Cantina Los Caballitos

Hmmm, sound familiar? Kind of like Cantina Dos Segundos, huh? Well, that's because it is! Kind of. Cantina Los Caballitos (Los Caballitos = horses) is the twin sister restaurant of Cantina Dos Segundos, located in South Philly. We told you we'd be back to Cantina Dos Segundos, and we did, kind of. The menu is the same, the specials are still written on blackboards, the food is still spectacular, the portions are still generous, the margaritas are still strong, but the ambiance is diametrically opposed to that of Cantina Dos Segundos.

As you approach CLC, you notice that it is much more unassuming on the outside than CDS. CDS, to me, will always be a daytime restaurant. With outdoor seating and massive windows, CDS is made for enjoying a hot summer day. CLC, on the other hand, has smaller windows, a cramped front door, and no outdoor seating. The crowd is jeans and blazers, not shorts and tees. Dimmed lights only added to the atmosphere.

However, that is where the contrast ends. As we sat down, we noticed the familiar dish ware, menu, and cutlery of CDS. The complimentary chips were accompanied by a salsa fresca and a salsa verde as usual. Despite being more crowded than our Battlefood fan listserve (I wish), the service was responsive, kind, and cute. Okay, Napoleon put in that last adjective. So let's get to the food.

The first course we got was pibil-style wings. Per wikipedia, "pibil involves marinating the meat in strongly acidic citrus juice, coloring it with annatto seed, and roasting the meat while it is wrapped in banana leaf." Of course, the wings had an intense citrus flavor and a wonderfully crunchy skin. They were accompanied by a citrus ranch sauce that quizzically did not wind up overdoing the citrus component. These were great wings to be sure, but unfortunately they lacked some spice. A habanero accent would have been well received. Napoleon's note: Dude, General Tso has dementia or something. There were two other types of wings there, including a chipotle orange, and one that I can't remember either. Whatever, at least I remembered there were three types on the plate.

Wings Three Ways

For entrees, Napoleon wound up getting some ho hum enchiladas. The best part: there were FOUR enchis on the plate, two chicken and two cheese. Amazing. I told you the portions were massive. I have to question her pick here, however. Why go to a restaurant with a reputation for creative specials as well as amazing regular entrees and order enchiladas. But, when all was said and done, they were delicious.

I, on the other hand, went for something a little more adventurous. Okay, I lied. I'm also being a hypocrite here because I ordered skirt steak (which, by the way, is an amazing cut of meat). However, let me redeem myself by letting you know that this particular dish was what inspired my "anyone can cook a steak" rant. Yes, the steak was great, but the real stars of the plate were the yucca fries. When fried, they reach a consistency and flavor similar to plantains, but a bit saltier. You don't need any sauce for these, just pop them in your mouth and enjoy the crispy exterior and the silky, savory yet slightly sweet interior.

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

Skirt Steak and Yucca Fries

Rating: 3.9/5 horses

Finale (Boston)

About a year ago (I can't believe it's been that long), my graduating friend and I went to visit a mutual friend up in Boston. We were inseparable in college, so it was nice to get the group back together. While reminiscing about that trip recently, I came across some photos I took of desserts from Finale, a "desserterie and bakery" (their words, not mine). I'm going to come out and say this right away: these are by far the best desserts I have ever tasted. The only thing that may top it is some tiramisu I had in Italy, which is saying a lot.

Finale itself is an upscale dessert bar. Think Max Brenner, but smaller and more intimate. You can either dine-in, or carry-out. As we were three manly men, we decided to carry-out, mostly because we didn't want anyone to hear our moans of pleasure. The only drawback is the price. The accompanying picture to this post represents $60 worth of food. However, the desserts are so decadent, rich, and heavy that these seemingly small samples lasted us 2.5 days. Also, the picture doesn't do the cakes justice. The larger ones are approximately 6 inches across and 3 inches deep, while the smaller ones are standard dessert portions for an upscale restaurant.

Like, I said, it's been a year, but I can still remember each dessert as if it were yesterday (okay, the picture I took doesn't hurt). We ordered the Finale cheesecake (upper left), Boston cream pie (upper right), carrot cake (center), a death-by-chocolate cake (bottom left; no longer on the menu, apparently), and another Boston cream pie (bottom right). I'd take the time to tell you about each of them, but let's just say they were all amazing. The smooth creams topping the fluffy cakes, the beautiful fondant decorations, and the simple (but not simplistic) presentation made for a perfect dessert. I will say this much, I literally fed my friend the Finale cheesecake on the drive back from Boston to Philly. We didn't care if we looked like a couple who had traveled to Massachusetts to become life partners, the cake was that good.

Diabetes In A Box

Rating: 4.3/5 dessert life partners

Homemade Sushi

General Tso here, back home in Virginia on a two-week vacation before classes start up again. To surprise me, mi madre hunted down some ingredients for homemade sushi! I love that woman. We made some together, and though the final product looks like a little, um, "special," the taste was great.

Here's what you'll need:

1. Nori (Some notes here: do not get the 2 inch squares that some markets sell. You will need whole sheets to do this right. I'm not sure about the measurements, but 8 x 10 inches sounds about right. Also, nori is actually made from algae, NOT seaweed, so don't let anyone tell you that you need "seaweed sheets.")
2. Sticky rice (Soak some rice in warm water for an hour or overnight, and then steam them for 20 minutes. For some added taste, sprinkle with rice wine vinegar.)
3. Avocado
4. Sushi grade fish (Tuna is definitely the easy option here, but you could always be adventurous and use Fugu.)
5. Pickled veggies (Again, do whatever you want. It's your sushi, and you'll cry if you want to.)
6. Wasabi (Please don't get the ready-made paste. If you want pre-grated, that's fine, but if you can grate your own, you're an all-star baller.)
7. Soy sauce
8. Pickled ginger

The recipe is easy. You need a bamboo mat, by the way, which come pretty cheap. Start out by laying your nori sheet out on the mat, with the longitudinal axis of the nori in parallel with the long axis of the mat. Have the edge of the nori overlapping the edge of the bamboo mat where you plan to start rolling.

Now, lay out the stick rice on the nori so that it comes just to the edge. You want the thickness of the layer to be a little more than half a centimeter (yes that's metric, and no, I'm not converting to the English system; welcome to the 21st century).

In the center of the sticky rice layer, start putting down ingredients in a thin row parallel to the short axis of the mat/nori/rice. Use less than you think you should! Of course, we used avocado, some wasabi, pickled veggies, and cooked catfish (mother dear was scared to use uncooked fish). If you want Philly style sushi, then add some cream cheese.

Finally, roll that sucker up really tight, but do not put downward pressure on the roll. You don't want sushi guts spilling out onto your counter. Trust me, if you wrap tight enough, the mat will put pressure on the ingredients and fuse them together. Once fully formed, unwrap the mat and voila! But wait, there's more...

Now that you have this log of goodness in front of you, you need to carefully and meticulously cut it into six pieces. This is where a sushi knife comes in handy, but according to Alton Brown, they can be pretty pricey. Just make sure you have your sharpest chef's knife with you. Please don't use a serrated blade. This ain't bread, homeslice. Bisect the log, and then lay the hemi-logs in parallel and cut each into thirds. Top with pickled ginger and soy sauce, and enjoy!

Please don't laugh at my "special" sushi.

New Search Function!

Good day, fine fans of Battlefood. Please direct your attention to the right side of your screen. There, you will find a delightful new search function. It is sleak, sexy, and - dare I say it - useful! Now all our reviews, battlefoods, homemade recipes, and whimsical rants are just a few clicks away.

Also, if you scroll to the very bottom of the page, you'll see a link which gives you the option to follow us via RSS. I know one of our three fans was asking about this, and, as usual, we made good on our promise.

We would be more than happy to incorporate other functions you think would be useful, so don't hesitate to comment on this post and let us know about the wonders of the interwebs.

Wedding Food and Fun

Catered food gets a bad rap. Anytime I'm eating food at a big event, I have lowered expectations for some reason. Maybe it's because I'm eating too fast to notice the taste. Or maybe it's because I have no control over what I order. But mainly, I have it stuck in my mind that food shouldn't taste good if it's mass produced.

General Tso and I recently attended my cousin's wedding at the Downtown Marriott in Philadelphia. Yeah the bride and groom were great, and the wedding was beautiful, yada yada yada...but who cares, let's talk about the food! The cocktail hour and reception were both catered by Bukhara Grill in NYC, which was exciting because I'm not too impressed by any of the options for Indian food here in Philly.

The appetizers at the cocktail hour consisted of classic Indian street food with a twist. At one table, cooks were making mini tacos to order. The tacos were composed of a choice of filling (chicken, lamb, or paneer), onions and cilantro (straight from a taqueria!), and mint chutney. I loved the Mexican influence on the Indian ingredients. Genius! (Although, they did steal my idea for our wedding. By the way, I think General just pissed himself on hearing the words "our wedding.") The tacos were well balanced, with the saltiness of the chicken and spiciness the chutney. I think General and I ate 15 of them between the two of us. General's note: Napoleon ate 14, I ate 1.

At other tables, chefs were putting together more traditional street food like samosas, papdi chat (fried wafers, potatoes, and chickpeas with a yogurt and tamarind chutney sauce), chana masala (chick peas in curry sauce), and pakoras (fried vegetables). All the dishes won me over because they were just so flavorful. To top off the cocktail hour, waiters were passing out adorable hors d'oeurves. All of them were delicious, from spring rolls to chicken wings to mini quiches. I really felt this accentuated the traditional-meets-modern India theme (and my buzz). As you can tell, I was really impressed with the cocktail hour menu. And I felt the colorful food really matched well with the beautiful colors of an Indian wedding. Next time I'm in NYC, I'm definitely checking out Bukhara Grill.

Bottom Right: Amazing Indian Tacos

Clockwise from top right: Mini Quiche, Papdi Chat, Parkoras, Chana Masala, and Samosa

I complimented one of the chefs on the appetizers, and he replied, "Wait until you see what we have in store for dinner." I'd love to share with you how the reception buffet was, but unfortunately I can't remember due to the open bar. And I was also too busy dancing with General Tso and my family that I forgot about battlefooding. Oops! I'm sure you'll forgive me. Hope you guys are enjoying all the recent posts! Don't forget to leave comments. Here's a question for everyone: do you think catered food should be held to a lower standard than a regular meal at a nice restaurant?

Distrito

To celebrate the World Cup, Distrito - Iron Chef Jose Garces's cantina in University City - is offering a 3-for-$12 appetizer and drink special. As this special coincided with the end of our school year, Napoleon, myself, and ten of our closest classmates rooted against the blokes and chaps from England as they battled Algeria, all while engorging ourselves with Garces's sumptuous offerings.

Initially, we were not impressed with the special. Choose any three from the following seven items: Nachos Ignacio (I feel it's my duty to let you know that there is a San Ignacio district in Peru), Chicken Alambres, Salsa Mexicana, two types of margaritas, an awful concoction that had everyone aghast (more on this later), and sangria.

Being the gluttonous pig that I am, I wound up ordering all the food options as my three choices. And being the alcoholic that she is, Napoleon ordered three drinks for her selections. Everyone at the table felt awkward at this point, so we decided to share the food and drinks...trust me, neither of us was happy with this decision.

The (vegetarian) nachos were amazing. Although served plainly in a paper tray, the meal was colorful and savory. Ribbons of pickled jalapeños, watercress, black beans, roasted red pepper, and sour cream combined with several cheeses (definitely some jack in there) to ignite the taste buds and dazzle the retina. If there's something I've noticed about the best food I've eaten, it's that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and that was the case with these nachos.

The Salsa Mexicana was delicious. Cilantro speckled this well-balanced, chunky salsa fresca which was served alongside tortilla chips presented in a chrome bowl. I have to say, the chrome bowl itself was somewhat off-putting. I was expecting something creative, but also appetizing. In any case, that's a marginal concern for one of the best salsas in Philadelphia.

Finally, the Chicken Alambres was served with what can only be a Peruvian pesto. I want to say it was chimmichurri, but it seemed a little thick for that. By the way, "alambres" means skewers in Peruvian, typically used for anticuchos (cut, stewed meat). The chicken was tender and moist, in contrast to other skewered meats I've complained about previously. It appeared to be grilled, but with "alambres" in the name, I'm wondering if it was stewed. I can't imagine stewed chicken being this moist on the inside with no hint of a gravy/stew on the outside. Garces, your authenticity is being questioned here. A final verdict on this dish: average, and I'd rather go with two orders of nachos and one order of salsa if we're playing within the rules of the World Cup special.

As a last note, please avoid the "El Chupito," the potent potable I mentioned earlier. A shot of tequila poured into a beer sounds nice at first, until you're choking down the poison sip by sip, destroying the lining of your esophagus in the process.

Salsa Mexicana, Nachos Ignacio, and Beverages

Chicken Alambres (Sideways, For Some Reason)

Rating: 3.8 Peruvian districts (Please note, this is a rating of the World Cup special, and not the restaurant itself. Its only comparison should be the Aki happy hour review and the upcoming Center City Sips review...ooooh what a tease, what a tease.)