Chando's Tacos

"Never underestimate how much assistance, how much satisfaction, how much comfort, how much soul and transcendence there might be in a well-made taco and a cold bottle of beer." 

~ Tom Robbins (Jitterbug Perfume)

863 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA 95816. (916) 641-8226.
http://www.chandostacos.com/

Mmmm, tacos! Tacos are one of my favorite foods--when done right. Trust me they can be done wrong- poor tortilla to filling proportions, bastardized BBQ-ing of the meat or the ultimate-- food poisoning (yep, it's happened to me before folks). So when I started hearing all the initial chatter about Chando's Tacos, I wasn't too quick to get my hopes up. However, when numerous friends started hyping it and even my own neighborhood mailman started extolling the virtues of Chando's I figured it sounded like a solid choice and that it was time to trek out there and check it out. So for one of our date nights, Mr. S. and I headed to Chando's.

Lisandro Madrigal's family-owned business is a small well-kept, cheery-colored taqueria on Arden Way in the midst of several industrial buildings and across from the Old Lumberjack. Look for the giant BBQ outside with smoke and delicious smells wafting from it...you can't miss it. Orders are placed at the window on the right and picked up at the window at the left. The staff was extremely friendly and I loved chatting with the older gentleman running the grill as we waited for our order; although, I kept thinking, "Grill faster! Grill FASTER!!" (Sorry but my stomach was grumbling and I was starving...almost like a "zombie-eat-your-brains" kind of hungry.) Both Mr. S. and I had decided to go with the three taco combo that came with a drink for $6. With the combo you can mix and match the street tacos. We tried the fish, steak carne asada, pork adobada and the grilled chicken tacos. ¡Ay, caramba! They were all amazing! The charbroiled steak carne asada was cooked flawlessly and was extremely juicy. The pork adobada, which they cook upright on a rotisserie slowly, is succulent and seemed to denote a subtle pineapple flavor. The chicken tacos were cooked in achiote, super moist and sported a nice citrus tang. But our favorite was the fish tacos...tilapia marinated in a homemade citrus juice sauce and then thrown onto the grill to sizzle--it was wonderful. I'm used to fish tacos being made from fish that's a bit denser like mahi mahi or halibut but Chando's makes the tilapia work perfectly. Although we didn't get a chance to try the other tacos, it looks like Chando's offers veggie, lengua, buche, birria (from beef, not the traditional goat) and pork carnitas. Tacos aren't the only thing on the menu though, Chando's also rocks some terrific tortas, burritos and yes!--mulitas. By the way, word has it that Chando's is working on bringing all of these scrumptious eats to the Grid via food truck soon (fingers crossed). In the meantime they do some catering in addition to running the modest little taco shop.

So now that the dog days of summer are encroaching, take the short jaunt to Chando's. It's the perfect place to meet up with friends - you can indulge in some cheap but tasty eats and knock back a horchata all while relaxing to some festive (salsa?) música on the outdoor patio.

Love is in the Air

It's springtime and despite the odd weather Sacramento's been experiencing love is in the air and weddings are afoot. Mr. S. and I had the opportunity to attend the exchanging of nuptials of some wonderful friends on Saturday up in Forest Hill. The couple rolled with Mother Nature's punches and had to move the outdoor ceremony indoors at the rustic Forest House Lodge but everything still came together perfectly. The bride looked beautiful, the decorations were whimsical but tasteful and the guests had a great time. Now this wouldn't be a food blog if I didn't comment on the food, right? The food served at the sit-down dinner was good, but what caught my eye was the various inventive touches that the happy couple had taken the time to incorporate into their wedding day: the personalized wedding cake topper (looked just like the bride and groom), a delicious mashed potato bar in the lobby, tasty street tacos in the bar area and an enormous homemade cookie buffet (about a dozen large glass jars ranging from snickerdoodle to gluten-free) in the sitting room. Now I will admit that Mr. S. and I did get reprimanded (albeit it good-naturedly) by the groom for sneaking a cookie pre-ceremony; turns out they were supposed to be taken home as party favors. However I will point out in my defense, as we were being sat for dinner I noticed most of the jars had been ravaged, so we weren't the only cookie bandits on the guest list. :) And yes, we can now answer that age old sing-songy question, "Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?"  "Ally did...Ally stole the cookie from the cookie jar!" (And that snickerdoodle cookie was so chewy and delish-- that I'd do it again.)

(before the cookie pillaging began)

~ Mazel Tov to the Newlyweds! ~

Laos Kitchen

"The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity, than the discovery of a new star."

~Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

6227 Franklin Blvd., Sacramento, CA, 95824. (916) 424-5550

While zig-zagging back and forth down Franklin Blvd to shop at the South Sac Mexican mercados and the Asian supermarkets a few weeks ago, a small restaurant caught the corner of my eye. There was no flashy signage or ornate entrance. There was simply a sign that read, "Laos Kitchen," between a liquor mart and a tiny Laotian meat store. Now I like to think that I've dabbled in more cuisine types than the average Joe, but unfortunately I'd never had the opportunity to check out Laotian food. The unassuming sign and plain-Jane storefront intrigued me immensely . Nothing ventured, nothing gained -- right? Lucky for me, I have friends that are adventurous eaters and I was able to convince one to do a little culinary exploring with me. We decided to pop in during a weekday lunch. I tried to do a little food recon prior to my lunch date but it seemed that most people I knew were not too familiar with Laotian cooking or described it in terms that made it sound akin to being the redheaded stepchild of Vietnamese cuisine.

We found our way into a quiet, non-descript dining room during what should have been the rush hour at lunch. Instead we found a few slightly nefarious looking characters focused on slurping noodles, several empty booths and one friendly waitress. The menu was simple and we took heed of the waitress' warning that the cook was heavy-handed when it came to making dishes spicy. We decided to with the Thum Muk Hoong papaya salad, Laotian sausage, kapoon and a side order of sticky rice. The papaya salad consisted of a giant mound of slivered unripened papaya, sliced tomatoes, peanuts and bean sprouts served over rice noodles and seasoned with spicy chilis and fish sauce...a lot of fish sauce. Just a heads up, the fish sauce in this case was highly pungent; the strong taste hits you like a train but then the flavor segues into a nice spicy burn. The Laotian sausage was plump and juicy with the perfect amount of coarse fat encased in a nice snappy casing. It paired well with the house chili dipping sauce. The showstopper though was the hefty bowl of steaming Khao Poon (pronounced "ka-poon") that the waitress set before us. We ordered a medium and it was more than enough for two people. The soup base consisted of a fragrant blend of red curry and coconut milk. From this delicious foundation a cornucopia of herbs were added- lemongrass, basil, galangal, mint and cilantro to name a few. When I tilted my face over the bowl and inhaled, it was a bit like getting an aromatherapy facial. A few of the other menu items that the restaurant offers are Laap, Khao Soi, stuffed chicken wings, Laotian beef jerky and Khao Piak. (The menu definitely lends itself to being heavy on the noodle and soup dishes.) Some items are limited to availability on certain days of the week.

Overall, the portion sizes at Laos Kitchen were plentiful and I really enjoyed the Khao Poon and the sausage. I'll definitely be repeating those items on a future visit. The papaya salad, with it's strong flavors, I think is more of an acquired taste and probably won't make the rotation for me (my lips were numb from the spiciness...and we got the mild!) The meal, on the whole, was good and the visit was a nice opportunity to try some traditional Laotian fare. The restaurant has only been open for roughly a little over two months and is still trying to find it's groove but it seems to be finding it's footing quickly. Currently, it is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week and is a cash-only establishment. If you're in the neighborhood, give it a try!



It's Gettin' Hot In "Herre"...

( photo from the www.theoatmeal.com )

Mr. S. looooves fish tacos. I kid you not, hand him a nice grilled fish taco and he'll think you're the bee's knees. Last week we made some quick ones from tilapia and topped it with this Spicy Sriracha Mayo Sauce I stumbled upon on White On Rice Couple's food blog. It's super easy to make and quite versatile- you can throw a dollop on a burrito, slather it on a burger or use for simply dipping crisp fries or fresh veggies in.


Spicy Sriracha Mayo Sauce

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons mayo

1 Tablespoons Huy Fong's Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (I like to mix it up sometimes and sub in the Huy Fong's Chili-Garlic Sauce)

1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice

1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
 
 
Instructions
 
1. In bowl, combine ingredients until smooth.

2. Use as dip or spread for your favorite dishes.

Torihei

1757 W Carson Street, Ste A. Torrance, CA 90501. (310) 781-9407.


When I look back on my early twenties, I remember the late nights at local watering holes like Benny's, Zebra and Pine Cove. My liver can't take the onslaught of beer, Patron shots and countless glasses of Jack on the rocks anymore. These days it's more like a glass or two of wine or maybe a glass of Chimay. Anyhow, the one gripe I repeatedly had with the bar hopping back in the day was that there wasn't really any places to grab a bite afterwards besides joints like Lyon's or Del Taco. I always thought Sacramento could use a late night yakitori/ kushiyaki stand. Yep, that's my brilliant idea. In Japan, these stands blaze their lights well into the night feeding the masses of bar revelers. For a few hundred yen, you can buy yourself a couple of skewers of grilled chicken thighs, livers or hearts to placate your drunken munchie cravings. It's so delicious...seriously, there's something about food on a stick at 2:30 in the morning that rivals sheer nirvana.

Anyhow, while I was in LA recently my friend Mayumi and I decided to hit up the popular Torihei in Torrance before going to spend a relaxing evening at a newly opened onsen (bath house). Torihei only seats about 30 patrons and upon our arrival was packed (which is the norm from what I hear), but luckily my dining companion had had the foresight to call ahead and make a reservation. Within minutes, we got to bypass the long line snaking out the door and take a seat at the busy counter where we were front and center to all the grilling action. Deciding what to order was a bit more difficult...there were several yakitori and kushiyaki choices, some sashimi, oden and izakaya fare. Dishes are prepared in a tapa-esque manner so Mayumi and I decided to order several and share. Since we would be hitting the hot baths at the onsen post-dinner we decided to forget the alcohol, but Torihei does carry a  nice selection of sake, beer, wine and shoju.  The service was a bit erratic (this may or may not have had to do with the fact that the staff was dealing with a dine and dash situation while we were there). The first two dishes were brought out quickly but the others seemed to come after what felt like an eternity. In fact, our waitress completely forgot to bring out the last two dishes and after an awkward amount of time had passed, we inquired about the MIA dishes. The situation was quickly righted. The pate was smooth and the honey, which I wasn't sure would pair well, actually complemented it nicely. The oden egg was creamy without being slimy and the roe added a wonderful contrast as it burst on my tongue. The tin foil squid was tender and buttery. The much lauded jidori chicken was perfectly grilled. We alternated between seasoning the skewers of chicken parts with sansho, shichimi togarashi and Yuzu-It sauce. In fact, I got a bit addicted to the Yuzu-It sauce and bought some when I got back to Sac (if you haven't had it, you can pick some up at Oto's). The liver was absolutely divine...dense with just a hint of metallic taste. I could have eaten a dozen skewers of the liver alone, I love the stuff. We also ordered one of my favorite Japanese dishes- shishamo (grilled smelt). The fish was nice and crispy with the charred edges that I like. In fact almost every dish was delish...the only dish I didn't care for much was the Torihei meatballs (tsukune), I'm a texture person and the tiny bits of cartilage mixed in with the ground chicken turned me off. Regardless, we were stuffed to the gills at the end of our meal and to my surprise our bill was quite reasonable. If I lived in the area, I'm sure I'd be a frequent customer. So Sacramento, how about it? We need another sushi bar or burrito shack like we need a hole in our head; how about opening up a nice yakitori joint for some late night grinds?

Forks Over Knives To Show In Sac

Remember awhile back when I posted about the film, Forks Over Knives? Well it looks like they've gotten a slew of great reviews and have now added a showing for Sacramento. It'll be at the Crest, starting July 1. Put it on your calendar so that you remember to get your tuckus over there.

www.forksoverknives.com

Bringing Home The Bacon

"Slicing a warm slab of bacon is a lot like giving a ferret a shave. No matter how careful you are, somebody's going to get hurt."  -Alton Brown

So for those of you have been keeping up with the blog, you probably remember me mentioning in a previous post that I stuffed my face with bacon trail mix at a recent BBQ. C'mon, like you wouldn't! Well, I'll have you know I wasn't the only one scarfing down this delectable treat. Quite honestly, I'm surprised there wasn't a brawl over the stuff. It was damn good.

Anyhow at the persistent urging (ok, ok I didn't need much urging) of Mr. S. and the kidlets, I decided to try and bake a batch of bacon trail mix earlier this week. I learned two valuable lessons in the course of an hour. 1) When you're cooking bacon, everyone wants to be your best friend (even the dog), 2) Keep an eye on the oven, things can burn to a crisp in mere seconds. I made this recipe at Mr. S.'s on Wednesday night and his oven's a bit more fickle then mine. My first batch of bacon trail mix was slightly...just slightly...overdone. The second batch was however was perfect.

So here's the recipe, give it a go. Just be prepared to beat the masses off with a stick.

Bacon Trail Mix (aka 'Tiki Trail Mix' from Food & Wine)

Ingredients

8 thick slices of meaty bacon

3 cups salted roasted peanuts and cashews

4 candied pineapple rings, cut into 1/3-inch triangles

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey (you might want to add just a skosh more if you like your trail mix a bit more "wet")

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Kosher salt


Instructions

1.Preheat the oven to 350°. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on a rack set over a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Drain on paper towels and cut into 1/2-inch strips.


2.In a bowl, toss the bacon with the peanuts, pineapple, sesame seeds, soy sauce, honey and cayenne. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring once, until the bacon is browned. Season the mix with salt and stir occasionally until cool, then serve.

Makes 4-1/2 cups.