Bringing the Perfect BLT to Mexico City

( Xhico in Mexico City )

I'm going to be making deliveries in Mexico City soon! So I've been working on some classic American recipes to bring to the mouths of the people in Mexico via ComeCasero. I decided to start with one of my favorites, the BLT, sometimes the BLTA.

The perfect BLT on Ciabatta from Panadería Rosetta

That's right, the simple Bacon Lettuce Tomato and add Avocado if you want it California style. Who thought getting this sandwich right would be such a challenge. First, of course, there was the bacon. I had to figure out where to get good bacon and an efficient way of cooking large amounts in a tiny kitchen. First of all, finding good bacon in the grocery store isn't going to happen. The butcher there will not have it, so I needed to head to a carnecería at my local market. That took me to one of my favorite places, the mercado, Mercado Medellín to be exact.

There amongst the fruits and vegetables toward the back corner you will find the meat men. An array of butcher stands that specialize in poultry, pork, fish, beef and sometimes other things. I began to collect samples of bacon as I visited a few stands and made sure to hit up the butcher where I bought that amazing chicharron prensado from the trip before. Mostly because I like it when the guy calls me "patron".

Butcher cutting my smoked bacon into slices

After testing all the bacon for flavor, thickness, fat content and how it held up after cooking, the butcher that calls me "patron" was the winner. Their bacon was smokey and perfectly marbled and the butcher could cut the bacon to my preferred thickness. Now I had to figure out how to cook large amounts of bacon in a tiny kitchen. After some skillet tests and oven tests, the oven was going to be the method. Now I thought I had it down.

Perfect smokey, marbleized bacon from Mercado Medellín

I just needed good bread now. Then I realized that I'm in the land of tortillas. There aren't many bakeries around and most of them specialize in pan dulce - sweet bread and other pasteries. Finding a good fresh loaf of bread was not easy. I started with the supermarket bakery. This made me appreciate my supermarket bakery in Los Angeles much more. There was no beautiful loaf of brioche. The bread here was dense and mealy, and the interior crumb, was just that – crumbs. The loaf was beyond disappointing. This challenge led me on a hunt for the best bread that I could find in Mexico City.

Making my bread at Panadería Rosetta

Going for coffee at Panadería Rosetta

I hit up some of the bigger chains like La Espiga and Globo, as well as some artisanal bakeries. They were all dissapointing (though those donuts in Globo smelled and looked delicious - I had to resist, because I'm was on my mission). I had a few more high-end artisanal bakeries to explore. My friend, Tanya, had reminded me of a bakery we went to once to have pan dulce and coffee, Panadería Rosetta – but it was too busy and we went down the street to La Puerta Abierta.

Ciabatta Test: Panadería Rosetta (left) vs. Pan Verde (right)

I finally made it to Panadería Rosetta for a coffee with Tanya. We sampled some pan dulce and it was delicious. The roll was airy and light and the scones were fluffy, moist and had a nice outer crunch. I had a good feeling about this place. I left with ciabatta and a loaf of pan blanco (which is the closest thing I could find to sourdough or good white bread). I arrived home with some bread from other bakeries as well.

3rd Place: Ciabatta from Pan Verde

Slicing, buttering and toasting was how it spent the next hour and a half. Making notes and taking pictures in between. Then I had to make sandwiches and see how they all held up. This brought me down to the top three breads to use for my BLT. They were Cibatta from Pan Verde and a Ciabatta and Pan Blanco from Rosetta. Ideally I would have used the pan blanco because it was more like a traditional BLT slice. But the bread was difficult to slice into even pieces because of the shape of the loaf. This left me with the two ciabattas and Panadería Rosetta was the clear winner. The ciabatta had a wonderful cloud-like inside with a slightly salty crust and they were easy for preparation.

2nd Place: Pan Blanco from Panadería Rosetta

1st Place: Ciabatta from Panadería Rosetta

After nailing down those two main ingredients, my BLT was well on it's way. It just need some lettuce, tomato and some of my secret sauce. It will remain a secret, but where to find amazing bread in Mexico City won't. Panadería Rosetta is the bakery where you want to be buying bread.

Panadería Rosetta
Colima 179
Colonia Roma, Mexico City

Spitz for Lunch Fits!

Beef-Lamb Wrap at Spitz, Los Feliz, Los Angeles

There can be some pretty pretentious places in this neighborhood. Sometimes you just want to grab some good grub and a beer without overpaying for food to sit with a bunch of hipsters. Spitz is "home of the döner kebab" and it's also affordable and delicious. The term döner kebab is way over used on their menu and to save you confusion, it basically means "rotating meat". This refers to the cooking method which is very similar to al pastor. 

They offer beef, lamb, chicken for your döner kebab and have vegetarian options as well - like falafel. You can grab a decent wrap, sandwich, salad or their crazy street fries and get some great beer on draft to help wash it all down. I'm also a big fan of Crispy Garbanzos with Fried Olives (though sometimes they can be over salted).

My only complaint is the decor. I cringe everytime I go there. I'm an artist and I also used to run a street art blog. So their attempt to simulate street art as decor is terrible at best and definitely offensive to my eyes. Thank god the food is good.

Go to Spitz, but eat with your eyes closed! They also have curbside pick up and delivery at some of their locations - Little Tokyo, Studio City, Eagle Rock, Los Feliz.

SPITZ
Neighborhood: Los Feliz
1725 Hillhurst Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90027

(323) 522-3309

11am - 10pm, Sun, Mon, Tues
11am - 11pm, Wed & Thurs
11am - Midnight, Fri & Sat

Recipe: Mini Bistec Tortas

My trip to Mexico City did me some good. I just made the most amazing sandwiches! I made mini bistec tortas with salsa I brought back from Mexico.

So I halved two small rolls and grilled them with butter. I took some homemade black beans (you can used can beans if you want) and quickly refried them in the skillet while grilling a thin slice of steak (bistec) in the same pan on the side. I then coated the rolls with a thin layer of mayo for moisture. Then I put the refried beans on the bottom layer and topped it with Oaxacan Cheese (this kind is perfect for melting). I put the cheese side straight onto the skillet and let the cheese melt and get crusty. I scooped it up, put on a slice of steak and then finished it with the salsa I bought at the gourmet market in Mexico City. It's a spicy oil with nuts and quite delicious. You can use any salsa you like to spice it up!

I went back for a Torta de Pierna con Mole

As I said, it was pretty hard for me to pass up the Torta de Pierna con Mole on the way in to Churrería El Moro. While we were eating churros, Tanya was ordering from the small kiosk outside the churrería. They only had three menu items, but only one of which I remember: Torta de Pierna con Mole. I;m pretty sure they had tacos, but that's irrelevant when it comes to this sandwich. The idea of that tender pork leg, drenched in mole sauce on a bolillo roll was sounding more tempting as I saw Tanya devouring hers. So I made the decision to have a midnight snack after my midnight snack. This is a decision I did not regret.

This is a damn good torta!

Panini Party!

Today I gave a Panini Party at Chase Design Group in Los Angeles. It was a surprise for all the amazing designers and staff at one of the best design firms in the universe. Everyone had a grand time and got down on some mean grilled cheese sandwiches. There was assortment of ingredients and everyone got to make their own combinations of bread, condiments, gourmet cheeses and other tasty toppings. People really enjoyed tasting new things and creating their own custom flavor combinations. If you're in the Los Angeles area you can book a Panini Party with me, just send me a message for details!

The full spread! via Xhico Instagram

Panini's on the press! via Xhico Instagram

Todays Menu Choices:

Breads: German Shepherds Bread, Olive Oil Ciabata Roll, Bolillo Roll, Udi's Gluten-Free White

Cheeses: Basil Gouda (Oakdale, California), Le Marechal (Switzerland), Prima Donna (Holland), Durrus (Ireland) - All imported cheeses can be purchased at Cheese Store of Silverlake.

Meats: Lomo (Spain), Spicy Soppressata (Calabria, Italy)

Veggies: Heirloom Tomatoes, Arugula, Basil, Carmelized Red Onions

Condiments: Sarayo, Sarayo Sweet, Wasabi-yo, Apricot-Garlic Spread, Gulden's Whole Grain Mustard, Sundried Tomatoes

Xhico mans the Panini Press. via Paula Instagram

Richie eats a Sandwich at the Growler Grounds

Finger lickin' good

Richie came over the  to the Growler Grounds on an empty stomach. So, I made him a Roast Beef Sandwich with Garlic-Basil Gouda on Sourdough Roll. You can see my mural I painted in the courtyard.

Sandwich: Roast Beef & Swiss

I made this delicious Roast Beef and melted Swiss sandwich on a toasted french roll. I added a little mayo and mustard and some arugula from the garden.

Lunch: Lomo & Gouda Wrap

Lomo & Garlic-Basil Gouda wrapped in multigrain flatbread with mayo, mustard and lettuce from garden.

Sandwich: Lomo & Gouda

I love sandwiches!

Lomo & Garlic-Basil Gouda Sandwich

I made this delicious Lomo & Garlic-Basil Gouda on French Baguette with Olive Oil, Dijon and a little Mayo. The cheese is from my hometown of Oakdale, California at the aptly named Oakdale Cheese Factory. 

Pizzle with Pesto

I got to go to one of my favorite sandwich shops today for lunch... Ike's Place on 16th and Sanchez. I love The Pizzle on Dutch Crunch. I swear the Dutch Crunch bread almost tastes like Round Table Pizza crust. The Pizzle is Chicken, Cheddar, Bacon, Ranch, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickle - I pass on the Onion and Pepperoncini's. The guy recommended trying pesto on it. So, of course, I did. It was pretty killer. Grub!