Yuma – Page 6 – mmm-yoso

Grand China in Yuma

December 14, 2010 ed fromyuma Chinese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Interested in Chinese food in Yuma? Since Kirk and Cathy need some time off around the holidays, today ed (from Yuma) is posting about a new Chinese eatery in an old location.

Yuma Palace is now in this location; there is no buffet, but the food seems better than Yuma standard.

When I moved to Yuma full-time, about 10 years ago, the town had a lot of Chinese restaurants: Chef Lee's, China Boy, Gene's, Tai-San, Bamboo Garden, Fortune Cookie, Mandarin Palace, and Yummy Yummy. Today, every one of these restaurants is out of business, except my favorite, Yummy Yummy, a tiny Mexicali style Cantonese place that looks seedy and generally cooks simple Cantonese food well.

What's more, a number of huge buffets featuring allegedly "Chinese" food have also come and gone: The Hong Kong Buffet, The China Buffet, and two locations of Mr. Lu's. Even the largest fanciest Chinese restaurant in town, Mandarin Palace, became a buffet:

In 2008, with Chinese buffets collapsing left and right, Mandarin Palace decided to go back to preparing dinners off a menu, and I began taking pictures to do a post on it:

I was halfway through writing the post when Mandarin Palace became a full-time buffet again, and I lost interest and lost heart.

After being closed this summer, Mandarin Palace has been reincarnated with new ownership as Grand China:

It still has a full-time buffet with many of the usual suspects ($7.25 for lunch):

a nice selections of salads (I love asparagus salad and seaweed salad):
and some actually edible sushi rolls:
Most of the buffet items are pretty standard, but I was surprised to find a spicy hot cold baby octopus salad one lunchtime. Pepper flakes and diced fresh chilies packed a punch. The octopus chew contrasted well with the celery crunch:

Finding a take-out menu, I saw that the restaurant also cooked dishes to order, and I noticed that they served something called "Peking Duck," priced at $26.95. That sounded like the perfect thing for Tina's birthday, so I called a day in advance (as the menu advised) and showed up for dinner not sure what we were going to get.

The first thing to arrive at our table — not counting stiff cocktails from the bar — was an order of mixed vegetables, called Buddha's Delight on the menu ($8.50):

While not earth shattering, of course, the vegetables were well-prepared. All were crispy tender and the light sauce stayed in the background where it belonged.

The duck showed up on a platter surrounded by shrimp chips:
It came with little pancakes, a slightly sweet and savory duck sauce, and shredded scallions and celery:

We chuckled as we rolled up duck and complements in our Chinese tortillas. One taste, however, and we knew that we were not having burritos de pato.

While not exactly Peking duck, this was certainly the best roast duck I had ever eaten in Yuma — even counting the ones that I had driven back from San Diego. The flesh was moist and tender, and the skin was tasty if not crunchy crisp. Good ducky flavors, not overly gamy. Tina was delighted and surprised and has mentioned several times how much she enjoyed the dinner.

But before I felt I could do a post, I wanted to see if Grand China could prepare take out well as well. I ordered two of my old favorites from Mandarin Palace, so I could have a better comparison of this place and its predecessor.

Here's the shrimp and lobster sauce:

Overall I liked the dish. The numerous bamboo shoots pleased me, and they along with the water chestnuts provided a nice texture contrast to the softer peas and carrots. Diced Peapod accented the garden pea taste. The shrimp were well-prepared, still somewhat moist and fresh tasting. Not badly overcooked like so many other Chinese restaurant shrimp in Yuma. I was also impressed that the restaurant used some seafood stock in the preparation, giving the whole dish the flavor of the sea.

I also ordered Twice Cooked Pork, another favorite of mine:

Again I was pleased. Extensive chili flakes provided good spicy heat. I was also happy to find the dish was made with roast pork — since it is common in Yuma to use barbecued pork in this dish. The pork came with chopped American cabbage, peapods, mushrooms, and diced red and green peppers. I liked the mix of veggies, but they were slightly overcooked, just a bit softer than I prefer.

All in all, Grand China makes a worthy successor to Mandarin Palace. I like the convenience of the buffet, and they can prepare good Mandarin style Chinese food for American tastes.

Now let's hope they stay in business for a while.

Grand China, 350 E. 32nd St, Yuma, AZ 85364. 928-344-2805. Open daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Chretin’s in Yuma

July 25, 2010 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

The blog is mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and Cathy will blog for you again soon. Today ed (from Yuma) has a really long post about Yuma's original Mexican restaurant.

March 2011 update: shortly after this was published, Chretin's was purchased by new owners. While the lunch buffet is still da bomb, the menu is considerably different, and some of the old-school Yuma dishes are gone or prepared differently.

I need to go back and try Chretin's again. My last couple of visits weren't very good and the buffet seemed sparse and overpriced back in the summer of 2013. That was my last visit, but I will try to update when and if I get bck.

My favorite experiences blogging for Kirk are those moments when I can share an unlikely but incredible experience at some out-of-the-way taco stand or a tiny restaurant hidden in a blind alley. My task today is more unusual and more difficult, presenting a restaurant that almost every online poster seems to hate – Chretin's Mexican Restaurant in Yuma:

At Yelp, somebody from New Jersey called the food "Crappy Mexican. Like east coast crappy." At Yahoo, a poster who "came up on mexican food in denver co and sandiego cal" reports "fake mexican food that was just sick we did not eat or food nor ask them to re-make it or refund it." Many others agreed.

For me, on the other hand, Chretin's is like an old friend — maybe no longer your favorite person — but someone you are comfortable with, someone whose good qualities (and shortcomings) you know very well.

My first Mexican meal in Yuma was 25 years ago at Chretin's original location in a ramshackle building in the middle of an old residential district. All I remember is that I enjoyed it. Many times after that first visit, I would come to Chretin's with Mary Emma and her late husband Don, who loved the old school food, atmosphere, and waitstaff. Years later, I still eat at Chretin's occasionally, and I usually enjoy it.

These days, Chretin's occupies a fancy new building at a major intersection (Arizona and 16th St.), and perhaps customers expect the food to be the standard Mexican food that can be found at "nice" Mexican restaurants throughout most of the United States. The Mexican equivalent of ABCDE restaurants. Instead, Chretin's is a Yuma standard, serving some of the same dishes that introduced Anglos in southwest Arizona to "Mexican food" two or three generations ago. Is it authentic Mexican? Ehh, probably not. But it is authentic Yuman.

The new building is both a blessing and a curse. Centrally located, with a huge parking lot, the restaurant with its main room, side rooms, and bar has plenty of space for customers:

At the same time, 2007 was not a good year to relocate a business. And the restaurant was overwhelmed initially. Everyone in town wanted to try the new location, and numerous passers-by and freeway refugees stumbled onto the place and added to the chaos. While I have never had poor service (though I do adjust my standards to Yuma norms), I'm sure some online posters were not well treated.

But the real big whammy for the new location is the seemingly endless widening and repair of 16th St, so that Chretin's seems to be located in a war zone in some third world country:

So amid all that could go wrong, how do I have a good meal at Chretin's? Sometimes, I start with a Mexican beer (Pacifico and Bohemia are my favorites) or the first-rate margaritas turned out by the bar:

Some people like the sweeter flavored margaritas (such as the strawberry one in this picture), but my favorite is on the rocks without salt:

I also savor the thin corn chips and the decent salsa:

Though certainly not the spiciest in town, the salsa here has all the right flavor notes: tomato, chile pepper, onion, with a touch of black pepper and a slight sour tang. The guacamole is also the real thing. The puréed avocado is enhanced with touches of spice and citrus :

A truly great appetizer is the incredible Sonoran cheese crisp (called the toasted cheese tortilla here):

Even my friend Charles knows of none better, in fact, none even close. The flour tortilla is truly crisp and crunchy. The amount of cheese is absolutely perfect, enough to cover but not overwhelm the tortilla. And the balance between the mild creamy white cheese and the sharper yellow is perfect. Top with some salsa and it's heaven.

Another reason to like the restaurant are the lunch choices; you can take advantage of several excellent specials, order items à la carte, or choose the reasonably priced buffet on week days (currently $5.99).

The buffet usually has a salad section, condiments choices, a tostadas area (with ground beef and refried frijoles), mass-produced tamales and enchiladas, decent chicken fajita-style, and ample giant flour tortillas.

Just to illustrate, my friend Dave put together the following concoctions on a recent visit there:

I'm usually content to roll up a couple chicken fajitas burritos with or without extra condiments:

Other lunchtime favorites are bowls of green chile, chili con carne ($5.25), or albondigas, tender meatballs in a rich vegetable based stock ($4.99):

You can also get a lunch size taco salad – beef or chicken:

My only complaint about the taco salads is that there is not enough true salad. Both of the meat choices, beef or chicken, are flavorful, the guacamole and sour cream are abundant, the beans and cheese add their richness, but I have to give up eating when things get too gloppy:

One of my very favorite lunch specials is a single chile rellano, fried perfectly crisp, with rice and beans:

Most of the time, that chile rellano will be the best you've ever had, a fresh green chile amply stuffed with a flavorful blend of white and yellow melty cheeses, wrapped in a thin egg batter, and fried to brown crunchiness. Inside it looks like this:

Another luncheon favorite of mine is the Chile Verde burrito, enchilada style:

I have already written about Chretin's unique version of green chile stew (mutant green chilies in Yuma), but I can't resist showing you another close-up of the insides of a Chile Verde burrito:

This dish also illustrates the unique nature of some things at Chretin's. One specialty of this restaurant is serving burritos and chimichangas enchilada style — covered in sauce and cheese, making them clearly knife and fork food. Of course, I can't claim that this is an invention by this restaurant. Perhaps Chretin's version simply reflects the culinary traditions of the old time Sonoran families in Yuma. But in any case, this style of "wet" or "saddle" burrito is very common around here, but I honestly don't know why that is.

What I do know, however, is that Chretin's serves the only green sauce that tastes a lot like Thanksgiving turkey gravy with merely a hint of green chile flavor. Is this use of flour in the sauce a family secret that goes back to a 19th-century Abuela? Or does it reflect what an entrepreneurial Mexican-American family in the 1940s and 50s believed would sell to Anglo residents and servicemen? Not sure. I can understand how some people could hate this mild chile flavored gravy sauce, but for myself, I love its taste and uniquity.

Other folks are passionate about Chretin's chili con carne, tender bits of beef stewed in an old-school dried red chili sauce:

A bowl of this chili was always Don's favorite lunch, and for good reason. It always reminds me of the best aspects of the canned chili that I ate growing up. I mean that as a compliment — no chili in cans was ever this good, rich and flavorful.

The chicken machaca is a dish not common in Yuma. The chicken (boiled? Or maybe roasted) is stirfried with vegetables and it's full of poultry goodness:

The carne Asada here is also different — a thin, juicy, steak, topped with the roasted fresh green chile — a flavor combination common in Sonoran cuisine. The steak itself is tender, moist, and beefy, touched with a bit of Worcestershire marinade:

I like the carnitas plate even more. This guy could be the poster boy for carnitas. The pork ranges from crispy crunchy to moist and tender. All of it tasting of the pig. And the condiments it comes with — chopped cabbage and pico de gallo — are just perfect. The meat rolls up into two good-sized burritos with plenty of leftovers:

Also outstanding is the chile rellano dinner, pictured here, enchilada style, covered with green chili gravy:

This time made with a very spicy dark poblano:

Anyway, a person can have excellent meals at Chretin's. This is not standard Americanized Mexican food, not always what you expect, and some old time Yumans will tell you that it was better in the old location — but for me, Chretin's is a perfect embodiment of an old-style independent restaurant, a place that sticks to its traditions. I hope they are around to serve future generations this unique version of frontier Sonoran/Arizonan food.

In memory of Don Berkey. Thanks, Don. And we still miss ya!

Chretin's, 505 E. 16th St., Yuma AZ 85364, 928-782-2224

Los Manjares de Pepe in Yuma: World Famous in Arizona

July 2, 2010 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Like you folks, I look forward to Kirk and Cathy's food-driven forays around SD, and I await Kirk's next travel post. Today, though, it's just me, ed (from Yuma) writing.

Three years ago, I first posted about Yuma's best Mexican (oh heck, best overall) restaurant for readers here at ymm-yoso, so why another post about Pepe's? It's certainly not because the restaurant has moved to some new fancy location. It's still in an old house on 8th St:

It's not because the food has gotten any worse — or better. The pozole is still righteous:

The guacamole is still first-rate:

And the consistently spicy salsa is still one of the best in town:

In fact, Los Manjares was recently named one of Arizona's 10 best Mexican restaurants by the travel section of the Arizona Republic, and Arizona Highways Magazine said it was one of the 25 best restaurants in the entire state. Of course, all you yosoers knew how good it was already. The title of this post reflects this recognition — and because I was reminded of a sign I saw years ago: "World Famous on the Oregon Coast."

So I am doing this post because I keep eating at los Manjares and taking pictures of the food. I just can't help myself.

As before, some of the best things at the restaurant are specials, which are available only on certain days or when Pepe feels like cooking them. For example, the chicken soup is rich and full of vegetables:

And you always get at least two pieces of chicken on the bone:

Another winner is the traditional Jaliscan dish, carne en su jugo (meat in its broth):

Served in a bowl, the tender chunks of beef, the flavorful pieces of bacon, and the pinto beans all contribute to make this yo-so good. The flavor is enhanced by the condiments:

Sometimes I eat it like a soup, but other times I combine goodies from the bowl and make a taco:

While Yuma is not known for moles, even the chicken mole is better than any other that I have had in a restaurant in town:

Yet Los Manjares is more than just the daily specials. Numerous great dishes are featured regularly on the menu. The potato tacos, mashed potatoes rolled in corn tortillas and deep-fried are done very well here:

I was even more surprised that time I ordered sopes, a dish I rarely like. At Pepe's this order of griddled corn cakes tastes as good as it looks:

Each of the patties is topped with grilled chicken, lettuce, chopped tomato, guacamole sauce, crema, and cheese. Add a little of the great house salsa and the taste is heavenly and the textures are complex and satisfying.

The kitchen's technique also raises some mundane dishes to new heights. For example, look at the char on this machaca:

Similarly, this order of chicken fajitas has been singed, charred, and even slightly burnt:

In fact, that particular plate may have been too aggressively grilled even for my tastes.

In general, I have liked almost everything I have ever been served at this restaurant. Two of my favorites deserve special mention. Pork in tomatillo sauce (also called Pepe's special) is a dish I have encountered no where else and is a consistent winner at Pepe's:

The stewed pork is tender, rich, and oh so flavorful. The tomatillos do not make the dish sour in any way, but add a deep savory balance to the pork flesh. Flakes of red chile do a picante dance in the background. People have been known to take a spoon and eat up any savory sauce left after all the meat is gone (okay, I am one of those people).

Another consistent winner is Pollo Sinaloa:

The largely boneless half chicken is flattened, expertly seasoned, and grilled perfectly. It is served covered with a fresh pico de gallo dice. Many versions of this dish are overcooked (which is better, I must admit, to bloody raw). At Los Manjares, on the other hand, the chicken is always perfectly done and still juicy:

In addition to all of the dishes shown in these posts, there are several other things that the kitchen does very well, but I don't always bring my camera with me and my pictures don't always turn out the way I'd like. Also, I have to remember what my friend Chip keeps saying — "stop telling people about Pepe's. It's getting too damned busy." Okay, I'll stop right now, but somebody else has to tell Arizona Highways and the Arizona Republic to cease and desist.

Los Manjares de Pepe, 2187 West 8th St., Yuma AZ. (928) 782-2366

Tata’s in Yuma: Bodacious Tacos and More

June 15, 2010 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Like most readers at this site, ed (from Yuma) is awaiting more of Kirk's mindboggling posts on China, and Kirk and Cathy's regular looks at San Diego dining. While waiting, he thought he'd let you folks know about a new and interesting taco stand in Yuma.

Tata's has disappeared and been replaced by a new location for Rossy's. Unfortunately, none of the South of Mexico dishes described in this post are still available.

Last fall, Tina and I were exploring 8th St, looking to spot any new taco emporiums opened since the end of the summer. As soon as we saw a new truck in the old Tio Juan's lot, we made a U-turn, and pulled into Tata's Tacos:
At that time, the stand had been doing business for only a few days, so we sampled some tacos that evening. The smooth and creamy chichirones was bathed in spicy red chili sauce:
Oh so good and oh so not good for you. Yum.

The Cabeza was tasty too:
For both Tina and I, the best taco we had that evening was the tripitas:

Even though the portion was somewhat small, these rounds of pig intestine were wonderfully prepared. The textures ranged from crunchy to chewy to soft and melt in your mouth. The flavors started with upfront porkiness and finished with a haunting nutty earthy savory flavor.

Although our first experience at the truck was uniformly positive, it was months before we made it back (our bad). As soon as we opened the new two-page menu, it became instantly apparent that Tata's had morphed into an outdoor dining establishment unlike any other in Yuma.

Nowadays, some dishes characteristic of south and central Mexico are regularly available. For example, look at this picture of two new items. On the left is a tostada maya (a black bean tostada with cotija cheese). On the right is a Maria Felix, an empenada-like quesadilla with flor de calabazas (squash blossoms) and cheese:
When you open up the Maria Felix, you see the wonderful mix of ingredients combined into a joy bomb of flavors. The hand made corn tortilla shell is crunchy, but not greasy. The unmistakable tastes of summer squash and cheese fill the mouth with happiness:

Even more unusual is what Tata's calls a Tizoc, a hand formed corn tortilla wrapped around spicy huitlacoche (corn smut — called "corn truffles" on fancy menus):

Perfectly done here. Spicy chile notes deepen the dominant and complex earthy fungal flavors of the huitloche itself, while kernels of sweet corn add contrasting textures and flavors. While I am far from an expert on this kind of smut, Tata's tizoc is by far is the best I've ever tasted.

Tina and I also love a variation on the black bean tostada called the maya maya, which tops the black beans with grilled nopalitas salad, giving some contrastive tang and more textures to the tostada:

I'm still amazed right here in river city to find a taco stand that goes beyond the border and also serves several vegetarian dishes.

At the same time, you can get great versions of many taco truck standards. For example, the horchata is good and the Tamarindo properly sweet and slightly sour:

When you wait for your tacos to arrive, you're given little bowls of frijoles gratis, which I like to enhance with some of the free condiments:

Speaking of which, the condiment wheel includes all of the necessary players — lemon wedges, cilantro, shredded cabbage, chopped onion, guacamole sauce, tomatillo salsa, and a fiery salsa de arbol:

And the tacos continue to be very good. In particular, the pastor has a nice marinade and profits from the char of the grill:

The outstanding barbacoa is incredibly beefy:

And we still love the tripitas, which are the best I've ever eaten:

Notice the wok hay on these:

And on our last visit, Tata's had caguamanta, stewed stingray tacos:

Again, the version here is as good as it gets, deeply savory, fishy in a good way, and complex. They told us that these tacos were going to become a Friday and Saturday night special. We certainly hope so.

I love Tata's (I never thought I'd write that in a blog post at mmm-yoso!!!). This small place is truly one family's labor of love. The father (Jose) grew up in Guanajuato and knows the cuisine of south and central Mexico; mom (Aleyida) does most of the cooking; grandpa provides the caguamanta recipe; and the son and his girlfriend (I think) are often waiting tables.

However, particularly at this time of year, Tata's does not seem to keep regular hours. I guess there is no point in being open if it is insufferably hot or crazy windy. Most evenings I guess they open around 6:30 or 7:00. I have no idea when they close, but I'm sure it is well past my bedtime. Give them a call before you drop by. If they are open, you will not be disappointed.

Tata's Tacos, 3121 W 8th St, Yuma AZ 85364, 928-920-1105 or 928-246-0049.

Kodiak Seafood in Yuma Foothills

May 25, 2010 ed fromyuma American/New American Restaurants, Seafood, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

The word on the street and in the blogosphere is that Kirk is due back from somewhere overseas soon. Until then, it is Cathy (from San Diego) and, today, ed (from Yuma) posting at mmm-yoso. You are warned.

Kodiak's location is now a good Thai restaurant.

Most of Yuma (such as it is) stretches south from the Colorado River, spreading out from the streets that once funneled north/south and east/west traffic through town. In 1967, a local entrepreneur started selling extremely cheap lots 12 miles east of the city. At the time, many people thought he was a fool, but after his first million dollars, people's minds changed. The Foothills (which is what his development is called) is now a thriving but largely unincorporated part of the city of Yuma. Its population varies from 10,000 to 40,000 depending on the season, and housing out there ranges from shabby trailers that would seem to date from 1967 to some of the most exclusive residences in Yuma County. Up until recently, The Foothills has been devoid of good and interesting restaurants, but over the last few years, more worthwhile eateries have begun to appear.

A wonderful example of this is Kodiak Seafoods, a tiny restaurant (about 10 small tables) located in the shopping center anchored by Fry's grocery store on Fortuna Blvd at the freeway:
It is a no-frills restaurant with a limited menu, and fishing paraphernalia and photos covering the walls (the family fishes commercially every summer in Alaska):
We first heard of it as the "new" fish n' chips place. Indeed, the fish and chips there is excellent ($9):

The two perflectly fried filets of Alaskan cod sit atop crunchy sweet potato fries, which are (imho) the best side available at the restaurant.

On that same visit, we were able to get something not regularly available — an order of crispy fried ocean perch ($10) (here pictured with the regular french fries):
Even though this is a modest little restaurant where you order at the counter and wait for them to bring your food and water or soft drinks, it is possible to enjoy some of the finest wines in the world here. How is that? Well, you just have to bring the fine wine with you. Since this little place has no liquor license, one of the strange laws of the state of Arizona allows customers to bring their own beer or wine (and no, that is not the only strange law of the state of Arizona). So on Tina's and my most recent visit to the restaurant, we brought in a set of stemless wineglasses:

and one of our favorite local wines so that we could complement our seafood dinner with an appropriate beverage:

When I say local wine I don't mean to imply that anyone grows wine grapes in Yuma County. Miraflores winery, located in the Sierra foothills, is owned by a local Yuma physician, Dr. Victor Alvarez. While the winery is most known for its outstanding red wines (I love the Zinfandel and the Bordeaux style blend), the Pinot Grigio is quite good, with balanced pinot grigio flavors, mineral undertones, and a smooth and slightly creamy finish.

We almost always begin our dinners with a side salad ($1), which, as you can tell from the pictures below, consists of a generous helping of fresh baby greens, baby tomatoes, and some other fruit or vegetable accent:

Although the dressings are most likely store-bought, they are of good quality and complement the salads nicely.

In addition to the great wines available, the most important reason why Tina and I love to come out to this restaurant is the wonderful grilled fish. Sometimes swordfish is available:

Often they have mahi-mahi:

Just look at how moist and juicy that piece of fish is. In fact it is the chef's ability to serve flame grilled fish at exactly the right degree of doneness that makes the all the fishes here so delightful.

For example, this piece of halibut certainly looks nice with the char marks from the grill:

But the tender and moist bites of the fish are even more succulent:

The restaurant also allows the customer to choose from various seasonings (that are, I believe, crafted in house) including Caribbean jerk, Cajun, teriyaki, lemon pepper, Southwest, garlic and herb, and their favorite, Kodiak seasoning. If you look carefully at this nicely grilled piece of salmon, you can see all of the herbs and spices that go into the Kodiak flavor:

As with the halibut, you really appreciate the grill master's skill when you look at and taste each wonderful bite of the fish:

That last picture brings me to another point about this place; Kodiak Seafood keeps trying to get better. On our most recent visit, Tina and I were blown away by the new tartar sauce being served. Unlike previous versions, the new tartar sauce is flavored with a large quantity of fresh dillweed, bits of old school dill pickle, and finely diced onion. It was so good, I wish I had a picture of it for you.

The grilled fish options range between $10 and $13 and come with a starch or veggies. Chicken breast and ribeye steak are also on the menu – but I have no idea how they taste. In season, the restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday usually for dinners only. It is often closed in July and August while the family goes fishing. Call before driving all the way from downtown Yuma (or San Diego). Well worth the trip.

Kodiak Seafood Company, Foothill Fry's Shopping Center, 11274 South Fortuna Road, suite C-1, Yuma, 928-345-0433.

Las Herraduras: Lucky for Yuma

May 20, 2010 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Kirk has been eating his way through some foreign country. Cathy has been eating a lot just to keep this blog current. And ed (from Yuma) has been eating and finally has the time to share a new Yuma restaurant with you guys.

It's got to be tough opening a Mexican restaurant in Yuma, the kind of city where almost everybody has two or three favorite Mexican restaurants already. So when I heard that a new restaurant was going in the old Chile Verde location on 4th Ave between the post office and Fry's, I didn't give it much of a chance for long success:
On my first visit, the large main dining area was largely empty. On the other hand, it was clear that the owners had enough capital to redecorate the restaurant, keeping the comfortable booths and adding high backed wooden chairs marked with horseshoes (Herraduras) around sturdy tables.

I was immediately impressed by the thin corn chips and outstanding salsa:
The salsa is both spicy and full of chunky goodness:
That day the special was green chile. Of course, I had to try it, and soon received a steaming bowl of wonderful old school, Yuma style green chile:
This was an excellent version served more like soup than a stew. The broth was wonderfully beefy and flavored with both tomato and green chile. The coarsely ground beef fit the rest of the dish perfectly. I was amazed by the lack of grease as well.

To my surprise, the next time I ordered green chile, the dish looked completely different:
This is what I consider standard green chile. Chunks of tender pork swimming in a mild and complex sauce with balanced flavors of green chilies, tomatillos, and fresh minced cilantro. The differences in this version let me know the range of flavors and dishes the kitchen could prepare.

At this point, our Friday Munch Lunch Bunch (MLB) agreed to get together and try some different items. Everyone loved the salsa (and what's not to love), but the cheese crisp lacked a certain complexity of flavors, though the tortilla itself was nicely crisp:

One of my friends had the fish taco special, which she proclaimed was very nicely done, with crisp batter and fresh flavored fish:
Chip opted for the asada torta and was very happy with the flavorful beef, the crispy grilled bolillo roll, and the numerous toppings including numerous slices of avocado on the sandwich and the pickled jalapeno slices on the side:
Someone else ordered the caldo de res (beef soup), which tasted better than it looked, the clear stock being full of beef flavor:
But I think I ordered the best of all the meals, the albondigas:

Here the rich beefy stock was thickened with tomatos, giving the whole bowl the flavors of an excellent beef stew. The meatballs themselves were both full of flavor and soft and tender. As good an albondigas as I've had in Yuma.

After the lunch, we compared notes, and every one was pleased with his or her dish, and considering the varied palates of the group, that rarely happens.

At this point, Tina and I started trying various other dishes. Once, Tina had the hass burrito, a nice combination of carne asada, fresh green chile strips, and cheese:
The beef was both tender and flavorful and Tina was impressed by how the cheese and the green chile slices contributed to the overall flavor.

Once I ordered a Lenten special, calabacitos:
The melty white cheese covered a stew of squash, fresh sweet corn, and fresh tomatoes:
Another common lenten dish in Yuma households is Chile rellenos. The first time that I ordered the chile rellano lunch special at Herraduras, it was truly outstanding:

The mild green chile was well fried in its egg batter, but the highlight of the dish was the tomatoey sauce that covered the chile. That sauce combined perfectly with the vegetable flavors of the chile itself:
In the six months since Las Herraduras opened, I have only been disappointed in two dishes. The chicken fajitas:

And the pollo asado burrito:
In both cases, part of my problem is the rather dry chicken breast meat. The burrito would have been 100% better if it had contained a generous portion of guacamole — of course, that preference probably reflects the two years I spent living in San Diego where the art of asada/asado burritos has been perfected. The chicken fajitas no doubt would've been better served on a hot platter in the restaurant, but the chicken breast just didn't have much flavor and the vegetables were not uniformly cooked. Nonetheless, I can imagine that these chicken dishes might well be favorites of white meat chicken fans.

Since I hate to end a post on a down note, I want to finish by talking about and showing you pictures of what I think is the best menudo in town, served with chopped cilantro and onion and a nice bolillo roll:
Lover of tendon that I am, I was delighted to find a slice of pata de res hiding in the bottom of the bowl:

The perfectly grilled, crispy crunchy bolillo roll matched perfectly with the tendon, the succulent and tender tripe, the chewy kernals of nixtamal, and the rich chili flavored broth:
It doesn't get much better than that. And Mexican restaurants don't get much better than Las Herraduras. Let's hope these are lucky horseshoes.

Las Herraduras, 2256 S. 4th Ave, Yuma AZ, 85364, 928-783-0559. Open daily 11am-9pm.

The India Palace in Yuma

December 18, 2009 ed fromyuma Indian Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Kirk, Cathy, and Vicky have shared many of their favorites with the rest of us over the years. This post, however, is ed (from Yuma) sharing one of his.

After having a couple of way-too-salty meals, I have quit eating here. Reports are that the place has declined.

Although I am delighted to have Das Bratwurst Haus over here in the desert, for me personally, the most positive change in the Yuma dining scene in the past six months has been the establishment of a new Indian restaurant in Yuma, India Palace:
I know that one or two of you who are familiar with Yuma will think that this is not a new restaurant at all–since Yuma has had an Indian eatery at this location on 4th Ave now for several years. In fact, you have to look closely to realize that this is a different Indian restaurant — and to my taste buds at least, a much better one.

The chef was born in Nepal, but she is skilled in cooking a wide range of Indian dishes and has spent many years sharpening her culinary skills by cooking for her Indian husband. Often, in fact, when I eat at the restaurant, I feel like I can dining in somebody's home because the food is made with love and with great attention to detail.

Even though the buffet has shrunk in size, the quality of the dishes is very high, and the variety of flavors never ceases to amaze me. For example, on one visit, the buffet had both chana masala (chick peas) and rajma masala (kidney beans) as well as mixed vegetables and a dish featuring large chunks of curried zucchini:
On another visit, the star items were a chunky eggplant curry, aloo matar (peas and potatoes), and the fiery onion chutney:
One never knows what one is going to find on the buffet. I have had a standard daal maharani, a yellow daal, and most recently an herbed daal unlike any other I can recall tasting elsewhere.

Similarly, there is usually a chicken curry available as well. Most of the time, it is pretty standard (so standard I realize I've never photographed it), but recently the chicken curry was a bright yellow color:
This curry, was primarily spiced with the subtle tastes of turmeric, roasted cumin seeds, and garlic — all of which serve to accent the wonderful flavor of the chicken.

Dishes cooked to order are also prepared well. One of my favorites is bhel puri chaat, a fried patty of dough, topped with yogurt, spicy sauce, and more:
This dish featured layers of flavors, with the curry spices offset by creamy and tangy yogurt. The textures of the dish also ranged from soft through chewy to crunchy.

Another time, I tried the masala dosa, a South Indian style pancake rolled around a potato and vegetable filling. It was served with an incredible coconut chutney and a traditional shambher made with yellow daal:
Here you can see the filling in the pancake:
Every item on the plate was outstanding, and they went together perfectly. When the chef came out and asked me how I liked it, I was full of complements, because it did taste so wonderful. She then pointed out the black flecks that were across the top of the South Indian soup:
"Curry leaves," she said, "but you have to burn them to get the right taste." And you know what, she was correct. The touches of burnt flavor contributed to the overall balance of the shambher.

I have also gotten several different items off the menu for dinner. Usually Tina and I will have them for take out, matching them up with one of our favorite gewürztraminers. One of my favorite items has been the chili chicken: This is very simple. The chicken is prepared in a spicy sauce with chunks of green chilies. What's not to like? The chili lamb is equally good and filled with numerous large chunks of slightly gamy lamb:

Bhindi Masala was outstanding on another occasion, the okra being perfectly fresh and slightly crunchy. The sauce and numerous onion slices just made everything better:
We've also loved the karahi fish palak, catfish chunks swimming in creamy spinach:

On that night, we also had an outstanding bengan bhartha, the roasted egg plant adding a smoky depth of flavor to the well seasoned and deeply flavored vegetable dish:
Is everything at the restaurant perfect? Well, no. The two times I've had a biryani, the flavors and textures have been largely monochrome, the rice dish crying out for cashews, raisins, and/or various other items. A couple of times dishes were too salty for my taste (though I am very sensitive to sodium, and I suspect that the dishes were seasoned in a traditional fashion). I also wish that their take-out containers were not so plastic, though these containers do resist spilling very well, even when they turn upside down on the ride home:
My main concern with the restaurant, however, has to do with its survivability. We all know that having a skilled and creative chef is only a small part of the battle that every independent restaurant faces. I worry that too many locals and winter visitors alike associate India Palace with the defunct India House, a restaurant that was uniformly mediocre for the last few years of its existence. I also worry that some lunch diners will associate the lack of quantity and daily variety with a lack of quality. I just hope that more people appreciate the unique flavors that India Palace brings to the Yuma dining scene. I hope.

India Palace, 2071 S.4th Ave., Yuma, AZ, (928) 782-0799.

Das Bratwurst Haus – German Cuisine in Yuma

December 14, 2009 ed fromyuma European Restaurants, German Restaurants and Food, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Luckily Kirk and Cathy and Vicky have been sharing their meals with you yosoers since ed (from Yuma) has been busy working (and eating). So today it is time for something completely different, something echt deutsch.

March 2011 update: Although this place closed for the summer, it is still going strong. It now has a liquor license and offers an excellent selection of unusual and satisfying German beers — but that means that diners cannot bring their own (weird AZ law).

I should make it clear from the start that I rarely seek out German restaurants, even though my ancestry is 50% German and my maternal grandparents emigrated to the US in 1923 and always spoke with an accent. Nonetheless, too many German restaurants in the United States are long on fake gemutlichkeit and oompah music, their food being heavy, fatty, and salty. All the better, I guess, to sell beer.

So it was not my idea for the lunch bunch to try this new German restaurant located in the same space at the corner of Second and Madison that once housed Mustard's:
It was hard to tell what to expect from the menu as it contained most of the usual suspects — sausage plates, schnitzel, rouladen, saurbraten, and sandwiches. We were all pleased to see that the entrées were available in a lunch portion that came with two sides for only $7.50.

I ordered the pork schnitzel "Weiner Art" (in the style of Vienna) with a gurkensalat (cucumber salad) and a kartoffelsalat (potato salad):
I was impressed — no make that blown away. The pork cutlet was absolutely perfect, seriously crunchy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. The mild pork flavor was perfectly accented by a squeeze of lemon.

The sides were good as well. The potato salad, truth be told, was unlike any that I had had in my family or in Germany, but it was still very good with a mild vinegary flavor and just a hint of mustard. The thinly sliced cucumbers were spiced with dill weed and swam in a tangy sour cream sauce. It was a perfect salad, both creamy and crunchy.

At this point I need to thank my friends who are used to my peculiarities and automatically allow me a chance to photograph their meals and even let me taste them sometimes. For some reason, they still dine with me.

Here is a lunch sized serving of rouladen:

The little rolled beef roast was tasty and I was very impressed by the perfectly cooked blaukraut (red cabbage), though the cabbage was not accented by cloves or allspice the way my grandmother did it.

My family prepared sauerbraten peasant style — strongly marinated and then cooked like pot roast. At Das Bratwurst Haus, the dish is made with a better cut of beef and receives a more sophisticated treatment:

The marinade flavor, and hence the sourness, was mild, and the meat was perfectly balanced between the beefiness of the flesh and the slight sour tang of the marinade. The accompanying sauerkraut had been perfectly prepared so that it reached a degree of sweetness. I can't do it any better. This lunch made me want to return soon for dinner.

So soon Tina and I sat down in a corner table to sample some German dinners. We were pleased to see the friendly and competent server we'd enjoyed at Mustard's (he joked that he came with the property). Service at dinner was especially good that evening.

Tina ordered jaegerschnitzel, the pork schnitzel topped with mushroom gravy, red cabbage (oddly enough, called blaukraut, blue cabbage, in German), and spaetzle (sorry about the nighttime lighting in the photos):

Again the schnitzel and red cabbage were very good. Although shaped more like mini dumplings than noodles, the spaetzle were tender and flavorful, the lightly flavored mushroom gravy allowing the taste of the pasta to shine through.

That evening I opted for the rouladen:
Notice that the dinner sized portion contained two of these little rolled roasts. Each roast is like a large slice of beef round rolled around bacon, onion, and in the center, a thin slice of dill pickle. A classic German dish prepared well here.

In addition to more of the addictive cucumber salad, I chose semmelknoedel (bread dumplings) as my other side dish, getting two slices from a larger dumpling as my portion:
Although Tina thought they weren't heated through quite fully enough, we both certainly enjoyed their flavor, which is much like a savory turkey dressing.

Speaking of turkeys, we were both stuffed by this time, but we had admired the pastries coming into the restaurant and just had to have some desert (only because I wanted to do a complete post — really, that's the only reason).

So we sampled the apple strudel, which was good, but not breathtaking:

The Black Forest cake, on the other hand, was breathtaking:
The combination of dense, dark chocolate cake, sweet and fruity whole Bing cherries, and plenty of homemade Schlagsahne (whipped cream) was just about perfect. The range of sweet flavors and the overall richness were outstanding. This desert was a perfect ending to a good meal.

As we finished dining, we learned that the older gentleman at the next table (who had been listening to us critiquing the meal) was the owner/chef's husband, and he explained that his wife was from Bamberg in the far north of Bavaria (Franconia), which has its own cuisine, and that this restaurant grew out of a popular catering business she had. This explains why the food seemed so authentic, but not exactly like what I grew up eating.

The local paper recently announced that Das Bratwurst Haus has received its BYOB license, so diners may now bring a bottle of wine or up to 24 ounces of beer per customer for a five dollar set up charge. Can't beat that either. Prost!

Das Bratwurst Haus, 204 S. Madison Ave, 928-329-4777. Open 11 – 8 daily.

Just a quick reminder – The 3rd Annual Somerton Tamale Festival.

December 5, 2009 mmm-yoso What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Ed from Yuma wanted to remind folks that the 3rd Annual Somerton Tamale Festival is taking place on December 19th, from 11am to 10pm in Somerton, on Main Street between Union Avenue and Somerton Avenue.

You can find more information on the website.

Ed has also posted on the first festival, and a two parter on last year's festival.

Sounds like a great time…..who knows, you may run into Ed!

El Viejo Loco in Yuma

August 25, 2009 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Kirk and Cathy have both been in Yuma, but today, ed (from Yuma) wants to talk about a restaurant and restaurant owner there.

March 2011 update: Sadly, Viejo Loco has closed. I have been told that Danny is battling some health issues. I hope he recovers and finds a new location. I miss him and spinach enchiladas.

I'm not sure if the name of the restaurant means the crazy old guy or the old crazy guy, but Danny Mendoza is certainly not old — at least by my standards.

He's operated a restaurant by this name at three different locations, first outside of town on Highway 95, then hidden on the back side of a building facing Mervyn's, and now at the cursed location on east side of 4th Ave just before the Big Curve: This spot has been home to TJ's Marisqeros, Small Fries (with two separate owners), Mi Playita, and I can't remember what else in the years since I moved to town. So maybe he is crazy.

On the other hand, he is sane enough an do the Mexican restaurant standards very well: This is as good a machaca and egg breakfast burrito as I have had in town, no, make that the best I've had anywhere. There was no filler here, just fluffy egg and extremely good beef machaca. Enough onion and green peppers to provide texture and accent notes. I also appreciated that Danny (who was cooking that morning) asked if I wanted the salsa put inside. Of course I did; I can't roll a burrito as well as he and I definitely want some of his salsa.

After all, this restaurant has the best salsa in town: For all I know, there may be a bit of tomato pulp in here, but the major dominant flavor is fresh red chilies, very spicy, but not burn the skin of your tongue off fiery.

His version of most other standards is equally spot on. Look at this chile relleno plate: While he will happily spoon some excellent red or green sauce on these bad boys, if you wish, they are perfect as is, the expertly cooked green anaheims are wrapped in their eggy blanket, stuffed with creamy white cheese. Simple and tasty: Likewise, the chile verde (green chile) here is perfectly balanced and deeply flavorful, if a bit expensive for the portion size. The pork (sometimes beef is available also) is cooked until it shreds and becomes completely permeated with green chile and touches of tomatillo flavor. As good as it gets: Recently he has been experimenting with different types of tortas: That's a rib eye torta with a thin rib eye steak on the bun. Yeah, a real steak. Great beefy flavors, according to my buddy, Chip, who pronounced it as an incredible sandwich.

Similarly here's his version of a chicken torta: In most ways, a great grilled chicken breast sandwich – though the bolillo roll could have been toasted better. As was, it was a touch crumbly. I also prefer tortas with pickled jalapeno slices, but that's a matter of personal taste. Otherwise outstanding.

Both the torta de pollo and the ribeye sandwich were specials and not on the regular menu. In fact, I have learned always to look at what is written on the specials board because the specials here are often truly special, and the list of specials is always changing.

Recently I got lucky and stopped in on a day when barbacoa was the special. One could get it in a burrito, in a sandwich, as a taco plate, or as a complete barbacoa plate, which looked like this: Along with his standard rice and his frijoles (no lard), this is the best barbacoa (imho) in Yuma. As with many of his other dishes, the meat had been cooked to shreds, so that each shard of meat was full of flavor. In some ways this pot roasted beef shoulder was much like my grandmother's pot roast with the deep flavor of long cooked beef. But unlike anything my grandmother would have prepared, the main flavoring here was mild dark dried red chile with a touch of citrusy tang .

Along with excellent Mexican standards and different and interesting specials, one thing that constantly impresses me about this restaurant is Danny Mendoza himself. He is the only restauranteur that I know in Yuma who is as food obsessed as I am. On several occasions when business has been slow, Danny will pull up a chair, sit down at my table, and talk food with me.

Although he grew up in Yuma, he worked in different restaurants in California before returning to his hometown. And his skills and interests stretch beyond Mexican food alone. For example, one day he just had to share with me a couple of things he was experimenting with back in the kitchen.

So I got this little cup of soup: It was amazingly good. The the rich and flavorful chicken stock had been slightly thickened, fresh crunchy shredded lettuce and diced green onion had been stirred in, and a dollop of sour cream had been added. A perfect little soup, the sort of dish that would've fit in a multicourse tasting menu.

Why this dish? Well, Danny said that he was just playing around, trying to use leftover lettuce in some flavorful dish.

That same day, he served me a small plate of what he called etouffee, even though it was served over noodles instead of rice: But the flavors were great, or at least good enough to fool this non-Cajun diner. The blond roux contained a large shrimp, numerous fresh and tasty crawfish, celery, onions, and little bits of green pepper. The fancy restaurants in town would have been delighted to serve something this unusual and flavorful.

Over the years he has served me all sorts of different and interesting dishes - like a side of spinach and onions, or the best mantaralla I've ever tasted, or maybe just a new chipotle salsa he's experimenting with.

For example, on a recent visit, Danny brought Tina and I little bowls of his oatmeal for dessert: The texture featured bits of chewy oatmeal suspended in a wonderfully creamy liquid. It was slightly sweet and had a pronounced cinnamon flavor. While certainly not the healthiest oatmeal I have ever eaten (I could taste the cream), it was surprisingly rich and flavorful. As served, kindof a desert soup.

Another of Danny's interests is re-creating some of the simple peasant food traditional on both sides of the border in the Sonoran desert. For example, he sometimes does enchiladas del piso, thick corn tortillas (corn cakes?) covered in sauce and topped with cheese and your choice of spinach, chicken, or beef: I can imagine a meal like this — probably without any meat — being served for dinner in poor families. Rice, beans, corn masa, and chile sauce. Truly basic stuff.

A similar meal is Tomasita's Enchiladas, traditional enchiladas made with verdolagas (purslane):
Danny says that this meal was a common feature of his childhood, and to learn how to make it he tracked down a 90-year-old relative (Tomasita) whose specialty this is. Talk about true peasant cuisine. Again we have rice, beans, and tortillas. In this case the tortillas are wrapped around a simple filling made with a local weed, and the enchiladas are then topped with a unique sauce made with frijoles not chilies:
Interestingly, the purslane is also very healthy, full of vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, and a lot of omega 3 fatty acids, one of those few things containing the word "fatty" that's actually good for you.

In addition to all this other good stuff, my favorite meals at the restaurant are the spinach enchiladas. They can come with a deeply rich and flavorful red sauce: Cut into, the enchiladas look like this: But I think they are even better with Danny's tangy green sauce: Inside: In either case, the enchiladas are packed full of flavorful spinach and onions, making this another healthy Mexican meal. And a tasty one as well.

I know of no other Mexican restaurant in town that has enchiladas with either verdolagas or spinach filling. The uniquity of these items brings me back to El Viejo Loco again and again.

Yet I am constantly puzzled by one fact. I have never seen the spinach enchiladas (or the chicken and spinach burritos for that matter) on the menu or even written on the specials white board. Never. Yet most of the time spinach dishes are available.

Sometimes I feel like the spinach is some secret hidden ingredient that Danny wants to share only with a few cognoscenti. More secret than In 'n Out's "Secret Menu." Sort of like a sushi chef with a little bit of fugu hidden in the cooler to be served only to one or two select customers. I don't know. But, lets face it, spinach is not a possibly poisonous rarity like puffer fish. Why is it a secret? Personally, I think he could sell several spinach enchilada plates every day if he just let people know that they could order them.

Sometimes I think he doesn't want to be too busy. That would explain why he has never been open evenings. And why he's never had a liquor license. And why he has always chosen marginal locations. But it certainly would not explain why he also works during packing season as manager and short order cook at the T & A Café (no, it doesn't mean that — it's the little Café in the huge Tanimura & Antle packing plant). I guess I just don't understand him.

So maybe Danny is just a little crazy. But OMG, this Loco can really cook.

El Viejo Loco, 4th Ave, Yuma AZ, 928-726-0577