Category Archives: Mexican

Panaderia Oaxaquena

Posted on May 3, 2010 by | 5 comments

Mexican Bakery and Grocery
63 S. Murray Hill Rd., West Side
614-878-5220

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Attentive alt.eats readers will recall that we’ve been more than willing, in the past, to feature markets that prepare their own food items for consumption on-premises.  With this post, we’re going to stretch this a bit to include markets that make exceptional food items which may require a bit of home preparation to complete… because damn, these guys make some amazing molé!

Tucked away just off of West Broad Street, Panaderia Oaxaquena is a full fledged grocery store which includes a meat counter, produce section, and bakery. As such, molé is just one of their house-made offerings – they also have their own Mexican-style breads, cheeses, sour creams and more.

We were tipped off about Panaderia Oaxaquena by G.A. Benton of Columbus Alive. He included their molé in his ‘Get Real for Cinco de Mayo‘ article in 2009. Good molé is hard to come by and even harder to make (making molé sauce from scratch can literally take days), so that was all the enticement we needed.

You can choose from molé negro or molé rojo, and the package gives instructions for completing the dish. You can read about our interpretation here.

As for the cheeses, highlights include quesillo, a type of string cheese that can be grilled like halloumi.

Crema comes in two varieties – the regular white and pale pink. We haven’t been able to find out much about the pale pink one, so if anyone know why it is pink and what it is used for, please let us know.

You can also find these flatbreads called tlayudas, which are often served with beans and cheese, like a large tostada.

As PO is also a bakery, we bought some bread, hot from the oven, which steamed as we greedily broke into it. Soft, light white, and delicately flavorful. You can see the bolillos below which are used for tortas (Mexican subs).

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Posted in Bakery, Grocery store, Mexican

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Restaurant Karla

Posted on April 12, 2010 by | 2 comments

Cuisine – Mexican
Approx 4099 W. Broad (in the strip mall at the corner of W. Broad & Georgesville Rd.)

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We’d been to Restaurant Karla (then called Cenduria Karla) when it was located on Sullivant Ave., and liked it a lot.  More recently, Lydia from Los Potosinos suggested that she thought it was the best sit-down Mexican restaurant in town. Basically, we had high expectations for this place… and that can often lead to a bit of a letdown, even when good.

But not in this case.

As you might guess from the photo above, these guys are in transition.  They’ve only recently moved into their new space and haven’t yet sprung for appropriate exterior signage.  Look for the banged up El Huarache sign, and you’ll find them below it.

Belying any expectations gleaned from the exterior, the interior of this place is clearly no afterthought.  It’s quite the elaborate set-up, actually, including a performance stage and what we took to be a small dance floor.  We assume it was largely inherited from the former tenants, but nonetheless, it’s a surprisingly complete and highly detailed space with a caballero theme and loads of Mexican character.

Service is similarly well thought-through.  Our server was efficient, pleasant, and attentive without being the least bit overbearing. When we asked for queso fundido for our app and the molcajete for two, her nod and quick wink suggested we must’ve ordered well (or perhaps just less predictably than the average gringo?)

Chips and a fresh, mild salsa kept us occupied until the app arrived.  Queso fundido (above) is basically a dressed-up melted cheese dip, and as far as such things go, it definitely satisfied.  The cheese was tangy and perhaps tinged with garlic (think Mexican fondue), and the generous quantities of chorizo spiced it up nicely.  When it arrived, the large portion size prompted us to agree that we weren’t going to eat it all for fear of not being able to stomach the main course. That turned out to be a tough promise to keep…

…and then ¡holy molcajete!

The name of this dish refers to the stone pot it comes in… you can barely see it in the photo, but it’s under there.  It’s been heated up to keep the food warm, and filled with a staggering assortment of vegetables and proteins, including nopales (cactus), onions, jalapenos, beef, ham, chicken, chorizo, and several large shrimp. A plate with beans, rice, guacamole, and lettuce accompanied, as did some fantastic warm, homemade tortillas.  Seasonings on all were nicely (but not aggressively) spicy and the properly cooked shrimp and moist chicken were the standouts among a nice range of options.  As the photos adequately suggests, portions were generous and doggie bags were a must.

While there are certainly meat-free dishes, strict vegetarians should be wary (as with most Mexican restaurants) – even meat-free options often include lard, chicken broth, or the like.  Pescetarians should be able to find contentment in Karla’s reasonably large seafood offering.  Regardless of diet, its unlikely that a dining duo would leave with a tab much larger than our $26 bill.

Karla also offers a popular $6.99 daily special that comes with soup, various weekend specials, and is open for breakfast.

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Posted in Mexican, Restaurant

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Azteca De Oro

Posted on March 18, 2010 by | 9 comments

CLOSED
Cuisine: Mexican
Industrial Mile Rd., just off Georgesville (address not posted)

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I don’t know that I’ve ever said this about a restaurant before, but Azteca De Oro is, well… cute.  Not unlike most of the restaurants we’re reviewing here, it’s an assemblage of the second-hand: start with the bones of an old restaurant, add tables, chairs, and whatever else you can scrounge up, maybe hit a few walls with paint.  Sometimes this approach adds up to something more than the sum of its parts, other times… not so much.  In ADO’s case, it comes together with an unaffected, well worn, cheerful charm (that the photos, unfortunately, do a bad job of conveying).

ADO’s menu is extensive and clearly oriented towards a Mexican customer base.  With offerings like huaraches, gorditas, menudo and pambazos, these guys operate as though their competition is the taco trucks (which, as far as their Mexican clientele are concerned, they probably are).  This felt like familiar territory, so I figured I’d put them to the test by ordering the tacos campechanos – a plate of 5 tacos, each with a different meat inside – and washing it down with some horchata.

Chips and a nice selection of salsas came out.  The tortilla chips were fine, but the salsas were the star – conspicuously fresh and flavorful.  The lighter red-orangeish salsa was a standout – smoky, garlicky, and with a nice hot kick.  The deep red stuff packed a searing spicy heat punch.  The horchata, a sweet rice milk beverage flavored with cinnamon and vanilla, was there to help take the edge off.

My taco selection arrived quickly, and as expected, was prepared Mexican style (two small corn tortillas each, cilantro and onions on top).  Going through the list by meat selection:

  • Al pastor (seasoned pork) – About as good as al pastor gets without being spit-roasted.  A satisfying, big-flavored option.
  • Asada (seasoned roast beef) – A little on the tame side, flavor-wise, but a willing companion to the smoky salsa
  • Cecina (cured beef) – Nice flavor, expectedly chewy.  Great with the smoky salsa.
  • Pollo (chicken) – excellent seasoning, but a bit on the tough side.
  • Cochinita (marinated shredded pork) – Very tender, subtle flavor, best with the green sauce.

Overall, the tacos were solid, authentic, and certainly taco truck worthy.  Vegetarian options were scant to non-existant.

ADO also serves breakfast, and with huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, tamales as well as other egg options. It’s feels slightly odd having chips and salsa at breakfast time, but once they’re there it’s hard to resist.   We sampled both the rojo and verde chilaquiles and preferred the red. The verde option was too acidic (lime and tomatillo heavy) for our taste.

Chilaquiles are cut up corn tortillas fried and served with chili sauce. They are served to use up leftover tortillas and as a hangover cure. At Azteca de Oro they are topped with lettuce, sour cream and cheese and served with rice and beans.

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Posted in Mexican, Restaurant

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