Rosa Mexicano

I've been hearing about Rosa Mexicano for the past 6 months- or should I say Rosas' Guacomole. Little did I know their flagship location was 4 blocks from our apartment. Sitting on the corner of 58th Street and 1st Avenue Rosa Mexicano is a perfect combination of Dos Caminos meets family restaurant.

The Guacamole en Molcajete was better than expected. How could you not love guacamole that is mixed table side with all fresh ingredients?

Make your own Guacamole en Molcajete!

Makes 4 servings

Chile Paste Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped white onion
• 1 firmly packed tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeño, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt, or as needed

Additional Ingredients

• 3 medium ripe but firm Hass avocados (about 8 ounces each)
• 3 tablespoons diced tomato
• 2 firmly packed tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped white onion
• Salt if necessary
• Tortilla chips and/or fresh corn tortillas

Make the chile paste: Grind the onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and salt together in a molcajete until all the ingredients are very finely ground. Alternatively, use a fork to mash all the ingredients to a paste in a wide hardwood bowl.

Cut each avocado in half, working the knife blade around the pit. Twist the halves to separate them and flick out the pit with the tip of the knife. Fold a kitchen towel in quarters and hold it in the palm of your “non-knife” hand. Rest an avocado half cut side up in your palm and make 3 or 4 evenly spaced lengthwise cuts through the avocado flesh down to the skin, without cutting through it. Make 4 crosswise cuts in the same way. Scoop the diced avocado flesh into the molcajete. Repeat with the remaining avocado halves.

New Kicks

AHOP's parents and sister are visiting this week from Cali, Colombia. His mom brought us each a pair of "native shoes" as she calls them. Alvaro thinks they are "tribal shoes" and that they are very stylish and the in thing. He even wore them to the office yesterday- don't fear it was Saturday.

No Reservation Required

Last Friday AHOP and I headed to Anthony Bourdains (hosts the Show No Reservations on the Travel Channel)  Brasserie Les Halles on Park Avenue between 28th and 29th Streets. 

If you're looking for a great dinner with ambiance this is quite the place! The food was tasty and affordable as well. We were able to walk  in without a reservation but we were only 2 people . I would probably recommend calling ahead for a table. 

The Two Escobars

Tonight I watched the TV premier of The Two Escobars on ESPN. The film is part of an ESPN documentary series. I saw another one of the films in the series at the Tribeca Film Fest (this one is much better)!

The film highlights the connection between soccer and  the Colombian drug lords- specifically Pablo Escobar during the early 90's. The Colombian National soccer team made a quick rise to fame partly in due to dirty money that funded the team but the players in return had to remain loyal to the drug lords. The story really is fascinating.

Espn Classic is airing the film again on Saturday the 26th at 10pm.

Give this guy a Travel Show!

Cafe Habana Puts a Spicy Twist on Corn on the Cob

Last night DPM and I tried out Cafe Habana in SoHo. The Latin style eatery is famous for its Mexican Style Corn.

DPM is from Iowa and I'm from Indiana so we were both anxious to see how great this grilled corn was- hadn't we both tried every recipe in the books?

The corn was delicious and very different. It definitely had a kick to it because of the cayenne pepper. For anyone out there seeking a new way to eat those ears of corn come August I recommend you try this!

         Mexican Corn
Corn on the Cob, husked
Slather:
1 part mayo
1 part sour cream or crema fresca
Garnish:
Cotija Cheese, grated
Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder
Lime, cut into wedges

 
Husk the corn and char the ears on a grill.
Mix the sour cream/crema fresca with the mayonnaise.
While the corn is still hot, slather it with the cream mixture.
Roll the corn in grated cotija cheese.
Give it a healthy sprinkling of cayenne pepper and chili powder.
Serve with lime wedges.

World Cup 2010 is here!

the graduate and a bit of nostalgia

I made a quick trip to Indiana this past weekend for Alex's high school graduation. This was my first trip back "home" since my big move to the city in January. Graduation weekend in general is a chance to celebrate the past and look ahead at the future- the combination of being back in Berne, recalling old memories with friends on such a big weekend, and being around many special people made me quite nostalgic. Growing up isn't easy.

We celebrated the occasion with a Chinese themed party (complete with Alex's favorite Chinese take-out for everyone) in his honor on Saturday night- over 200 guests came by the house to help celebrate Alex's accomplishments.


Sunday we had dinner out at the farm. Uncle S showed us the new garden behind the old pig shed (they had to move the first garden because there was a walnut tree too close to the garden plot and walnut trees are toxic to the plants ).

The day ended with the official graduation ceremony for our little buddy. (complete with silly string at end of ceremony)