TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD: Review: Chiles en Nogada a Dish with History at Mexicano Restaurant, Los Angeles

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Review: Chiles en Nogada a Dish with History at Mexicano Restaurant, Los Angeles

Chiles en Nogada is one of my favorite Mexican dishes. Surprisingly, despite the great number of Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles, this dish is not easy to find. In fact, until last night, I haven't eaten this in LA, but only in Mexico City and San Miguel Allende in Mexico.

Last night, however, I had Chiles en Nogada at Mexicano Restaurant in Baldwin Hills Mall in Crenshaw, and it was pretty good. The walnut sauce was warm and tasty, the chile stuffed with pork was very good. It was, in fact, one of the best Chiles en Nogada that I've had.

Mexicano Restaurant had a guitar player, colorful decorations, including a large mural of a lively Mexican fiesta on the wall. Chef Ramiro (center in top picture) came to our table to greet our honoree. I asked if he made the Chile en Nogada, which I enjoyed, and he said no, that was a traditional recipe from 1821.

Chiles en Nogada is made from large green poblano chiles stuffed with seasoned ground pork, served with a creamy walnut sauce, and garnished with pomegranate seeds. It has a romantic history, having been created in 1821 by Puebla nuns who invented the dish for the visit of Mexican General Augustin de Iturbide. The white cream, green chile, and red pomegranate seeds evoke the colors of the Mexican flag.

Here's a Yelp list of LA restaurants that serve Chiles en Nogada. Call to make sure they are serving Chiles en Nogada because some places serve this only three months of the year. I'm giving Mexicano Restaurant 4 stars for their Chiles en Nogada, although I should add that my husband's shrimp dish wasn't as impressive.

La Golondrina Mexican Cafe, 17 Olvera St., LA, 90012
La Casita Mexicana, 4030 Gage Ave, Bell, 90201
Mexico City, Los Feliz, 2121 Hillhurst Ave, LA 90027
Mexicano, Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw, 3650 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, LA 90008
La Cabanita, 3445 N. Verdugo Rd, Glendale, CA 91208
Don Chente Bar, 1248 S. Figueroa, LA 90015
Babita Restaurant, 1823 S. San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel, 91776
La Familia Mexcian Food, 6033 Atlantic Blvd, Maywood, CA 90270

Tags: food, restaurant, Mexican, Mexico, Chiles en Nogada, LA, Los Angeles, review, #LArestaurant, #LAFoodie, #food

This is all for now,

Ceciliahttp://www.ceciliabrainard.com

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's official website is ceciliabrainarddotcom. She is the award-winning author and editor of 22 books, including When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, The Newspaper Widow, Magdalena, Selected Stories, Vigan and Other Stories, and more. She edited Growing Up Filipino 1, 2, & 3, Fiction by Filipinos in America, Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and other books.. Her work has been translated into Finnish and Turkish; and many of her stories and articles have been widely anthologized. Cecilia has received many awards, including a California Arts Council Fellowship in Fiction, a Brody Arts Fund Award, a Special Recognition Award for her work dealing with Asian American youths, as well as a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate, 21st District, and the Outstanding Individual Award from her birth city, Cebu, Philippines. She has lectured and performed at UCLA, USC, University of Connecticut, University of the Philippines, PEN, Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and many others. She has served in the Board of literary arts groups such as PEN, PAWWA (Pacific Asian American Writers West), among others.