Fine, Fresh Tastes at the Tequila Kitchen

I’ve been meaning to post about the Tequila Kitchen for a couple of weeks now, and in the meantime, instead of posting, I keep going back and eating there again. So I’ve had a few things from the menu…especially from the fantastic margarita list. Allow me to elaborate.

My first visit was at lunch, so I hadn’t anticipated dipping into the tequila and instead ordered the Special Lunch Platter (pictured) which is an utter feast. Guacamole and Salsa arrive with some chips for dipping and a small green salad with tangy citrus dressing. That spread of zing and spice gets your palate warmed up and thinking of Mexico and primed for the second course; a crispy chicken tostada, two pulled pork tacos in a spicy sauce, 2 poblano chili tacos topped with corn and onions and a nod to traditional Mexican rice and beans.

We were stuffed and happily sated but my crush on this place fully blossomed when our waiter, hearing my chagrin at our tequila-less meal, brought over a hand-muddled cucumber and serrano margarita on the house. Even given the rule that free drinks are automatically tastier than any other ones, this was still the best margarita I’ve had in a long time. Possibly the best one ever outside of Latin America. I don’t have much of a taste for sweet, syrupy cocktails, so the freshness of the ingredients, the mild taste of the cucumber punched up with the spice of the peppers and the quality of the tequila all make this a winner.

The only liquor served at the Tequila Kitchen is tequila, so you can be sure it’s done right. And after the cucumber serrano margarita, I knew I needed to go back and sample the other flavours. Hibiscus Rose (handmade hibiscus syrup and rose water) was the choice on a subsequent visit, followed by several Watermelon margaritas on another summer evening. Both were delicious, and while clearly sweeter than the cucumber, not even close to cloying. 

Most of the responses I’ve heard about the Tequila Kitchen is that it’s not as authentic as Salsa & Agave around the block, but so what? It’s a fun and sophisticated place in the midst of Yaletown’s frippery, the service is impeccable and I for one will certainly be back. Often.

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Tequila Kitchen

1043 Mainland Street, Vancouver

Rinconcito Salvadoreno

There are times when I just can’t deal with a red wine reduction or an entree with more than 10 ingredients. In fact, one of my happiest meals was at a roadside shack in Belize, eating rice and beans and strips of fried bread drizzled in hot sauce. This is the simple food, oftentimes comfort food, that simply feels good to eat. On the drive, comfort food is made daily after 4 PM at Rinconcito Salvadoreno. It comes in the form of pupusas, an El Salvadoran dish consisting of a corn tortilla stuffed with a variety of different ingredients.  There’s a choice of bean, and cheese  cheese, chicharrón (pork), or revuelta (mixed) and they arrive accompanied by a delicious vinegary coleslaw and hot sauce.

My favorite by far is the bean and cheese, but I usually get at least one pork pupusa as well, just to mix things up a bit. At $2.75 per pupusa,  you can afford to experiment a bit and still be full and flush at the end of dinner.

If you feel for something a bit fancier, there is a wide range of Mexican style dishes, such as fish tacos and the Rinconcito Special also merits a try. A thin-sliced, carne asada steak with peppers and onions comes with rice & beans on the side for $10.

This place is always hopping on the weekend, and sometimes the service can be a bit slow, but last night I literally snuck in and ate while my laundry was in the machine next door and regardless, you will always be served with a shy smile…almost always by the same guy.

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Rinconcito Salvadoreno

2062 Commercial Drive, Vancouver

Chocoatl: Hot Chocolate HQ

A couple of weeks ago while snowshoeing I put myself in charge of hot chocolate, but instead of using my new power to influence the winter drinking habits of those around me for good (rich, creamy cocoa) and not for evil (Carnation Instant Hot Chocolate mix), I promptly forgot about it. That is until a friend and I stopped in for gourmet Mayan hot chocolate at the Chocoatl Chocolate Boutique after healthy sushi last week.

Now I can fully command any situation that calls for hot chocolate expertise because not only does Chocoatl have a fine selection of thick and rich hot chocolate from around the globe, but they also have several specialty infused hot chocolates in flavours such as chili, rose, lavender, cornmeal, etc. I went for the Caramel concoction, a mixture of dulce de leche, vanilla and chocolate mixed with milk and although I was a little bit hesitant (because I don’t like anything overly sweet), this was a match made in heaven. Sweet without being cloying, rich without overpowering and arguably most important when dealing with hot chocolate - something warm to wrap your hands around on a cold day.

Tricia chose the Champurrado, a modern take on a traditional drink made with cornmeal, chocolate, vanilla and milk (soya milk and water are also available), which had a earthy, grounding taste underneath the sweetness, which we were also in favour of. On other visits I’ve had both the Aztec hot chocolate (with chilis and peppers) and the lavender one, and none of them have been too sweet for my liking - something that really surprises me because the trend in chocolate really seems to be to make it sweet enough to make your jaw hurt and that really leaves no room for the flavour to shine through. At Chocoatl, the balance is perfect, although I’m not sure I could have drank more than the small size.

I also took home a sampling of truffles for a mini-chocolate tasting, and since I am not the choco-holic that a lot of my friends are, I made them all take notes. After trying such obscure flavours (for chocolate) like Cuba (tobacco), Olive oil, Kalamata (fig), Matcha and Chipotle as well as the more traditional varieties of Espresso, Vanilla, and Dulce de Leche, we sadly concluded that we didn’t really like them. Whereas the flavour/sweetness balance in the hot chocolate was perfect, here it was overwhelming. Either the truffle was pure sweetness with only a trace of flavour, or else the flavour was overpowering and didn’t taste enough like a chocolate. Also, some tasters said they preferred a creamier ganache. The more suble flavours were the winners here. Olive oil was surprisingly good, as was the Matcha. Cuba didn’t taste anything like tobacco, Vanilla was too overpowering and Dulce de Leche just made my jaw hurt with sweetness. With lots of untried flavours, however, there’s bound to be a few more winners in there and I definitely know of a few people who are happy to keep tasting chocolate until they find them.

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Chocoatl

1127 Hamilton Street, Vancouver

Daily, 10 AM - 10 PM

Salsa and Agave Mexican Grill Serves Up Sunshine and (Some) Spice

We were sitting by the window with sunshine streaming in, people and dogs lounging outside, snippets of Spanish coming from the kitchen…and plates of tasty food on the table in front of us. It wasn’t Mexico, but it sure felt close. Instead, it was right around the corner from the office, at the Salsa and Agave Mexican Grill in Yaletown. A cute little Latin eatery on Pacific, it seems like a secret tucked in amongst all the Canada Line scaffolding.

The last time my coworker and I were here we had the mixed tacos - pastor (marinated pork), carne asada (grilled beef tongue), barbacoa (lamb), chorizo (sausage) and vegetariano (green pepper, onion and mushrooms) and were intending on sampling something from the South American section of the menu, only to find out on arrival that the culinary dishes have now been restricted to Mexico. No matter, the tacos - regular style or rolled - are an excellent choice and since one of my favorites last time was the carne asada, I decided to try the Carne Asada plate with chilaquiles verdes. This is a tender grilled beef dish made from a thin cut of steak and served with fried slices of tortillas soaked in green salsa. At Salsa and Agave, like most traditional Mexican eateries, it also comes with rice and refried beans. Tortilla chips and fresh made salsa are provided at the table in case, like us, you have been thinking about lunch since 8 AM and are about to gnaw your own arm off.

I’ve not had chilaquiles verdes before, but they were delicious and complemented the relatively bland flavour of the rice and beans. Tangy, starchy, and spicy make a delectably simple meal taste well, but the addition of the beef threw me off. It was cooked to a desired tenderness, but it was so bland as to taste like meaty pulp and I got tired of it before I was finished. I much prefer a carne asada that has a bit of spice to it and to compensate, I forked over a lot of my salsa verde onto the meat and that tasted pretty good. This could easily be a matter of personal preference, however. It’s definitely authentic.

To drink we had tamarind soda, but there is also a wide variety of tropical juices and pops available, and they also serve homemade horchata, a milky cinnamon, sugar and vanilla drink. They don’t have a liquor license, so dreams of sitting in the sun drinking Coronas will unfortunately be quashed, but it does make it a little easier to get back to work.

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Salsa & Agave Mexican Grill

1223 Pacific Boulevard, Vancouver