Recipe: Avocado Toast

Avocado Toast by Xhico

I've been seeing Avocado Toast popping up as a trend in Los Angeles restaurants lately. I have yet to try one, so I decide to make one today for lunch. Here's how it went:

This toast is basically like a California style bruschetta, using avocado as the base.

For each piece of toast you will need:

- 1 Slice Bread
- 1/2 Avocado (Sliced)
- 2 Tbsp Heirloom Tomato (Diced)
- 1 Tbsp Red Onion (Finely Diced)
- Cilantro (Few leaves or 1/2 tsp chopped)
- Lemon or Lime Juice (Squeeze)
- Olive Oil (Use a really tasty Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
- Sea Salt (to taste)
- Fresh cracked black pepper (to taste)
- Cumin (a pinch)

First toast a thinly sliced piece of bread. I use fresh French bread. I brush it with olive oil and toast it on the skillet. Get your toasts ready and set aside.

Next prepare your other ingredients: Tomato, Onion, Cilantro. Save your avocado for last so it is fresh and doesn't discolor. Dice your tomato to about 1/4" pieces. Give your red onion and fine dice. Pick several leaves off your cilantro. Cut your lemon in half and have your olive oil and seasonings on hand.

Avocados are delicate so take care and treat them with love. First you want to slice your avocado in half. First slide your knife into the avocado running from pole to pole cutting through the stem side. Gently let your knife go into the flesh until it hits the seed. Now slide your knife completely around the avocado keeping the knife touching the seed. After the knife has cut completely around the avocado, remove the knife. Grab the each half of the avocado with your hand and slowly and gently twist in opposite directions. One half of the avocado should then remove from the seed. If you can't get the seed out of the other half, take chef's knife and whack the seed. Be very careful! The knife should stick in the seed, then gently twist. The seed should pop right out.

Now you have two clean avocado halves. To get perfect slices, leave the avocado in the skin. Slice the flesh from tip to tip creating even slices. If the avocado is perfectly ripe, you may be able to slide the skin right off. Otherwise, use a spoon to nudge between the flesh and the skin. Gently remove your slices. The slices can now be fanned out to cover your toast beautifully.

If you're not into all the work, you can scoop the avocado out with a spoon and smear it across your toast.

After putting on the avocado, give it a sprinkle of salt and black pepper. Top with tomato, onion, a few cilantro leaves, a squeeze of lemon and drizzle with good olive oil. Finish with a sprinkle of cumin and a little more salt.

Lilac Time

Xhico's Dining Table

I love lilacs. My grandfather had a lilac tree in his backyard. I remember a place on the way from my grandfather's in Riverbank to my home town of Oakdale. There was this grand tree with lilac vines fiercely growing upon it and it would become engorged with purple.

Today I got some lilacs and tulips at Silver Lake Farmers' Market and made a little arrangement for my table. I buy flowers from this very nice man almost every week. Today I learned that his cousin actually grows the flowers on a farm in the Ventura area. I love that they keep it in the family. You can also see my wall of some art hanging salon style. These are pieces I've collected or that have been given to me over the years.

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

Ricky's Fish Tacos - LA's Best Fish Tacos!

After just coming back from Mexico City, I couldn't just have an al pastor or asada taco anywhere because I knew I would be disappointed. So I had to go with a California classic, a fish taco. Not any fish taco, but Ricky's Fish Taco. Ricky's Fish Tacos are the best I have had in Los Angeles. They are always super crispy without being greasy. They come topped with cabbage, tomato onion, and just enough jalapeño for a little kick. You can then top you taco with their white cream sauce or salsas. They also have shrimp tacos. The only thing missing for me is lime wedges (and I've been known to take my own). They also have a choice of sodas and aguas frescas - usually horchata, jamaica and cucumber-spinach-mint, which is refreshing and a great compliment to the fish tacos. It's always my choice.

Ricky's Fish Tacos, Los Angeles

Ricky's Fish Tacos is kind of hard to find. There is not really any signage. You will see a food truck and yellow striped awning in the parking lot of some sort of abandoned beauty salon, where someone may or may not currently reside. It's on Virgil just below Sunset Blvd across from the Vons where East Hollywood, Los Feliz and Silver Lake collide.

Ricky's Fish Tacos

Neighborhood: East Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silver Lake

1400 N Virgil Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 906-7290

True Blue Tortillas I Love You

Fresh blue corn tortillas puffing up on the comal.

As you may know, one of my favorite street food finds in LA, is the Blue Corn Quesadilla Lady. Well, when I was in Mexico City, I got to have another amazing blue corn experience. We went to a street market that happens every Friday in the Condesa neighborhood. It's much like the Farmers' Markets we have here in California - fresh produce, food vendors and artisans set up selling their wares.

Eme knew of this stall she had been to before - "Eve Tlacoyos y Quesadillas". Upon arrival my eyes grew with hunger seeing a giant ball of blue corn masa being needed and turned into tortillas and tlacoyos before my eyes. The thing was, I had no idea what a Tlacoyo was. However, I did know I would be having one because they looked delicious.

Menu at "EVE" Tlacoyos y Quesadillas

Upon arrival, we had to wait for a bit for a seat, as there were only four tiny stools in a very narrow space between "Eve" and the stall next door. The wait was fine with me as I got to watch the entire cooking process go down - from kneading the masa dough, to making tortillas and tlacoyos in the proper shapes and sizes, grilling them up on the giant comal and then completing them with toppings and salsas. While we waited were given a menu, which was also a checklist to mark your order. The list was divided into "Quesadillas" and "Tlacoyos" with a range of fillings from potatoes and chorizo to mushrooms and squash blossoms. 

Once we got our seats we eagerly awaited our food. My back kept getting a draft or something as it was feeling very cold in my seat. Suddenly my entire ass was wet! Remember when I said there was a very narrow space between our quesadilla stand and the stand next door? Well, the stand next door was selling yogurt and fruits. All of which were on ice. However, there was a leak on his ice table. We were seated so close to his table that it was leaking right down my back. The man was very kind and fixed it right away. The advantage of this was that I got to move two seats down and talk to the kind woman making tortillas.

Woman making tortillas from blue corn masa.

I was curious about the color of the tortillas. I knew they were called blue corn, but I was sure if they were actually from corn that is blue or if it may have been a mix of masa with huitlacoche (Huitlacoche is a dark corn fungus that is often eaten in Mexico. Despite it's description, it is quite delicious and worth a try). She explained to me that the masa is actually made from blue corn kernels and that is where the blue color comes from.

Quesadillas at "Eve" at the Friday Marker in Condesa, Mexico City, DF.

The quesadillas were ready first and they were incredible. The tortillas were fresh and doughy, with a bit of crispiness on the outside. The cheese was ooey-gooey and oozing out the sides.

A delicious Tlacoyo from "Eve" at Condesa's Friday Market, Mexico City, DF.

It was no surpirse to me that Tlacoyos are delicious. They are somewhere between a haurache and a pupusa. They are oval shaped masa cakes, thicker than a tortilla, but thinner than a sope. Similar to a pupusa they are stuffed inside with black beans and in this case covered with some tasty toppings including nopales (cactus), onions and cheese.

Sope al Gusto from "Eve" at Condesa's Friday Market, Mexico City, DF.

Fresh blue corn tortillas and tlacoyos pile up at this busy food stand

Tortillas grilling on the comal.

You can find "EVE" Quesadillas y Tlacoyos on Friday mornings at the market in the Condesa neighborhood on Avenue Nuevo Leon in Mexico City, DF. In the meantime, you can find Madonna singing about here love for Blue Corn Tortillas here:

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!