandma's house. These joints are occupied by all types of customers: people in business suits, students, and entire families. They are amazingly fast and inexpensive, costing about 30-50 pesos per person (about $2.00 - $4.00 usd). BTW, lunch time in Mexico is around 2-4 pm.

The menu format is always the same:

1st: consomme or soup of the day

2nd: rice or pasta

3rd: an traditionally cooked entree (think enchiladas, pork chop and green salsa, empanadas, chicken mole, etc) some restaurants change their menus daily

4th: Jello or Fruit

Of course this isn't all that's served. Each comida comes served with corn tortillas or bread, a large array of salsas, and unlimited agua fresca (fruit water).

So if eating grandma's home cooking turns you on, then a great option for lunch is the "comida corrida".

The perfect taco???

This is a question that I've asked myself many times throughout my stay here in Mexico City.

I must admit, I grew up eating "hard shell tacos" in school cafeterias and the numerous Taco Bells all over Southern California, something that is non existant here in DF. Then, when I first moved out here, I would seek out the best deals on tacos: 5 tacos for 10 pesos with free consomme was satisfying for me, but I knew there was something better. Though I have never tried them, I found some tacos off of the Metro Pantitlan Station for a ridiculous 1 peso each.

I liked tacos before, but it wasn't until my experience with El Charco de las Ranas, a taco joint, that turned my thinking of tacos upside down. Tacos formed from the meat of pork neck, hand made tortillas, and then there was suadero, and al pastor. The taco has been around forever, but I felt like I was missing out on something so simple and magnificent this whole time. WHERE THE HECK HAVE I BEEN?

A single bite from a taco contains so many different textures, aromas and a dozen different flavors. It is something so simple, yet complex and exciting. And in its most basic and glorious form, consists of only corn tortillas, a protein, onion, cilantro, a squeeze of lime and salsa.

Searching for the perfect taco in DF is no small feat. There are hundreds and thousands of taco vendors. So if you are living in DF and have read up to this point, shout out your recommendation for your perfect taco spot.

Restaurante Takenoya, Polanco

Chefs preparing dumplings behind a glass enclosed kitchen.


Shanghai Steamed Pork Dumplings - Xiao Long Bao


Chef waiting for a customer's order




Takenoya, in Polanco, was a pleasant discovery. A few days ago, I read about this restaurant on MidwesternerinMexico. Takenoya is a Pan Chinese and Japanese restaurant. It features a variety of mainstream dishes from both countries, such as potstickers, xiao long bao, har gow, tempura, as well as featuring a full sushi bar and teppenyaki tables. The xiao long bao is obviously its signature dish, as every table had an order of it. Its farce was a bit fattier and didn't hold as much broth as the dumplings I grew up eating. However, I'm not complaining, because I'm glad this restaurant exists here in DF. The xiao long bao's flavors were spot on with what I've eaten in Shanghai, China and (my home) Monterey Park, CA.



Takenoya
Moliere 313, Col. Polanco

Pissed off about Mexican sashimi!!

There are just too many restaurants that try to be everything to everyone. Much more often than not, the results are a disappointing, ugly, diluted version of what the dish should be. Here is my personal philosophy for cooking: Keep it simple, stick with what you know best, and then do it better than everyone else.


For example, take this Kona Kanpachi dish (below) from a popular seafood restaurant in Santa Fe. It has a huge menu with over 200 items. The server informed me that they just added a sushi menu to their raw bar. So I review their menu: tuna, octopus, snapper, scallop, and then I see kanpachi. I ordered it: Kona Kanpachi Sashimi with a salad made up of nori, shiso, bamboo shoots, and rice. Then they confirmed my worst fear. The fish was no bueno. I should have stuck with the basics: shrimp cocktail, oysters on the half shell, stone crab claws, etc. Now back to the kanpachi: I removed 2 pinbones from my first bite into the sashimi!! To add to the disaster, the kanpachi was barely fresh enough to serve. It was dry and the fish was pretty much hacked into. (Notice how the slices of fish on the left side are torn instead of sliced?) Then, they placed Mexican rice underneath the salad. It's not a bad thing, but the rice wasn't cooked today. Old and cold crystalized rice will never pass my test.

This was all I could take, 2 SLICES! Now, I'm a chef. I don't like returning dishes back to the kitchen, and usually try to finish off my plates. However, for the first time here in DF, I just politely asked to have it taken off the check. To give this establishment some cred, the complementary shellfish broth they served me, was delicious. This restaurant is actually one of the busier ones in town. Because of their reputation, I would like to go back to give it another shot. However, I'm going to stick with the dishes that they are known for.

This is what sashimi should look like.

(above is a great example of how sashimi should appear. courtesy of social house las vegas)

La Mascota Cantina (as seen on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations)

(exactly what my vision looked like after several drinks)

Inspired by Anthony Bourdain's drunken Mexico taping of his show, No Reservations, me and my sous, Aldo, decided to seek out La Mascota. Located by the Salto de Agua metro station, sits the historic Cantina La Mascota, on Calle Mesones, 20 (Bolívar). Opened in 1941, this is one of many places to drink and experience Mexican culture in Centro Historico. When you start drinking, servers start bringing out tapas (free of charge). The rule of thumb here is: The more you drink, the more they'll feed you. On this afternoon, the tapas menu included satisfying items like: Barbacoa, Rico Pozole, Pollo, Chile Relleno, Chiccarron con salsa verde, Quesadilla con papa, and several others totaling 8 or 9 dishes. The cantina is packed most days during lunch hours and live entertainment is always jamming. The band rocked some Beatles hits, along with other popular Mexican rock songs. A shot of 30-30, a pina colada and sangria, couple Coronas, and a lot of food later, I was finished. It was quite the lunch.

(Barbacoa w/ consomme)

(bottom: Quesadillas con papa; top: Chicken con salsa rojo)

Xiao Long Bao in DF? Could it be true?

I recently came across a blog, Midwesterner in Mexico, who reported her steamed dumpling experience in DF. I can't wait, and will be hunting this place down in the very near future!

Supermercado Asiatica + Follow Social House on Facebook and Twitter

Jenny just found Kokeshi market in Coyoacan, specializing in imported Asian products. The prices are better here than Mikasa and Super Oriental, but not as big of a selection. What a great find!

http://www.kokeshimarket.com.mx/index.html






On another note, if you haven't done so yet, follow Social House Mexico City on Facebook and Twitter, where I will do my best to chronicle the opening, the struggles, and the process of being involved with the opening of an Asian restaurant in DF.

"Casa Social" Mexico City...under construction

@ Social House Santa Fe, Paragon Business and Residential Suites



lobby @ Paragon




inside Social House "kitchen"





@ Social House Masaryk-Polanco
Located in a historic colonial mansion, this location will offer a great contrast in design with a
modern interior setting.

Zen of Dumplings

"Dumpling Manifesto", from Slate Magazine. Great writing that inspired me to make some Potstickers. :)

Pozole - La Casa de Tono

Casa de Tono


I recently recieved a great tip about a restaurant called La Casa de Tono from our kitchen designer over at Grupo Delia. During the week, the lines for a table are out the door. I've been told that they can pull off over 2000 covers a day. Pretty amazing, for a 50 seat restaurant.

What I ate was probrably the best pozole I've ever had. I also had flautas con pollo and quesadilla de chicharron con queso. Truly, a meal fit for a king!

So here are a couple points of history on pozole:

-Corn is one of the main ingredients in this dish. Corn was considered a sacred plant for the country of Mexico, therefore, this dish was made during sacred events.

-In the original version of pozole, humans were used as meat instead of pork or chicken. The Aztecs and Mayans sacrificed humans as an offering to their God. During the ceremony, the sacrificed humans would have their hearts ripped out, and their flesh would be chopped up and cooked in with the corn and spices. However, after the Spanish conquest, pork became the staple meat.

Recently, I've been considering making my own version of this national dish. It would be a "Chinese style Pozole" and would combine the flavors of hot and sour soup and the traditional flavors of pozole. Although, my fiance thinks it's sacrilegious, I think I'm onto something good. :)

Social House Menu Preview

Click on each menu to enlarge.

The SH Mexico City menu is very similar to the cuisine for SH Las Vegas. Btw, SHLV will be opening this week inside Crystals Mall at City Center.

Some differences are from the availability of ingredients. The style in which the kitchen is laid out will also influence the way we will be doing things here in Mexico. There is definitely a greater variety of vegetables and fruits here compared to Vegas...and much fresher too!. It is something that I can't wait to take advantage of. Having access to amazing products is key to any successful restaurant.

The menu is still incomplete, and I apologize. I just couldn't wait to share the info. I have yet to finalize the pricing, but it'll be a complete menu before opening.

Have suggestions? Bring them my way! Thanks for reading.

Born and Raised.....

(Chinatown Los Angeles)

Chinatowns around the world were started in the 1800's. In the US, these neighborhoods were started by immigrants who were brought over to build railroads.

Whenever I hear the word "Chinatown", I always get wonderful feelings of nostalgia. After all, I was born and raised in Chinatown (LA). I was born in 1982 in the old French hospital (Pacific Alliance Medical Center is the current name), across the street from Castelar Elementary School, which I attended from pre-school until the 6th grade. My family immigrated to Taiwan during the Cultural Revolution in 1949. My mom's side of the family is from Shandong, China. When my mom arrived in to the US, she got a job at the Golden Palace, which was a couple blocks away from Castelar. It was a mega multi leveled restaurant, and if memory serves me right, was the size of a couple football fields. It was here where I recieved my first introduction to restaurants and its cooking. I can go on and on talking about food, so it's best that I save it for another time.

Growing up, I fell in love with the sounds, sights and aromas of this Chinese neighborhood. It was all I knew, but I felt a deep connection to the land. It was a feeling of connection that strung all the way to the homeland and to my ancestors. It has kept me close to my roots, while growing up in a major American city.

I remember the markets and the streets of Broadway, College, and Alpine and playing ball at the recreation center. I still remember running around the streets of Chung King Road with my friends. There was the wishing well at Central Plaza where everyone threw pennies into. I remember the Chinese school, the talented lion dancers practicing for the upcoming New Year's Celebration, and trying to get through the weekends at a family friend's gambling parlor. I remember the smells of fresh baked and steamed breads each morning while walking to school. I also remember the liquor shop where I used to buy baseball cards and then hung around with the shop owner for hours at a time, hoping to finally meet his daughter. (She was a Lakers Girl, and even then, I was a fanatic for the team.) To me, this neighborhood was the size of the world, yet small enough where people walking into shops knew each other by name.

(Common business found in Chinatowns: open fish market, bakery, Cantonese style BBQ, and a variety of street food)

Although I had continued going to school in Chinatown's Castelar until the 6th grade, my mom made the move to Monterey Park, CA (near the 60 fwy) when I was 5 yrs old. Located in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley, the city is considered the first suburban Chinatown in the world. When I moved to Monterey Park in 1986, my neighborhood was predominantly white and hispanic. Looking back, it was interesting to see how the neighborhood and the city transformed into what it is today.

I've always lived in or close to Chinese neighborhoods, whether it was in Chinatown LA to Monterey Park, NYC: Manhatten's Mott Street to Flushing, Queens or Boston's and the Las Vegas' Chinatown. I have always been attracted to these neighborhoods. I loved the chaos and its energy. It was being close to the familiar and always felt like "home".

(Dolores Street, Mexico City's Chinatown)

There is a Barrio Chino here in Mexico City, however it is not quite satisfactory. This is the first time in my life where a place didn't feel like "home". There are no Chinese bakeries here, or Cantonese BBQ or ladies pushing dim sum carts. Noodle shops are non existent, and so is authentic cooking, for that matter.

I spent Chinese New Year at Barrio Chino, and ended up being photographed with my fiance multiple times, by tourists and locals for being the only Chinese people in town. I spent part of the day watching celebrations back home on the internet, and somewhat wishing I could have been a part of it all. There is no doubt that this is Chinatown, but it is very unfamiliar to me. It looked like home, but didn't sound, smell, or feel like it. I wanted this to be my Barrio Chino. However, this isn't my Chinatown. This isn't my "home", but it is somebody else's. Some days, I miss my "home". Today, being one of those days. If you feel me, why don't you throw out one of those virtual hugs.

Preview: Social House Mexico Menu

As the kitchen and restaurant are getting closer to being ready, I am getting more excited each day. With the help of my sous chef Aldo, we're starting to get settled in. Above is a preview of the Social House Menu for Santa Fe, Mexico. For everyone living in DF, please come out to support us for the upcoming grand opening! Thanks.

Would you eat here?

A Comida Japonesa Sushi Stand off of Insurgentes and Chilpancingo.

Love and Hate in DF

"Love is a given. Hatred is acquired". -Doug Horton

There are millions of contradictions that exist in life. My life here in DF, Mexico is a contradiction. I recently cut the umbilical cord to my home life in the US. There, I have my family and friends. I am engaged to a wonderful woman, I am a homeowner, have a dog, a car, been blessed to cook at some great restaurants and had everything I needed. I was comfortable, maybe too comfortable. I desired to see more of the world. When this opportunity came along, it was time to turn my life upside down and make the move.

Being an Asian American kid born in Chinatown LA, growing up in the 'burbs, then moving out to the East coast via New York and Boston, and then settling in Vegas...I thought I was ready for anything and everything. Heck, I've even spent weeks at a time, living in different international mega-cities. However, settling in has not exactly been simple.

When I tell people I'm in Mexico City, I get many different replies (mostly negative) like:
-It's dangerous! Thousands of people die in drug wars each year.
-Beware of pickpockets. People are poor, so they cheat and steal.
-There was an earthquake in Baja. I don't think I'll visit anytime soon. (Baja is about 25 hrs away by car)
-You'll have trouble at work. People are lazy there and take siestas all the time.
-Mexico City is awesome. It's like, if you took Barcelona and Tijuana, and jammed it together.
-Why? Why would you want to go there?

My first month here, I was robbed. I saw gunshots fired a few feet away at the metro station. I had trouble communicating with the locals. People have refused to help me because I was of the wrong ethnicity. I was somewhat frustrated because the project that I came out here for wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Although public transportation is efficient, I don't like another man's shoulder touching mine and sharing a bus packed with 200 passengers. I heard many racists comments directed towards me, behind my back. I still get the comments, but I don't allow it to bother me much now.

Now I find that I live among many gracious people. I love the sound of Spanish being spoken. I don't mind the stares anymore, because people find me interesting and want to know my story. I've met other expats and locals alike, and find their stories fascinating as well. I understand how to get around using the bus and subway systems. I like walking through the neighborhoods with different districts. I've climbed Aztecan pyramids, visited a few historic Mexican towns, and seen many galleries. I enjoy the art and food. All this does not mean I don't struggle with "living la vida" here. I still do, on a daily basis. Now, it's more of an adventure than a painful experience. I have accepted the love/hate that I have with DF.
I feel like my time here will mold me into a better person. Although I have a strong growing desire to rediscover my heritage in China, I love the character and culture of this city and wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now.

A Passion for Family Meals

One of my favorite things about working in a restaurant kitchen is having family meals with the staff. These are the meals eaten by the cooks, servers, bussers, wine sommeliers, managers, dishwashers. It is often prepared by someone belonging to the kitchen staff, before guests arrive.

Some days, it can be whole roasted chicken with natural jus with potato puree or shepard's pie and then rhubarb cobbler for desert. Other days, we only have trimmings available from that beef ribeye I just butchered or scraps of vegetables. Staff meals can mean the Mexican cook in my kitchen feeding the entire staff tacos, made from the beef trimmings. Another day, the Indian prep cook will turn out beautifully cooked vindaloo and chicken masala. It doesn't matter what is on hand, but cooks will find a way to make magic from humble ingredients. (Usually!)

Macaroni and Farm Vegetables poached in Tom Yum Broth


Steamed Snapper with Ginger and Scallion

Thomas Keller devoted a section to family meals in his book, The French Laundry. It is titled, "The Importance of Staff Meal". He writes, “Staff meal was first about the fundamentals of cooking … Can you be passionate about cooking at this level? If you can make great food for these people, create that habit, have that drive, that sincerity, and keep that with you and take it to another level in the staff meal, then someday you’ll be a great chef. Maybe.”

Staff meals are simple, fun, and diverse. These meals bring the team closer together and is meant to keep everyone happy. That is why I am passionate about it.

The Juice Lady

This is Hiermina from Tacubaya. I've been getting my "power juice" from her since living in Mexico. She shops for her fruit at the best market in town, Mercado San Juan.

A liter of pure juice made from:

6-7 oranges

2 guayabas

2 chunks of pineapple

1 stalk of celery

cost = 20 pesos (roughly $1.75 USD)

Life is good.