A defining element of any good Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant is their salsa…that spicy concoction you get over huevos rancheros, gracing a chile relleno or as a dip with tortilla chips. Salsas can include dark sweet guajillos, tangy bright green tomatillo, fiery brick-red chipotles, the very serious habanero, or a multi-colored pico de gallo. Each has distinct characteristics that are further enhanced by preparation and ingredients…fire roasting, grinding in a molcajete, served warm or chilled, adding creamed avocado or going tropical with bits of pineapple and mango. There are endless combinations.
In addition to salsas, there are sauces, some heralding from the days of
Moctezuma that are equally integral.
Adobado, as much a process as a sauce, can be used to color the
masa in tamales and for marinating pork with a flavorful orange-like tinge. Dark
mole, a food as well as a sauce, has chocolatey hints and contains 20+ other ingredients including pulverized peanuts. Among my favorites is the Mediterranean-like
Veracruzana - stewed tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, onion, capers and olives usually served with seafood.
Here’s where to find some of my favorite San Antonio dishes:
If you can say ‘ole!’ you can say mole. I’ve sampled mole in Puebla, Oaxaca, and even at a mole festival featuring about a dozen moles…green mole, black mole, yellow, red and brown mole…I tasted them all. The best mole that I have sampled outside of Mexico is at
Cappy’s La Fonda (Three Diamond rated) on Main. The texture is smooth and rich with complex flavors and layers of aromas…you can almost taste every one of those 20 ingredients.
Salsa doesn’t get much hotter than at
Cha-Cha’s (Two Diamond rated) on Babcock Road. Their “Waiter’s Sauce” is prepared and presented by each waiter, the key element being the flame-roasted charring of the tomato, jalapeno and habanero. Roasting sweats the oils out of the peppers for even greater flavor and the dark specks from the charring contribute a lingering scent.
The bright green tomatillo sauce found on the enchiladas verdes at
Los Barrios (Two Diamond rated) on Blanco St. is tangy, refreshing and light. Tomatillos are barely spicy, more of a green tomatoes scent with a twang that won’t smother the seasoned chicken enchiladas.
As an AAA inspector, I have traveled throughout Mexico since 1988 and consider myself to be a traditionalist when it comes to authentic Mexican food. I particularly like seafood and have been known to frequent
El 7 Mares Seafood (One Diamond rated) restaurant on Commerce Street, and order the grilled fish a la Veracruzana. The large capers and green olives release a special flavor into the stewed onions, tomatoes and bell peppers…all served steaming hot over fish and white rice. Add just-made tortillas, a cold beer and you’ll think you’re in the Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz. When I have the time, I order the fish whole. I love the part where after eating the top portion, I lift the tail and the entire bone structure comes up intact. Now that’s AUTHENTIC eating!
Buen Provecho!
