Menu of the Month: Californio Tasting Dinner

The following is a small sampling of the menu items I offer. For a more extensive selection, please see the Modern Mexican menu on Tres Señoritas Gourmet, our sister site

 APPETIZERS

Mexican Cheese and Cured Meats Board

Grilled Chile-Lime Baby Cactus/ Queso Fresco/ Habanero Jack/ Cured Chorizo/ Panel Cheese with Guava Paste/ Cecina: cured Mexican beef (not shown)

Elote Pops: (seasonal) our version of a Mexican street food favorite, grilled, dusted with lime butter and Cotija cheese, topped with my signature Burnt Chipotle Mecca Salsa

Alas Locas- “crazy” chicken wings, select from Mole, Chipotle BBQ, Mexican Dry Spiced

photo by riNux

Handmade Blue Corn Tortillas / Black Bean Hummus/ Chorizo & Wild Mushrooms (see below) or choose “Higo” de Gallo (Pico de Gallo with fresh figs) or Charred Panela Cheese & Avocado

Tapenades / Flatbread

Poblano / Black Olive / Fig Tapenade

 Hearts of Palm Dip

Salpicon de Mariscos Mixta: “salpicon” literally translates as a “jumble”, I use crab meat and shrimp with fresh lime and chile, served on a house-made tostada

OR

Seared Scallop/ Burnt Chipotle Mecca Salsa

OR

House cured Tequila-Cilantro Salmon Rosettes on Cucumber Coin

SMALL PLATE SELECTIONS

Trio of Moles

Mole Verde made with tomatillo, cilantro, romaine lettuce, pumpkin seeds, and epazote/ Blackberry Mole/ Hazelnut Mole / handmade corn tortillas made from locally-milled masa

OR

Tostadita de Pollo en Mole
Blackberry mole / handmade “green” nopalito-corn tortilla / shredded chicken / Queso Cotija / plantain chip

• 

Tamal De Cazuela

Choice of Corn /Sweet Red & Poblano Chiles/ Onions / Garbanzos / Green Beans or Tinga de Pollo (Mexican chicken fricassee with Chipotle Chiles, Spanish White Onion, Cinnamon, and Spices)

OR

Eggplant en Nogada

Eggplant/Poblanos/Golden Raisins/Walnut with a Walnut Crema Mexicana Sauce

PLATOS FUERTE (LARGER PLATE)

Grilled Chilean Sea Bass grilled in Banana Leaf / Meyer Lemon & Peruvian Orange / Pasilla & Ancho Chile Adobo

OR

Pistachio-crusted Salmon with Pistachio Pipian
(Pipians, similar to moles, are thick sauces made with seeds, nuts, chiles and spices)
Purple Peruvian Fingerlings / shredded rainbow carrots / roasted tomatillo half

Fresh Mango Salsa / Sweet Potato Plantain Mash

OR

Carne Enchilada Estilo Michoacán: Beef Brisket / Pasilla Chile Salsa /Tomatillos

INTERMEZZO

Spiced Fig Sorbet / Pistachio Dust

DESSERT

Cienna’s Agave & Rum Soaked Mexican Corn Cake

 

Margaritas & Mexican Mixed Grill

PARILLA MIXTA 

Starter: Guacamole

Chunky, traditional, authentic

Ensalada
Grilled Caesar (did you know Caesar salad originated in Mexico?)

Next: Something Cool

Berry Gazpacho / Grilled Chipotle Shrimp/Tabasco Granita

Carne Asada: Grilled steak marinated in my artisan 3-chile adobado and then grilled to order

Pollo Adobado: Grilled Chicken marinated in our housemade adobado

Shrimp Skewers / Mojo de Ajo

Grilled Lobster Tails/ Mojo de Ajo

Grilled Chorizo (Housemade Mexican Sausage)

served with artisanal salsas

Salsa Verde /Pico de Gallo / Burnt Chipotle-Agave / Fresh Corn Salsa

Volcanes: Grilled Baby Cactus Paddles with refried beans and Queso Oaxaca. Photo by Adriana Almazan Lahl from Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Frijoles Charros or Cowboy Beans
Rancho Gordo black beans, cooked with Negra Modelo Mexican beer, Chorizo (Mexican sausage), bacon, onions and spicy Serrano chiles

Hand-made Tortillas

Elote (Grilled Corn Mexican-style) Pops/Chipotle-Agave Salsa/Cotija

Postre
Fresh Corn Masa & Cacao Sorbet

Making a great margarita is part art, part science. It requires a Mix Master (we’ve got a great one!) and quality ingredients, from the lime juice to the tequila to the rim salt. What’s so different about Margaritas Tres Señoritas (our sister company which specializes in Mexican catering and fiestas)?

We use fresh squeezed lime juice and tiny, tangy Mexican or Key limes

We squeeze our limes by hand using a Mexican lime-juicer, which releases the precious aromatic oils hidden in the skin of the fruit
We allow our fresh-squeezed lime juice to “mellow” overnight for a smoother, silkier margarita
We use organic agave syrup as a sweetener, not sugar and water

We recommend a reposado tequila that has been aged in small barrels
We recommend Torres Orange over Gran Marnier: it’s lighter and easier to blend

We rim our glasses with Sal de Vida’s Ancho Chile Lime Salt

Summer Floral Notes 6-course Dinner Menu

Nothing says “Mother’s Day” quite like flowers! In this unusual menu, I infuse something floral in every course to create an unforgettable meal.

AMUSE BOUCHE

Salmon Candy/ Edible Flowers

APPETIZER

Flores de Callebaza Rellenos
Squash blossom flowers / Bellwether Farms ricotta

SALAD
Raw Artichoke Salad / Parmigiano Reggiano / Mint

baby arugula / Napa Valley EVO

ENTRÉE

photo by Ann Larie Valentine

Quail in Rose Petal
(the very same dish that was made famous in the bestseller Like Water for Chocolate)

served with
HANDMADE TORTILLAS WITH PRESSED EDIBLE FLOWERS

DESSERT
GELATINA ARTISTICA

Rosa Rodgriguez prepares an all-natural gelatin dessert which is completely edible, artwork on a plate in a French tradition that migrated to Mexico

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS MENU Oct. 30-Nov.

Celebrate this most magical of Mexican holidays with a traditional menu of seasonal specialties. Designed to be served plated or family-style for parties of 8-20 guests.

Bonus: If you wish, I am happy to share the history of Dia de Los Muertos and the meaning of the symbolic altar items, based on my research for my award-winning book, Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes.

APPETIZER

Tortitas de Cempazuchitl en Caldito

(Marigold Patties in Tomato Broth)

Marigolds are the flowers traditionally strewn along the say to guide the returning spirits of the departed and are used in recipes special to this season

ENTREE

Pumpkin Mole

served with your choice of chicken or turkey

Mexican “Red” Rice

Frijoles de Olla

(Rancho Gordo beans, stewed for 24 hours in a clay pot, which adds a subtle but perceptible flavor)

Tortillas a Mano

(Handmade corn tortillas)

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DESSERT

Calebaza en Tacha

Photo by Adriana Almazan Lahl from Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

(Candied pumpkin)

Pan de Muertos

Photo by Adriana Almazan Lahl from Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes by Andrea Lawson Gray and Adriana Almazan Lahl, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

(Bread of the Dead, omitted from Gluten-free menu)

Buenas Dias: Mexican Brunch

My Brunch: a Culinary Journey menus offer you a taste of Paris, Italy or Mexico. Or you can stay home for a Classic American Brunch.

From our bartender, “Making a great margarita is part art, part science, and quality ingredients, from the lime juice to the tequila to the rim salt. What’s so different about Margaritas? Take a look here! Or, for a lighter option, choose our Mimosas Tres Señoritas, made with our housemade agua de melon (like lemonade, but made with fresh canteloupe), *Champagne and topped with Cointreau.

BEVERAGES

Café Mexicana de Olla con Canela/Traditional Mexican Coffee with Cinnamon

prepared in a clay pot (imparts flavor), brewed with stick of Mexican cinnamon

OR

Horchata (sweetened Mexican rice water) with a double shot of espresso

FIRST COURSE SELECTIONS

Fresh, seasonal organic fruit assortment with chile and lime G

House-made Mexican Pastry assortment

MAIN COURSE SELECTIONS

Huevos Rancheros con Choriizo G

Quiche de Calebazita

Mexican White Zucchini with Manchego cheese

Eggs Benedict served on house-made on a corn-masa sope (see below)  G

Photo by Adriana Almazan Lahl from Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Rabo de Mestiza
Hardboiled Eggs with Poblano Chiles and Creamed Tomato Sauce G

Photo by Adriana Almazan Lahl from Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Chilaquiles 

Day-old tortillas, with your choice of tomato-chipotle or green salsa (verde)

topped with fried egg or shredded chicken

and Queso Cotija

Baked Motul-Style Eggs from Mexico’s Yucatan G

refried beans, salsa, Manchego cheese

Ensalada de Carne Apache 

Carne Apache is Yucatan specialty, made with tender Filet Mignon that is marinated in lime with chiles until “cooked” (similar to how ceviche is prepared) and topped with Queso Cotija. I toss it with baby Spring greens, arugula, tomatoes and red onions in a California cuisine adaptation of the dish.

Photo by Adriana Almazan Lahl from Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Molletes
Open-Faced Refried Beans and Melted Cheese Sandwiches

Photo by Adriana Almazan Lahl from Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Sopes  G

with Fried or Poached Eggs (available as Eggs Benedict)

SIDES & SALADS

House made Chorizo

•Mixed greens with Queso Fresco and Red and Green tomatoes tossed with Lime-Shitake Vinaigrette G

• Frijoles de Olla /Traditional Claypot-beans G

red or black, stewed in the tradition of Mexican grandmothers 24 hours in a hand-
thrown Clay-pot

DESSERT

Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)

served warm topped with whipped cream and seasonal berries

Comida Afrancesada- FrenchMex fusion

The 1800’s brought the brief yet important colonization of Mexico by the French (ending in the infamous Battle of Puebla on the 5th of May, or Cinco de Mayo). With the empire of Maximilian and the presidency of Porfirio Díaz came what is now known in Mexico as La Comida Afrancesada. Some of the important cooking methods and ingredients of this fusion were caldos (broths), baño a la Maria (the method of using vapor to cook, as in a double-boiler or placing a baking pan in a casserole of water in the oven, and the introduction of mousses, quiche and salmon imported from France.

Volvones de Pollo en Mole 

Vol-au-Vent Puff (pastry shells), chicken morsels, traditional Poblano Mole

or

Volvones de Camarones Alfrancesada

Vol-au-Vent Puff (pastry shells), baby shrimp, tarragon buerre blanc

Quail in Rose and Hibiscus Sauce

Quiche de Calebaza

Mexican white zucchini, mild poblano chiles, Mexican Manchego cheese

Molletes

photo by Adriana Almazan Lahl from Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes by Andrea Lawson Gray and Adriana Almazan Lahl, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 fresh-baked bolillos (Mexican bread rolls) spread with well-fried frijoles a la olla  (bean stewed in a clay pot for 24 hours, the pot imparts a subtle but distinctive flavor), topped with chorizo, Mexican Manchego cheese and pico de gallo

Avocado Mousse with Brie, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

served with baguette croutes

Crepas de Huitlacoche

Corn Truffle Crepes (seasonal)

DESSERT

Flan

Steamed egg custard, made with cream, milk and Queso Fresco, with caramel topping
Classic French Cheeses from Mission Cheese, let us have our sommelier recommend a dessert wine.

Crepas de Dulce de Leche

Vegetarian Mexican Dinner Menu

 Allow our sommelier to recommend a wine pairing (service available upon request).

APPETIZERS

Black Bean Dip topped with Pico de Gallo and Panela Cheese

Empanadas- filled w/sweet potato/goat cheese, chopped pecans

and a hint of green onion, baked to a golden brown, served with chipotle aoili

SOUP

Sopa de Lentejas on Piña, Peras y Plantanos

Lentil Soup with Pineapple, Pears and Plantain

OR

Chilled Avocado Soup

(made without cream)

OR

Mexican Gazpacho

SALAD

Roasted Mushroom Salad

with sun-dried tomato/chipotle vinaigrette

OR

Kale Caesar

(did you know that the Caesar Salad was invented in Tijuana?!)

ENTREE

Pipian Verde con Verduras y Chochoyotes 

Similar to Mexico’s famous moles, the term “pipianes” in its broadest use refers to sauces made with seeds, nuts or grains. This dish combines raw (green) pumpkin seeds, tomatillos, jalapeños, and sesame seeds. We serve it with chayote, calabaza (Mexican white zucchini), green beans and carrots with Masa dumplings

OR

Vegetable Paella

Saffron rice, house-roasted red and yellow peppers, sugar snap peas, wild mushrooms, cauliflorets, and roast artichoke hearts

Enchiladas de Espinaca y Queso de Cabra 

Enchiladas with Spinach and Goat Cheese. For this dish (recipe courtesy of Iliana de la Vega of Austin’s El Naranjado) we add pinenuts for texture and top off our enchiladas with a salsa made from chiles moritas

OR

Calebazita Rellena

Stuffed Mexican White Zucchini

Served with Frijoles Negros a la Olla (black beans stewed for 24 hours in a clay pot, which imparts a subtle but distinctive flavor)

and

Arroz Verde

White rice flavored with mild poblano chiles and cilantro

Handmade Corn Tortillas

(see photos top of page)

DESSERT

Flan de Elote (Corn custard)

Cafe a canela

Comida de Sorpresas

So often, what delights us  most about a dish is an unexpected combination flavors, the familiar, but in a new way. In this menu, we use watermelon in the appetizer, avocado in the soup, tomatillos raw in a salad and do a Mexican twist on what can only be called a lasagna. Provecho!

APPETIZER

Jicama and watermelon with olive oil, balsamic reduction crushed basil and orange salt from Sal de Vida

SOUP

Chilled Avocado Soup

SALAD
Ensalada de dos tomates- red tomatoes and tomatillos with organic baby spinach and a chipotle lime vinaigrette

ENTREE

Torta Azteca-  layers of mild Poblano chiles, Queso Oaxaca, tortillas and Chorizo.

Served with frijoles negros a la olla (black beans stewed for 24 hours in a clay pot, which imparts a subtle but distinctive flavor)

POSTRE

Chocolate Chiptole flourless torte with cayenne whipped cream

Cafe a Canela

Prix Fixé $50/person

Arco Iris Mexicana (A Mexican Rainbow)

Given that we eat first with our eyes, this menu is planned, not just around the flavors, but also around the colors that are Mexico. Starting with a beautiful avocado green, moving to a pale, shimmering cantaloupe orange, a bold red in the entrée and we finish with a pretty canary yellow. Allow our sommelier to recommend a wine pairing (service available upon request).

APPETIZER

Small plate of avocado wedges stuffed with goat cheese wrapped in Iberico Ham carpaccio

SOUP

Sopa de Melon– this unusual mild, slightly sweet soup is made with cantaloupe ,

yellow fingerling potatoes and a hint of dry sherry

SALAD

Jicama Mango Salad with baby organic spring greens and a raspberry chipotle vinaigrette

ENTREE

Pollo Encacahuatado Rojo (Chicken in Red Peanut Pippian)

           Similar to Mexico’s famous moles, the term “pipianes” in its broadest use refers to sauces made with seeds,

nuts or grains. This dish combines raw peanuts, dry-roasted guajillo and arbol chiles and tomatoes, served over poached chicken breast.

Served with frijoles negros de olla (black beans stewed for 24 hours in a clay pot, which imparts a subtle but distinctive flavor)

and

Quiche de Calabacitas (Mexican white zucchini Quiche)

DESSERT

Canarios- sweet yellow tamales

Cafe a canela

Prix Fixé $50/person