Battling Breakfast Tacos

Hubbard has been riding his bike a lot recently.  You see much more on a bike than when you’re driving a car.  He brought up the fact that there are just tons of taquerias all around us and that we should try a few.  I mean, Fuel City is great.  But, it’s kind of a haul for us.  We decided on a couple of places that are within a bike ride of our house;  Mr. Piquin and Mi Pueblito.  I prefer to drive, of course.

We walked up to the counter to order our breakfast tacos at Mi Pueblito because we wanted to eat them at home.  There are few things as great as rolling out of bed when you have house-guests and going to get a couple of big trays of breakfast.  We ordered two tacos with chorizo, egg and potatoes and two with just chorizo and egg.  I’ve decided it’s impossible to take a good picture of egg tacos, but here it is anyway.

The hunks of potato were kind of hefty and basically tasteless.  Hubbard said the three ingredient tacos “just had too much stuff”.  The tacos with just chorizo were better.  Surprisingly not greasy.  The hot sauce was passable, though pretty watery and there could have been more of it.  Overall, good tacos.  As Hubbard said, I’d go back.   And if they were the only taco joint around, I’d be glad to have them.  Mi Pueblito is located on Gus Thomason in the Casa View Shopping Center.

Mr. Piquin recently opened in a remodeled sandwhich shop.  I didn’t go in with Hubbard to pick up the tacos, but he said it was pleasant inside.  We tried to order ahead.  Evidently, the girl at the counter didn’t really know English, though she faked it pretty well.  When Hubbard went in to pick up our order she had not turned anything in to the kitchen and seemed oblivious to the fact that Hubbard had orded ahead.  He ordered again, in person.  When she stumbled on the request for egg, not recognizing the word, Hubbard realized that he needed to order in Spanish.  Things started working out better.  We did get five tacos instead of four, but that’s OK. 

When Hubbard got home with these babies they were so hot you could barely hold them.  We ordered egg, bean and chorizo.  I just love refried bean smeared  on a taco.  It really brings all the tastes together.  The pico was very good, too.  Mild onions and cilantro dominated the pico flavor.  Just a touch of tomato and jalepeno now and then. 

These tacos were just what I think of when I imagine Mexican breakfast tacos.  I crave this kind of taco a lot, when all I can get within a short walk from my office is what I call “white boy tacos”.  The “white boy” consist of a flour tortilla, plain scrambled egg, some chopped up ham, bacon or sausage, maybe some American cheese and a little thing of Pace picante sause on the side.  It’s amazing how different they are from a real Mexican version of a breakfast taco. 

Mr. Piquin may not speak much English, but I’d take that as a good sign.  The tacos were fabulous.  Salsa was not too hot or watery.  Greasy?  They didn’t taste greasy.  But a bit of grease and salsa juice did drip onto my plate with every bite.  I’ve found this to be true with all good breakfast tacos.  Dry tacos are not my thing.  The clear winner was Mr. Piquin.  In fact, we may have to make a little trip that way this morning!  I should mention that they have a full menu of Mexican plates.  Barbacoa and menudo on the weekends.

Mr. Piquin Restaurant
10118 Garland Rd
Dallas, TX 75217

Monday- Sunday
8:00 am – 9:00 pm

214-660-7713

GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up

I was contacted recently about this event.  Evidently, last year was the kick off and this year the event will run from Sept 28 until Oct 2.  Restaurants are encourged to sign up by July 31 in order to get a free mention in a Texas Monthly ad.  The idea is that the focus will be on Texas produce, wine, shrimp, etc.  Some restaurants offer fixed price meals.  Some discounts.  Some will benefit food banks, too.  I think it’s enough that the focus is on Texas and that it sounds like a fun way to kick off Texas Wine Month, October.  It’s interesting, as well, because it’s the only statewide restaurant event.  I’m curious to see who will participate and in what way.  Are any of you familiar with GO TEXAN from last year?  I’ll keep you posted as I hear more…

Monica’s Aca y Alla for Brunch

We’ve had some hit or miss brunches at Monica’s.  But, what always brings us back is those $1 margarita’s.  I think we’ve finally found the perfect brunch combination and I wanted to pass it on.  First, get a margarita and some Monica’s queso.  This is quite possibly my favorite standard chili con queso in town.  It’s on the thick side with bits of shredded spinach mixed in.  Very good.  And they have those cute, multi-colored chips.  So, have your first margarita with the queso and chips.  Then move on to the breakfast…

We’ve never had a bad experience with El Chicano.  Nice spicy breakfast potatoes.  Fluffy biscuits scrambled egg sandwiches topped with a gravy that has a light chipotle flavor.  A couple of slices of bacon.  Good stuff.  I go ahead and dip my potatoes in the queso now and then.  A little extra gravy…  I can never finish it all.  Plus, they have this breakfast sausage that comes in really big links, if you’re in a meat eating mood.  Have your second margarita with breakfast.  Such a pleasant way to start a Sunday.

Deal?

So, I decided to make this rustic Mexican stew.  (Recipe flawed, once again.  This time it called for 1/2 cup of chili powder.  Please.)  The pork was supposed to be 2 1/4 pounds of thin pork chops with the excess fat and bone cut away.  I scoot down to Albertsons because I’m not paying Central Market prices for thin pork chops and who knows if they even have something like that.  I see this huge, 10 pound package of “assorted chops” for 99 cents a pound and I buy it.  I figured it didn’t have to be nice pork chops because it’s going to be cut into little hunks and cooked into a stew.  What a deal!  10 pounds of pork chops for 10 dollars.

Humpf.  Not such a deal.  First of all, these chops appeared to be butchered by a 7 year old.  It looked as if someone took a big hunk of pig and just started slicing.  I have no idea which part of the pig this meat came from.  But, after a good 30 minutes of slicing off fat and bone I ended up with 5 pounds of useful pork chunks.  So, now we’re up to 2 dollars a pound, not to mention my time which is, of course, invaluable. 

When will I ever learn.

Friday and Lakewood 1st and 10

This past Friday was a good day.  I had a comment that I made on Eats blog published in the Dallas Morning News weekend Guide.  My humble name right below a picture of Dean Fearing!  I also got an email that I was published in Food and Beverage online magazine.  Here’s a link to that…  Food & Beverage.  Little old me, right there beside Kim Pierce, one of my favorite writers for Dallas Morning News.  AND the preview list for Restaurant Week came out!  What else could happen?!  Well… the Wii that I had ordered showed up and now I can use Fit to try and burn off some of this food that I’m always talking about.  And I don’t even have to leave the house to do it!

Speaking of food, we dropped in to Lakewood (formerly Bailey’s) 1st and 10 yesterday.  I had read an article that Teresa Gubbins wrote (another one of my favorite local food writers) about the new Bailey’s/Lakewood.  It said they had cleaned it up, put in new TV’s and upgraded the kitchen.  Same cook though.  Well, that was totally true.  I love it without smoke, though I do feel a little sorry for smokers.  It just smells better in there. 

The menu has prices now.  That’s a nice touch.  I should have grabbed a to-go menu so that I could elaborate a little on the new choices.  Sorry, I forgot.  I was too busy scarfing down the most excellent burger I’ve ever had at 1st and 10.  The “Skinny Burger” is so big you can barely get your mouth around it.  I can’t even remember what the larger version looks like because Hub and I can’t hardly finish the Skinny ones.  The patty is at least 3/4 of an inch thick.  Somehow, this burger tasted flame broiled or grilled.  Maybe that has something to do with the kitchen upgrade.  It had a little char to it that was just fabulous.  It’s a little bit of a slippery mess.  But, the lettuce, tomato and pickles were so tasty I couldn’t make myself push them aside.  It takes some effort, but it is manageable if you try.  There’s a choice between thin fries and cottage fries.  We took the skinny ones.  Very good.  Not limp, but not over-fried and dry.  All this with a side of ranch dressing and I was in burger heaven.

Restaurant Week 2009 List Preview

The link is on Facebook, so I guess I can post it here.  Here’s the list for this year and it’s better than it’s ever been!  Almost every good restaurant in town is participating in Restaurant Week this year.  I see a few that have not participated in the recent past.  It’s going to be really hard to decide…  I sure there will be a better list on Guidelive on Monday.  Their list usually shows who is participating in the Central Market 4th course and how many weeks the restaurants are participating.

What’s your dream reservation?

Restaurant Week List is Coming…

I guess you all know what happens Monday.  The list of all the restaurants participating in Restaurant Week for the Dallas/Ft. Worth area comes out.  You can find it on KRLD’s website and Guidelive.  I believe there’s a link on North Texas Food Bank’s site, too.  Make your reservations early for the best time slots.  This is a great opportunity to try a high end restaurant at a great price and benefit NTFB. 

Are you going?  Any ideas about where you’d like to snag a reservation this year?

Hub Re-Invents the Wheel

OK, they’re really not wheels.  But, they’re round.  On The Fourth, Hub and I were trying to decide on a dessert to take to our friends the Smith’s.  Hubbard makes fabulous cookies.  We wanted something a little more special though.  Hub decided on Ice Cream Sandwiches made with homemade peanut butter cookies and Ben & Jerry’s Vanilla Carmel Fudge ice cream.  Here we go…

Nevermind Hub’s Bourbon and Coke.  That’s not part of the recipe.  We decided to use a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter or whatever that is that I found in the drawer to control the ice cream mass.  Hub dipped it in water first, so that the ice cream wouldn’t stick.  Don’t press down too hard.  You don’t want to crack the cookie.

Then press the top cookie onto the ice cream, gently, to fill the space.  It shouldn’t be so thick you can’t get it in your mouth without destroying the whole thing.

Quickly, grab it up and wrap it in plastic and throw it into the freezer. 

We had to give these two or three hours to freeze hard.  Next time, we are talking about freezing the cookies first.  Then, assembling and re-freezing. 

The end result was fantasic.  Hub’s cookies are so big and moist that, after freezing, you can easily cut them with a sharp knife and the sandwich doesn’t crumble into a big mess.  Sharing one was perfect for us.  They’re very sweet and a little salty.  Yum.

So, what about other combinations?  Maybe a dark, bittersweet chocolate ice cream inside?  Something like a Reese’s Cup turned inside out.  What about an oatmeal cookie and straight up vanilla bean ice cream?  This is going to be an ongoing thing with us, I’m sure!

The Dreaded Brisket Recipe

Brace yourselves.  This is a long one.  It is adapted from Saveur magazine.  It is attributed  Jim Goode a restauranteur and barbeque expert from Houston.  T = Tablespoon and t = teaspoon for this one.  I gotta make it easier on myself some how!

FOR THE DRY RUB:
2 1/2 T dark brown sugar
2 T paprika
2 t dry mustard
2 t garlic powder
2 t onion powder
1 1/2 t dried basil
1 t ground bay leaves
1 t salt
3/4 t ground coriander
3/4 t ground savory
3/4 t dried thyme
3/4 t black pepper
3/4 t white pepper
1/8 t ground cumin

I usually double the recipe for the rub and use it next time or for other meats.  I measure it all into a jar, screw on the lid and shake the hell out of it.  You can improvise a bit with some of the ingredients if you don’t have them on hand.  I usually add more cumin because I like it.

FOR THE BRISKET:
1 - 10 pound brisket, cut in half and trimmed of most of the fat
8 carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise

I cut the brisket in half because it’s impossible to fit into the container that I use when it goes into the oven.  You can certainly use a smaller piece of brisket.  5 lbs would work fine.  But, you do need a little fat to keep it soft and yummy.

Coat the brisket with a generous amount of dry rub. (Be sure to reserve at least 2 T of the dry rub)  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.  Or don’t.  I’m not even sure how much it would matter.

FOR THE MOP:
 4 cups beef stock
2 bay leaves
1 t dried oregano
1 pound bacon, chopped
2 T butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 rib celery chopped
1/2 small green bell pepper or any pepper you like (anaheim, poblano, etc)
1 small head of garlic, cloves separeated, peeled and minced (I use a garlic press)
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t white pepper
1/4 t cayenne
2 T dry rub
The zest and juice of two lemons
2 T soy sauce
2 T white wine vinegar
1 T olive oil
1 T sesame oil

Again, with so many ingreadients, if you don’t have everything who’s going to notice? 

Heat the stock, bay leaves and oregano in a large pot.  Meanwhile, cook the chopped bacon about 10-15 minutes until the fat is rendered but the bacon is still soft.  Transfer the bacon and the fat to the stock pot.  Melt butter in the skillet you used to cook the bacon.  Add onions, celery, bell pepper, cayenne and dry rub and cook until browned.  Transfer to stock pot.  Add lemon zest and juice, soy sauce, vinegar and oils to the stock pot and simmer about 30-45 minutes to reduce.

BACK TO THE BRISKET:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grill brisket over medium hot coals until well browned, 3-5 minutes each side.  Transfer brisket to a ovenproof enameled cast-iron pot or other heavy pot with a tight fitting lid.  Add carrots and mop, cover and braise in the oven until tender when pierced with a knife, about 2 hours.  Transfer brisket to cutting board.  Thinly slice against the grain, then return to the pot, maintaining original shape.  Cover and braise in oven, until very tender, about 1/2 more hours.

NOTES:
We always finish brisket in the oven.  Even if you skip the mop, it’s best to seal the meat airtight in foil so that it steams as it cooks.  This keeps the meat tender and moist.  We have never been able to master the art of smoking a brisket for the entire cooking time.  Though, I’m sure the real purists can do it, we’ve had nothing but leathery tough meat without the oven, airtight finishing.

I’m sure this if full of typos.  But, it’s a holiday and I’m ready to relax.  Please forgive!  I’ll fix it later…

Have a great 4th of July!!!

Mexican American Potato Salad

I just made the first good potato salad of my life.  I decided to adapt a recipe from Cooks Illustrated because, well, they’re always right.  I’m not going to take a picture because potato salad just isn’t pretty.  The original recipe is called American Potato Salad.  Here’s my version…

2 pounds (3-4 medium) russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 medium celery rib, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 Tablespoons minced red onion
3 Tablespoons jalepeno dill pickles, finely chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon powdered mustard
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
3 teaspooons pureed chipotle in adobo (you can buy this by the can at Whole Foods)
2 Tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Bring potatoes to a boil, lower heat and simmer with 1 Tablespoon salt until potatoes are tender but not mushy.  I ended up simmering them for about 13 minutes.

Drain potatoes and transfer to a large bowl.  Sprinkle with the vinegar and toss gently with a big rubber spatula.  Let potatoes stand until they are warm, not hot.  About 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.  Once the potatoes are cooled off add the dressing, taking care not to mush up the potatoes too much unless, of course, you prefer it that way.

Put in the fridge to chill.