Mexican Food to Dream About

A friend from out of town wanted to go to lunch. Nothing unusual about that, except that this friend lives in Singapore, where food is a national passion. Furthermore, she is a celebrated cook, has appeared as a guest chef at the Beard House in New York and represents the Singapore government at food conferences all over the place.

What could I find that would impress her? Not much, I thought. But, well, what about Mexican food, really good Mexican food, the kind that is hard to find even here in Los Angeles? And so we went to La Casita Mexicana in Bell.

There chefs Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu produce the sort of elegant, imaginative dishes that you might find in high-end restaurants in Mexico City. Their white chocolate, cantaloupe and blackberry moles are better than dreamy—if you are fortunate enough to go on a day when these are on hand.

Their chiles en nogada are as good as any in Puebla, Mexico, where that dish was created. Their handcrafted mole poblano is extraordinary, loaded with layers of flavors and such uncommon things as cacao beans.

And where else you would find Aztec cheese—a grilled banana leaf package that contains four Mexican cheeses--queso fresco, panela, Oaxaca and cotija-- along with  mushrooms, cactus, poblano chile and a little of that powerfully scented Mexican herb, epazote. It’s a wonderful combination to spoon onto La Casita’s handmade tortillas.                                              

Sure we had chiles en nogada and mole poblano, as well as chicken in green and red pipian sauces.  We also ate simple but very tasty cotija cheese enchiladas. And cecina, thin-cut beef  laden with tomatoes and onions in smoky chipotle sauce.

We started with tortilla soup and ended with three desserts. Freshly fried, tender churros contained a surprise, a thin layer of soft, melted cajeta. Yellow guavas were bathed with rompope, the Mexican liqueur that resembles eggnog. And rice pudding arrived in a crisp flour tortilla wrap, surrounded with creamy pecan sauce. No wonder that dessert, envueltos de arroz con leche y crema de nuez, wound up on the cover of Ciudad magazine.

My friend, Violet Oon, was properly impressed. And so was I, but then I’m always impressed when I eat at La Casita Mexicana. 

La Casita Mexicana, 4030 E. Gage Ave., Bell, CA 90201. Tel: (323) 773-1898. 

Comments

[Barbara]

Are we talking about the same restaurant? I have visited La Casita Mexicana many times and never encountered a greasy dish. Large servings can be an advantage, if you share them with a friend. You get more for your money that way.

[Pinedo, Encarnación]

The food is greasy, very grease and the portions are big to big.