Un plato tipico de Honduras: Pescado Frito en el Lago de Yojoa, Honduras // A typical dish from Honduras: Fried Fish from Lake Yojoa

Una de mis comidas favoritas de la cocina Catracha (Honduras) es un plato tipico: pescado frito. Para mi es casi mandatorio ir al Lago de Yojoa solo para comerme un pescado frito, que viene de ese mismo lago.

En general, los restaurantes que estan al rededor de el Lago de Yojoa te dejan escojer el pescado que quieres freir. Casi siempre voy por uno mediano y que este gordito. Jejeje.

El tipico plato de pescado frito viene con tajaditas, tortillas, arroz con frijoles (conocido como "casamiento"). Y tambien le puedes agregar as much or as little curtido. Y me gusta tener una cervezita Nacional de Honduras al lado. Apoco no se te antojo??

Is there a plate in your Culture that is similar to this one? 

Los Alteños in Guadalajara, Mexico

By now I am sure you are very aware of my love for tacos. Los Alteños is one of the tacos spots I regularly frequent when I am visiting Guadalajara, Mexico. You bet they always have a good variety of fresh salsitas, from the pico de gallo, to salsa roja and verde and my ULTIMATE FAVORITE salsa de aguacate! Yum, my mouth is watering...ahaha

At  Los Alteños they serve the most common kinds of tacos; pastor, bistec, chorizo, mixto, cabeza, carnaza, lengua (cow tongue) and sesos (cow brain). You can also choose to eat some vampiros/volcanes and gringas. 

It seems like every time I visit Los Alteños I get a minimum of 4 tacos de bistec. I like that the guys at Los Alteños are generous with the meat portion because I can make 4 tacos into  8 little tacos and add as much salsas as I want, without them looking like mountains hahaha. Tacos range in price from $8 MXP (about 60 cents) and $12 MXP (about 90 cents), VERY affordable!

To drink they offer  juice, milkshakes and aguas frescas in many flavours in a small (1/2L) or large (1L) option. I have personally only tried their lima and horchata aguas frescas which were refreshing and light.

They also offer a couple of dessert items, none of which I have tried yet because I am always to full of tacos, hahaha. Maybe next time? If you are ever in Guadalajara, Mexico you should definitely visit Los Alteños. They are open Sunday to Thursday 10am- 1am, and Friday/Saturday 10am- 2am.

Los Alteños

Av. Tepeyac # 1207 esq. Cubilete Col. Chapalita

Zapopan, Jalisco

Mexico

Carnitas Loros Ferr 1 in Mexico City, Mexico

Before heading into Diego Rivera's Museum, Anahucalli, Gabriel and I asked some of the locals where we could find some GREAT tacos. The majority suggested we try Carnitas Loros Ferr 1 down the street.

Whenever we are in Mexico, Gabriel has to have tacos de buche, so he was thrilled to see that they were offered at Loros Ferr 1. You can just see how pleased Gabriel was with the arrival of his delicious tacos de buche. And just incase you were wondering, buche is "pork stomach." Good buche is tender and only slightly chewy, which this was! 

I went for the typical tacos de carnitas and they were delicious! Of course, I added my favorite taco toppings of pico de gallo, salsa de aguacate and freshly squeezed lemon. Oh yes, the tortillas were freshly HAND-MADE!!!! 

The service at Carnitas Loros Ferr 1 was great, staff was courteous and food was delivered quickly.

HAVE YOU TRIED TACOS DE BUCHE?

CARNITAS LOROS FERR 1

Museo 123, Coyoacan

Mexico City, Mexico

Brew Co in Manhattan Beach, CA

We were heading towards Torrence to return our Toyota Prius V and realized that we had about six hours to kill before catching our flight to Vancouver. So I checked the GPS for a beach that was  around Torrence and LAX and stumbled upon Manhattan Beach, a beachfront City located in SW LA.

All I can say is that Manhattan Beach is BEAUTIFUL. There are many cute boutiques, coffee joints, eateries and pretty houses to look at too. 

We parked our car on the main street, Manhattan Beach Boulevard and headed downhill towards to beach on foot. We were excited to see that there was a pier to enjoy too, so we continued our walk on the Manhattan Beach Pier and appreciated the beautiful view; people swimming, playing volleyball, fishing and of course a Cali must, SURFING! 

After a while, our stomach's started to grumble and we were ready to get some lunch, so we headed back up the hill on Manhattan Beach Boulevard and came across a couple of restaurants. After checking out a couple of the menus, we decided to take a seat at Brew Co.

Image from Brew Co.

We were seated quickly and had a great view of the beach. Brew Co has a a good variety of choices for food and drinks on their menu. Their appetizer list is great, you can have the typical appy of nachos, calamari, wings or go for some kabobs or filet mignon chili.

They have 11 different kinds of salads to choose from and have lunch and dinner sized portions. I'm not really a salad kind of eater when I go to restaurants, so unfortunately I didn't try one, but Hawaiian Ahi Salad was tempting.

Yes, they also have sandwiches and burgers, which come with your choice of one side. Gabriel ordered the Hickory Burger: USDA PRIME ground chuck topped with bacon, two onion rings, homemade hickory BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, tomato and lettuce served on a homemade sesame seed bun...with a side of fries. His hickory burger was literally half the size of his head. I still don't know how heat managed to put that thing in his mouth hahaha.

He really liked his Hickory Burger, said the patty was juicy and was happy that there were more than 2 pieces of onion rings inside!

I ordered the Tex-Mex Chipotle Burger: Seasoned USDA PRIME ground chuck, jalapeno Jack cheese, grilled Anaheim chilies, green leaf lettuce, guacamole, tomatoes, red onions and chipotle aioli on a toasted French roll...with a side of onion rings.

I also enjoyed my meal, but was disappointed that my Tex-Mex Chipotle Burger was not spicy at all. I guess the grilled chilies and chipotle aioli were weak...so I had to pour some Frank's on it, which is a different kind of heat compared to chipotle and chilies. 

Lots of good local and international beers and wines to choose from too. We obviously went for a pint of beer because it's the perfect pairing for a burger. We'll give Brew Co another go next time we are in LA for sure.

BREW CO

124 Manhattan Beach Blvd.

Manhattan Beach, CA

90266

La Guelaguetza in Los Angeles, California

Yeah, I know! This weekly  spotlight on the delicious food from various restaurants is making my mouth water too!! Hahaha, I'm going to start calling this segment, the Monday Munchies hahaha.

La Guelaguetza is not only THE LA hot spot for authentic Oaxacan food, but also home to one of the largest selections of Mezcals in the USA! And our local LA friends said to believe the hype, that it was DELICIOSO! So you can kind of get a feel of why Gabriel and I were so excited to finally sit down and eat at La Guelaguetza! 

Bueno, upon arriving, we were warmly greeted and quickly seated. And like any good Mexican restaurant, the complimentary totopos, or "tortilla chips" were served. But to our wonderful surprise, they were served with a side of MOLE (moh-leh), instead of your typical pico de gallo!!!!!! ^.^ Now if you haven't tried MOLE before, oh mai gawsh you are missing out! 

There were many delicious authentic Oaxacan options on the menu, so we asked our server to recommend a dish that we could share.  He suggested we try the Especial de Carnes, which includes: grilled tasajo (thinly sliced grilled beef), cecina (thinly sliced, salted and partially dried beef or pork), chorizo and Oaxacan string cheese. Served with rice, black beans and green salad. 

We liked the Especial de Carnes, but I honestly don't know if it was worth the $16. I was disappointed with the store bought tortillas that had clearly been warmed up in micowave...which were advertised on their menu as freshly hand made.

Onto our next dish...a plate of fried CHAPULINES (grasshoppers). Yes, I was feeling adventurous and in need of something high in protein (and crunchy!), hahaha! I had never eaten grasshoppers before, so I figured I might as well check that off my bucket list! We also asked if we could have a sampling of three moles on the side (red, black and coloradito).

When I saw this huge plate of CHAPULINES infront of me, I thought I had lost my mind...forget it, I was about to bail eating those hopping insects...ah, f#CK it, I grabbed one, closed my eyes and started chewing...and chewing....and chewing. Damn, these little grasshopper were dry and crunchy!! Hahaha, mind over matter...forget they're grasshoppers that have legs and eyes and poop inside....by making TACOS!!

I grabbed a tortilla, spread some mole negro, added some Oaxacan cheese, sprinkled a handful of grasshoppers ontop, rolled it up and took a bite....mmmmmmuch better! I highly recommend eating tacos de chapulines! Hahaha, I had about 5, each time rotating between moles (rojo, negro and coloradito).

La Guelaguetza Restaurant

3014 W Olympic Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90006

Bob's Big Boy in Burbank, California

Before heading to the Ellen show in Burbank, CA our friend Ana Lydia from Cabeza de Coco took us to Bob's Big Boy, the home of the original double decker hamburger! Oh boy, were we in for a TREAT! This was our first time at the Historic Californian restaurant.

As soon as we opened the door and took a few steps in, we were warmly greeted by the host! He politely asked for our name and number of guests...when we asked how long the wait would be, he told us around 10 minutes and also mentioned that there were a few seats available at the "bar" if we wanted....

YES! I love eating at the bar, especially at diners or places that have that old school vibe, ya know what I mean? Hehehe. So we we quickly seated at the bar...and greeted by our server, Alma (who was GREAT, she told us about the classic car show held every Friday night and the 50s costume contest and classic car show trophy night held the first Saturday of every Month)!

I really couldn't keep my eyes off of all of the memorabilia and decor in Bob's Big Boy, it was BEAUTIFUL!!! Directly in front of where I was sitting, there was a two tier glass case with the original model of the first Bob's Big Boy, different size Big Boy figurines and toy cars from the 1950s. Ah, I wish there were more places with the retro feel of the 50s!! Oh, and I heard that THE BEATLES ate here while they were on tour in the 60s!!

At Bob's Big Boy you can buy anything from the classic breakfast favorites (pancakes, french toast, belgian waffles, omelettes, etc) to burgers (their FAMOUS BIG BOY burgers, gourmet burgers and sandwiches) and Bob's Classics Chili Spaghetti. Wait that's not all, they also have quesadillas, fried chicken, steak, shrimp/fish and Italian spaghetti!! And for those who prefer salads, they have  a couple choices for you too! 

Bob's Big Boy has a great list of dessert classics from the 50s! Milkshakes, floats, sundaes, pies and cakes! Oh, and the classic Coca-Cola (Vanilla, Cherry and Chocolate).

So what did we order? I ordered "The Original Big Boy Combo" which is their original double-decker hamburger with two all-beef patties on a grilled sesame seed bun with crisp shredded lettuce, American cheese, dressings, an their "special" relish. It is served with french fries and a salad. I got onion rings instead of fries tho :P 

The dinner salad was a big portion and there were many dressings to choose from. I went with my favorite, Ceasar. It even came with croutons and parmesan!

Original Big Boy Combo: $8.59

And to drink I had to have my favorite classic, a root beer float made with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream and a whole lot of root beer! So much, that it's served on a saucer for the over-flowing root beer hehehe. 

Root Beer Float $3.59

Check out the original double-decker hamburger and root beer float below!  I ate everything and was one step away from lickin my plate...ahahaha it was THAT GOOD! Everything tasted fresh!!

My husband, Gabriel ordered the "Super Big Boy Combo" which is basically the same double-decker hamburger, just with 50 percent more meat and cheese! Don't mind his mixture of ketchup, mustard and hot sauce on the plate..lol

Super Big Boy Combo: $8.99

And to drink he had a Rich Vanilla Milkshake made with real ice cream, topped to the rim with whip and a cherry on top! There was also a little extra in the silver tin it was made in to fill up, yuuum! Gabriel says it's one of the best milkshakes he's had.

Rich Milkshake: $3.89

Uhm, my mouth has been watering the whole time I've been writing this post and now I want a double-decker hamburger and a root beer float!!! But it's clearly TOO early for that, so I will go back to sleep and dream of being at Bob's Big Boy eating...what's in the photos below ahahaha.  Have a great day!! XOX

BOB'S BIG BOY
4211 W Riverside Dr
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 843-9334

Guisados in Los Angeles

When it comes to eating tacos, I admit I'm kind of a snob. I partially blame it on Gabriel (my husband), Pedro and Mariana (bil+sil) for always taking me to the BEST taco joints in Guadalajara, Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. 

Some of my pre-requisites before buying/eating a taco are:

1) Tortillas must be freshly handmade 

2) Ingredients must be fresh

3) Various salsa options

4) Lots of limes handy

5) FRESHLY made hot sauce, none of this Valentina/Tapatio business

Anyways, when we were in LA, our friend took us to this taco spot called GUISADOS. Oh boy, first thing I noticed when I walked thru the doors of their Boyle Heights location was their huge comal. As I peeked over the counter, I saw the fresh tortillas being cooked, YES YES YES, I was so stoked because I love fresh tortillas hechas a mano! Also noticed that they served aguas frescas de horchata, jamaica, melon and limon! YUM! When we were looking at the menu, the lady at the cash register mentioned that everything was made fresh!!!! ^.^ 

The variety of tacos was good: Steak Picado, Bistek en Salsa Roja, Mole Poblano, Cochinita Pibil, Chicharon, Chuleta, Chorizo, Tinga, Calabacitas, Hongos con Cilantro, Frijoles con Queso, Chiles Toreados, Camarones, Pescado and Quesadilla. Each taco sold for $2.50.

They also had an option called the "Sampler" which is your choice of 6 mini tacos from the list. Gabriel and I both choose the Sampler so we could try some of our favorite kinds of tacos at Guisados for the first time! Let me tell you, I was very happy with my picks:  Mole Poblano, Cochinita Pibil, Chicharon,Tinga, Steak Picado and Bistek en Salsa Roja.  I had my limes and salsa picante handy on the side! And to wash it all down, Gabriel had bolted across the street for a 6 pack of Pacifico...the perfect pairing for tacos is always a cold cerveza ;)

If I had to pick my top two tacos from this experience at Guisados, it would be the Cochinita Pibil and Mole Poblano! Agh, just thinking of them is making my mouth water ahahaa. Guisados is by far THE BEST TACO joint we've experienced in Los Angeles.

Guisados

Boyle Heights

2100 E. Cesar Chavez Ave

LA, CA

Echo Park

1261 W. Sunset Blvd

LA, CA

Easy, Delicious and Healthy Lunches/ Almuerzos Faciles, Ricos y Saludables

Si me siguen por instagram saben que me gusta comer...MUCHO. Y la verdad es que no me niego nada, pero se que tengo que tener un balance...

En las ultimas semanas/meses me an llegado muchos emails, tweets y mensajes por facebook y twitter preguntado "cual es tu dieta" o "pasame tu dieta" y pues la verdad es que NO TENGO DIETA. 

Mi modo de tener balance en la forma que como es que trato de almorzar un plato grande de frutas y vegetales frescos cuatro dias de la semana. A mi me encanta que el plato este lleno de colores! Como decido que voy a almorzar? Hmm pues algunas veces agarro un poco de todo y otras me decido en un color. 

Por ejemplo, el dia que comi "The Hulk" decidi comer todo verde: pistachios, kiwi, broccoli, peas y prunes. Es poquito seco y crunchy, pero un vaso GRANDE de agua ayuda hehehe.

 El segundo plato, que le puse "Spring into Summer Ensalada" lo hice hayer y consiste de: broccoli, snap peas, mangoes, fresas, cashews y un huevo duro. Le heche un poquito de vinagre balsamic y agrege unas crackers para empujar hehehe.

"HAMPS": Hummus, apples, mangoes, snap peas y fresas.

"Over the Rainbow": Este es uno de mis almuerzos favoritos hehehe. Un bagel con queso, aguacate, kiwi, snap peas, blueberries, manzanas y hummus! 

"Chomper": La verdad es que este platillo se hico porque era la unico que tenia en mi refrigerador/pantry jajaja. Hummus, zanahorias, snap peas, banana, kiwi y cashews.

No te olvides de seguirme en instagram para estar al minuto con los almuerzos faciles, ricos y saludables que combino!

Above: "The Hulk"

Above: "Spring into Summer Ensalada"

Above: "HAMPS"

Above: "Over the Rainbow"

Above: "Chomper"

Homegirl Cafe in Los Angeles

You know I love to eat, especially when I am on vacation! You could say that I eat almost anything and everything in sight. Hahaha, seriously you know I'm not lying if you follow me on instagram!

While we were in Los Angeles last month, my friend Ana from Cha Cha Covers introduced us to Homegirl Cafe. We made it right on time for breakfast which ends at 11am.

I love Mexican breakfast, and almost ALWAYS order chilaquiles, either verdes or divorciados (half red/half green). So what are chilaquiles? Chilaquiles is a plate of: fresh tortilla chips topped with either red or green salsa, queso, crema, sliced red onions, and cilantro with 2 eggs sunnyside up and a side of black beans.

At Homegirl Cafe, your chilaquiles come with an option of black beans, homegirl potatoes, or house salad. I obviously went with the the black beans. And the two eggs were also optional, at an extra cost of $3, which I had to fork over.

Overall, I was pretty happy with my plate of chilaquiles from Homegirl Cafe. My only "but", my egg was a little over done..everything else was FRESH! I ate it all and even licked my plate clean ahahaha. 

Why is it called Homegirl Cafe? Because the women working there are "serving you instead of serving time." GULP, yes that's right. Homegirl Cafe is a part of Homeboy Industries, an organization "that serves high risk, formerly gang-involved men and women with a continuum of free services and programs." Homegirl Cafe is one of "seven social enterprises that serve as job training sites."

• HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES/ homegirl cafe
• 130 W. BRUNO ST.
• LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

Tortalajara in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (Part Two: Tacos Dorados)

Gabriel and I love to eat, eat, and eat when we are in Mexico. When we were in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico we discovered a new little spot, Tortalajara, that served some of our favorite Mexican food, tortas ahogadas and tacos dorados.

My usual order would consist of 1 torta ahogada and 1 taco dorado! Mmmm...

So what's a taco dorado? 

A taco dorado is a deep fried taco. It can be filled with anything, but the most popular fillings are frijoles (beans), papa (potato), requezon (cheese) or meat.

It is very common to put several topping on taco dorados. In order, you would put shredded cabbage, sliced onions, tomato sauce, hot sauce, and lemon!

Tacos Dorados are very affordable and filling at Tortalajara, just 6 Mexican Pesos each.

What to drink when eating a taco dorado? Well I'd recommend getting a delicious michelada (alcoholic), they are 1Litre at Tortalajara and only cost 45 Mexican Pesos. If want a non-alcoholic beverage, a Coke-a-Cola would be refreshing.

Have you tried tacos dorados before?

The Boiling Crab in Los Angeles, USA

Tuesday night, our friends Jess&Joel took us out to this AH-MAY-ZING restaurant called The Boiling Crab, in Koreatown. The wait was an hour and a half, but dude, it was SO worth it! To kill the wait time, we went across the street to a cute little restaurant/bar where you can play board games while ya drink 'n eat. Time flew by after a few games of connect four 'n a couple of cervezas.

The Boiling Crab, where ya "git down 'n dirty" with seafood. First, you gotta choose a type of seafood, the options are: Blue crab, Dungeness crab, King crab legs, Oysters, Lobsters, Crawfish, Shrimp and Clams. You order things by the pound, at market price.

Then, you pick your seasoning:  Rajun Cajun, Lemon Pepper, Garlic Butter and "the whole sha-bang". And lastly, you choose how spicy you'd like your pick: Non spicy, Mild, Medium,  XXX.

They also have some rad sides, like gumbo, corn on the cob and cajun fries, to name a few! We tried the gumbo, and cajun fries...SO GOOD!

The Boiling Crab, is now one of my favorite places to eat, too bad there isn't one closer to us! Hehehehe. I love spicy shirmp 'n cajun fries, so I hit the jack pot with this spot, thank you J&J! They have several locations in California, Nevada and Texas, if you are ever in those states you should totally hit them up, you won't regret it!

The Boiling Crab- Koreatown

3377 Wilshire Blvd. #115

Los Angeles, CA 90010

Sonoma Wine Garden in Santa Monica, USA

April 24th, 2012- After arriving at LAX this morning, we took the shuttle bus to pick up our rental car, from Budget. This was out first time renting a car during our travels, and it was definitely a learning experience. We had rented the car for the day because we thought it would be easier to get around for the day. We also assumed that we could drop it off at any Budget Rental. Grr, we were wrong! We had to drop the car off at the same location where we had picked it up, in LAX. The Budget representative said it was because we had ordered it online... 

Renting a car online for a day or two isn't worth it, unless you are leaving the city the same day, especially if it's like our case, where we were going from LAX to SOMA to West Hollywood. Going back to LAX from West Hollywood, would have been a total drag, in LA traffic/rush hour. So we decided that we would head to Santa Monica (SOMA) for lunch, and return the car after lunch, since it was the most convenient thing to do...

 We had lunch with Ana from Cabeza de Coco and Illse, from Full Figured Potential at Sonoma Wine Garden, in Santa Monica. I really liked the restaurant's layout: 1) dining room, 2) deck 3) patio and 4) bar; which set a relaxed, yet elegant mood. 

My husband and I ordered two glasses of red wine and The Garden Lunch Special for Two, that consisted of a pizza of our choice and a large green salad. We chose the sausage pizza with fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers and oregano, and it was DELICIOUS! Honestly, the best pizza I've had, just thinking of it is making my mouth water, ahahaha. We also had the Chef's Tasting Platter, that had a tasty selection of cheeses, meats and pan. If you are ever in Santa Monica, I highly recommend eating at Sonoma Wine Garden.

Our friend Ana was kind enough to follow us back to LAX after lunch to drop off our rental car, and gave us a ride back to SOMA to meet our friends who were hosting us. Ana was kind enough to give us a mini tour of Santa Monica, and Venice.