Gordita, Arteaga's, 29 Palms

Is it a Pastry, no it's a Gordita

When I go out to eat, I try to always order something I can’t make myself or am too lazy to make. When I am going out for Mexican food, the gordita meets this definition. For those who are wondering what a gordita is I’ll explain the version of one I enjoy. At Arteaga's a gordita is a large masa cake that is deep fried until crispy. I say cake because it is much too thick to be a tortilla and it is not boat shaped like a sope so a cake or maybe pancake would seem like an appropriate reference.  Once cooked through the gordita is split in half and filled with beans, a meat of your choosing, lettuce, guacamole, crema, and a crumbly cheese such as queso fresco. When you take a bite of the finished product, you will taste the crispy outside of the masa cake and the warm, crumbly inside of the masa. There is a crunch curtsey of the shredded lettuce. The meat and beans add a hearty texture and flavor. Lastly, there is the coolness from the crema, guacamole, and cheese.

The gordita is so good that even though you shouldn’t eat the whole thing, even though you know you can’t eat the whole thing…you will eat the whole thing.

Gorditas don’t always show up on menus when you’re out at a Mexican restaurant if you come across a menu offering one don’t be afraid to try it. Last week my daughters and I went on a dinner date to Arteaga's in Twentynine Palms, CA it is one of a handful of restaurants and an even smaller selection of Mexican cuisine restaurants in the city but it happens to my favorite place in town to get Mexican food.

I enjoyed this gordita while my daughters ate chicken and carne asada tacos. The kid approval rating was two out of two, which means we will be back again.

Beignets for Breakfast

Are beignets breakfast food or dessert food?

Before we even go there let's talk about what I know about beignets. Surprisingly not much, if it had not been for Disney's movie Princess and the Frog, I may have never known about beignets. In the movie Lottie requests Tiana make about 500 of her man-catching beignets for her ball, and at that point, I knew I needed to try a beignet.

Fast forward to a nice dinner at Bud's located in San Diego, CA I look at the menu and under the dessert section beignets were listed, I ordered them of course, but sadly, they were sold out so no luck. Eventually, I was able to try a beignet, and they were everything I wanted them to be crispy on the outside, soft and delicious on the inside. Not too sweet with just a dusting of powdered sugar. For those who have not tried them yet, eating one is like eating a little pillow of deliciousness covered in powdered sugar. Pillow of deliciousness is what my daughter said while eating them, and it is the perfect description.

On my last trip to downtown Los Angeles, I stopped in at a place called The Little Jewel of New Orleans. The place is a restaurant with a small market at the front. I was there for some catfish but couldn't help looking around the tiny market space. On display was beignet mix. I had to buy it, who could resist making beignets at home.

Fast forward to the weekend, because there is no way I can manage making beignets for breakfast on a weekday morning. I followed the directions and poof! Beignets for breakfast, we paired them with some fresh strawberries purchased at the farmers market the morning before.

So are beignets a breakfast food, I figure if coffee cake can be considered a breakfast food so can a beignet.

If you're wondering if your kids will eat them, at my place four out of four kids asked for seconds. Making these a kid-approved breakfast dish.

Last point, the cat fish was delicious, will be going back for more when I can.

Taquitos or Rolled Tacos

What is the difference between a rolled taco and a taquito?  As far as I can tell, nothing, both consists of a corn tortilla stuffed with flavorful meat, rolled, and the fried. As a child, I grew up eating taquitos. My mother would make them as a quick mid-week dinner. She probably also made them frequently because they are tasty and all of her children would eat them without complaint. Living in North County San Diego, I discovered these tasty treats also go by the name rolled taco, who knew!

When eating taquitos sauce is required. As a small child with immature taste buds, I’m embarrassed to say I dipped my taquitos in ketchup. Luckily, I grew up and so did my appreciation for taste. Ketchup does not reign condiment supreme any longer. Nowadays I eat them with any of the following: sour cream, salsa, guacamole, green sauce, red sauce, beans or any combo of one or more above mentioned sauces. It doesn’t matter what condiment accompanies your taquitos just don’t let them be lonely. Some people prefer to have sauce placed on top of the taquitos, but I’m a fan of dipping.  

Last Saturday I visited Olvera Street, Los Angeles, CA and picked up a plate of taquitos and a tamale from Juanita’s Cafe. The taquitos were hot, crispy and tasty with a side of green sauce. If you’re in the neighborhood, you should stop by and try some too.

While taquitos and rolled tacos are interchangeable in my opinion tacos are not. Tacos versus Taquitos, there is not comparisons the two are not the same. They are both equally tasty, but they fall into different categories.