Mexican cooking is so awfully misunderstood.
Chiles, cheese, nachos, tacos, hot salsas, guacamole. Nothing wrong with those, but there's another side of Mexican food that is mostly ignored on this side of the border.
And that is subtle, fine, elegant cooking.
A case in point is this beautiful fish dish, pescado en hoja santa, from La Casita Mexicana in Bell. The flavor is delicate, and there's not a chile in sight, except for a couple put on for decoration, but they're not part of the dish. Instead, the fish is seasoned with something much more rare in these parts--hoja santa (holy leaf), a large leaf with a faint anise taste.
This is just one example of the inventive, thoughtful cooking of chefs Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu. The fish--pollock--is topped with tomato and onion slices, drizzled with olive oil, then wrapped in hoja santa from Del Campo's garden, wrapped again in foil and grilled.
You eat it leaf and all, enjoying the lightness and delicacy. Not on the regular menu, pescado en hoja santa is a Friday special. Call ahead to find out when it's available.
La Casita Mexicana, 4030 E. Gage Ave., Bell, CA 90201. Tel: (323) 773-1898.
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