Don Pepe Steakhouse: Two For One

We have been twice to Don Pepe's Steakhouse, near Pine Brook, NJ. Our first visit was in June, 2010. Our second was last week. It has been one of my parents' favorite dining spots over several years. I'll review the restaurant once, covering both visits.


Ostensibly a Spanish American restaurant, I would place it firmly in the category of American steakhouse with a few Spanish flourishes. The appetizers are among the more Spanish inflected items.


We were served good, warmed crusty bread, with a savory garlic butter and pimentón dressing.

A house specialty is "Spanish" potatoes, which are sort of homemade, well browned potato chips. I thought that they are a pleasant snack, but they are sort of one dimensional and uninteresting after a few morsels.

On the earlier visit to which my wife and I were invited, my mother chose her favorite dish; a 2 lb. steamed lobster. My father had a massive cut of steak, of which he gave me a taste. It was delicious.

Mom had her lobster broiled this time. I was given a taste. It was moist and sweet.


My wife and I both chose soft shelled crabs prepared in a butter and lemon sauce. We were very pleased with these.

At our more recent meal last week, two of our party had dietary restrictions, so that they were self limited in their choices. My father was missed, having passed away last year, but he was with us in spirit.
My mother chose "their" usual table, and I followed his example in ordering a fine steak. There's a good selection of steak cuts, some grander than the Chuletón de Ávila, but it was very good and more than I could finish. Nothing accompanies the steak, so I had a house salad, which was fine. I also drank a glass of California Cabernet Sauvignon Estrella del Río. ($5.50; a reasonable price for a generous glass.)

Chuletón de Ávila

My steak was densely textured, savory, and not the most tender, but that was no impediment to my eating it with pleasure. (There are larger cuts avilable.) I had a "baked" potato with it, which our waiter said would be cooked in the microwave, wrapped in plastic film. Normally I wouldn't choose that method of cooking, but it was serviceable in this instant.


Sister got a simply prepared filet of Tilapia, accompanied by steamed vegetables.

Sra. Cuevas requested boiled shrimp in the shell, accompanied by plain linguine. She reported that the shrimp and linguine were both perfectly cooked.


For dessert, Mom had Tortoni, an ice cream confection infused with almond. Sra. Cuevas and I both had a very pleasant Rice Pudding Brulée. Overall, I would say that desserts are a sort of pleasant afterthought.


Service was competent and informative*, but toward the latter part of our dining experience, rather less attentive. There was also a lapse in getting the wine list at the beginning of the meal, but when I asked a junior waiter, or perhaps he was a bus boy, the list soon arrived.
It also took several minutes to get our waiter's attention to bring the check.


* I should mention that at the outset, our waiter recited a very appealing list of specials, of which I may have chosen one, if I had not been so firmly fixed on having that steak.


RATINGS


Food: ****1/2


Service: ****


Ambience: Casual. See this photo: 

Price: As we were invited guests, I have no idea of the total bill. But I would place the average meal is the range of $$$ (Ten dollars U.S. per $ You can spend more without much difficulty)


Rest rooms: well kept.

Extensive wine list and bar.


Location: 58 Route 46 West
Pine Brook, NJ
07058
Tel: 973-808-5533
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/2LpQ

The Randolph Diner

It may not be very appealing on the outside, but...

When we visit my family in New Jersey, it's become a little tradition to eat at least once at the Randolph Diner (spiffy new website). It's a good 20 minute drive from the family house, but worth the time and gasoline. We often meet my tío and sobrinas there.


The Randolph is not a gourmet restaurant, but instead, serves appetizing, satisfying food in generous portions, at a moderate price.


Yesterday, three of us, Mamá Cuevas, Sra. Cuevas and I trekked to Randolph for a nice lunch.


I had hoped to find some special from the blackboard menu, but as it was just Monday, the section was slender. But, no problem. The multi-page printed menu has more than enough to choose something that will please almost any customer. (Except maybe YELP! member-reviewers, who seem to have a higher than average percentage of whiners and nitpickers.)

"Blackboard" Specials a year apart

Navigating the vast full menu can be a pleasant challenge. I helped Sra. Cuevas, mi esposa, focus on Calves' Liver with Onions. It's a dish she loves but one that we rarely have in Mexico. It was perfectly cooked to her taste, with a light and tasty jus enhancing the meat. The onions, to the side as requested, were somewhat undercooked, but ignorable.

Calves' Liver dinner

Mamá Cuevas went for the Fish and Chips. It is just that; three fish portions fried in a puffy batter, a heap of French Fries, ($6.95) but more than she could finish.

Fish and Chips

Fried shrimp is offered in at least two presentations, as far as I can discover. The Shrimp In a Basket, $15, consists of 5 very large, butterflied shrimp and a heap of French Fries. It's accompanied by some pleasant, sweet and creamy coleslaw and preceded by a cup of homemade soup. The larger Shrimp Dinner costs $17 and has more shrimp. It's hard to imagine eating even more! more! shrimp, although I have done it on past visits.

Shrimp In a Basket

Our waitress, who at first looked grumpy, turned out to be very helpful and even subbed the fantastic Randolph Diner Onion Rings for the French Fries on my lunch. It's also possible to request half FF and half OR.


I think I have written about these great onion rings in "Lord of the Rings".


We drank iced tea, which was good and strong. When we left the bar area where we'd been seated, I saw on a blackboard that draft beers were $1.00 off on Mondays. Perhaps that was a lost opportunity, but a vigorous shopping visit to Costco still awaited us, and I needed all my mental acuity and remaining physical strength.


Ratings (based on several visits)


Food: ****


Service: *****


Price: (in U.S. dollars, one $= $10 per person)
$-$$ Our check was $50 before tip.


Ambience: Modern diner, comfortable seating, varies from room to room.


Restrooms, small but serviceable. Nifty hot air jet hand dryer!


Hint: The Lemon Meringue pie: avoid. I have no opinion on other desserts, and there's usually no room for any.


Coffee: very weak.


Useful Info:



517 New Jersey 10, Randolph, NJ 07869
973-328-2400


Hours 
Mon-Thu: 6 AM – 2 AM
Fri-Sat: 6 AM – 4 AM
Sun: 6 AM – 2 AM

Racó-mended

It had been two years since we'd visited El Racó, a Catalán restaurant at Avenida Sonora 174, near the vague boundary between Colonia Roma and Colonia Hipódromo-Condesa. Both areas are among the most charming of the great city.


El Racó hides its numerous pleasures behind a modest facade, with a view of the northern part of the Parque México. From the moment you walk in the door and are seated with a sincere and warm welcome from Sr. Hector Uguarte, to your first taste of the creations of Chef Alfonso Cuevas*, it all makes a very pleasant experience.

The celebrants two years earlier

We reserved for 3 p.m. although we could have found a table at the hour on that Saturday.
We were bought olives, and after a pause, good bread and butter. 

As this dinner was in celebration of our anniversary, we chose a bottle of vino blanco espumante. We chose one of the lower priced cavas. However, Sr. Uguarte generously brought us a superior bottle at the same price. It was, according to my sketchy notes, Jané Ventura Xarel lo Macabeu i Parrillada. It was delightful, semi-dry and refreshing.

There was a small card on the table with Las Sugerencias del Chef. These were the specials of the week, among them a celestial Crema de Pimiento Rojo, and a woodsy Sopa de Hongas; shiitakes, clavitos y tejamaniles. These came as small but deeply flavored portions.

 

I realized that one might make a very satisfactory meal at El Racó of nothing but the wonderful soups. On the personal recommendation of Chef Cuevas, we ordered the Crema de Almejas. This was a more ample serving, sufficient to be shared. The liquid was not really "Crema" as I understand it, but a well flavored shellfish stock, with some small, Portuguese clams. We enjoyed the Crema de Almejas, but the two earlier soups even more.

Crema de Almejas

We'd already decided to share as our main course Huauchinango a la Sal. This is a very simple preparation of a whole fresh fish, embedded in a mound of coarse salt, and roasted at a high temperature. 

When it is done, the chef uses two spoons to remove the salt, bones and serves it table side. It's made without any condiments or adornments other than a touch of olive oil. The accompanying Pastel de papas, laminas of potato baked with a bit of cream, were a nice side. If you want the pure fresh taste of fish, this is an ideal dish.

Chef Cuevas bones the Huauchinango streetwise

Afterwards, Sr. Uguarte brought a bottle to our table and offered us two small glasses of ratafía de la casa, a liqueur or aguardiente with an intensely herbal taste, dominated by rosemary.


We finished our meal with Triángulos Rellenos de Crema con Salsa de Café,  from the sugerencias. These resembled wonton wrappers, filled with pastry cream, deep fried and served with a small amount of a coffee syrup or sauce. Very nice, light and not as elaborate nor as expensive as the desserts from the regular repertoire.  

Ratings:
Food:  *****+


Service: *****+ Very warm and personalized attention from the staff.


Price: $$-$$$$


Ambience: very modest, casual, but comfortable.


Bathrooms: down a few steps. Small, but clean and well kept.


We will return whenever we can to this restaurant.




Location and Contact: 
Av. Sonora 174-A Col. Hipodromo Condesa C.P. 06100, México, D.F. Tel. 52862188 Fax 52114343


*No relation to this blogger.

El Hornero, Colonia Roma Norte

We once again were in Colonia Roma Norte, one of our favorite areas of Mexico City. We looked forward to eating at El Hornero, Calle Córdoba 148, where we hoped to satisfy our craving for beef. El Hornero had been well recommended by Ulysses de la Torre, guest writing a three part series on Argentine and Uruguayan parrillas on Nick Gilman's blog, "Good Food in Mexico City".

I am going to touch on this restaurant as gently as possible. We were tired when we arrived at about 4 p.m., so that undoubtedly affected our experience. The dining room is small and was crowded. It was a very busy hour. The furniture was old and worn, something which ordinarily wouldn't matter to me. There was an unpleasant clashing vibe of noise and it was difficult to talk across the small table. 


We ordered a couple of glasses of wine from the short list on the blackboard. The wine seemed to take a very long time arriving. Meanwhile, we nibbled on some o.k. bread and the very tasty chimichurrí and a reddish, smokey salsa. Once the wine arrived, I felt better about the place.


Among the menu attractions was Vacio para Dos, con papas fritas o ensalada, for only $235 pesos. Our waitress said that we could have the fries and salad both. We thought that this was a very good deal. It was, indeed.


The food arrived quickly once we put in the order. The wooden cutting board held the vacio cut. It was tender and juicy. The salad and fries arrived on a large separate platter. Both were fresh and abundant. We were completely satisfied with our choice.

We also tried a couple of empanadas, one of carne molida and the other of espinacas. The empanada de carne was o.k. but not distinctive; the spinach empanada was much better.

I had a soggy cream pastry dessert and a café express, both of which were tolerable but not great.


The bill was reasonable: only $424 pesos. However we had a unpleasant moment when the waitress returned or change, short $50. She stated that the bill was $474. We were too tired for any confrontation, so we wrote it off.


Ratings:


Food: ****


Service: ***


Price: $-$$


Ambience: Too close for comfort; unpleasantly noisy at peak hour.


Would we return? Doubtful, despite the very good meats at a reasonable price.

Misíon Imposible

A few years back, the R.O.M.E.O. men's breakfast group met at the restaurant of the then Hotel San Felipe in Pátzcuaro. It would be kind to say that the spacious parking and the seating arrangement were the highlights of that breakfast.

Patio and parking

Since then, the Hotel San Felipe changed ownership to the extensive Hotel Misíon chain. It was renamed the Hotel Misíon Pátzcuaro. Last week, our friends Mark and Nancy dined with a group of friends at the restaurant, still named Restaurante San Felipe, and were so pleased that they suggested we join them there for a comida.

At 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, we six were the only diners in the warmly appointed dining room. We were attended quite competently by two white jacketed waiters. The menu is not lengthy, but is more than adequate. They brought us some complimentary totopos y frijoles.

The menu is a bit confusing in that there are listings for both botanas and for antojitos. Some of the same items appear under different categories but with varying prices. In the case of the intriguing Chile Pasilla item, our waiter explained that the one listed in botanas was a sort of build your own taco appetizer, while the antojito version is a type of chile relleno. We ordered the botana version and an order of guacamole to share.

The guacamole was fine, and the chile pasilla botana was novel and nifty. It comes as sort of a kit, comprised of a fried, opened dried chile, strips of queso fresco, crema, chopped cilantro, cebolla y chile perón. We were supplied with baskets of warm, thickish handmade tortillas with which to assemble our tacos. The dish was fun to eat, but the sum of its flavor was o.k., but not equal to the appeal of the DIY parts.

Chile Pasilla botana

On the other hand, the two salsas de la casa, roja y verde, were stellar. The tomatoes and milder chiles of the red had been carefully roasted, while the green was just the right heat, tartness, but above all, chopped in substantial chunks rather than the anemic, watery purees so often served elsewhere.

 

The weather was cool and rainy, so soup was a logical choice for at least three of us. Two chose Crema Tangaxhuan, a creamy corn chowder laced with bacon and topped by small crackers or croutons.

Crema Tangaxhuan

I chose Sopa Tarasca, a Michoacán specialty, a soup often abused and disrespected. (There are at least two schools of Sopa Tarasca; with bean puree and without.) The version at San Felipe could hold its own in the upper ranks of contenders. It was vivid with tomato-chile broth, thick with tortilla strips, laced with crema y queso and strips of chile pasilla, but without beans. It was substantial and enjoyable.

Sopa Tarasca

With the platos fuertes, I think the quality declined. Mark had a Filete de Res con Champiñones a la Mostaza, of which only he can give an opinion. He invited me to taste the sauce, but I did not think that the yellow mustard in a cream sauce was a felicitous combination.

Filete de res con champiñones a la mostaza

Ron had a simple Filete de Res a la Parrilla. I didn't get his opinion on this yet.

Both Georgia and I both had Chuletas Adobadas. Mine, at least was overcooked; a bit thin and dry, but redeemed somewhat by the pretty good adobo. 

Chuletas Adobadas

Note that the chuletas and Ron's platter came with frijoles but Mark's did not. There were no vegetable sides, as far as we could tell, even though fresh vegetables were present in the salads.

Nancy and Sra. Cuevas both had Ensaladas Mixtas, which combined fresh and cooked vegetables and some ham and cheese. The salads were attractive, and cruets of vinegar and oil were welcome to mix your dressing to taste.

Ensalada Mixta: goodbye, cruet whirl

Desserts:
Ron and I both ordered flan, which was poorly made. I have never had dense, chewy flan before. The caramel tasted like a syrup made from piloncillo. 

This dessert did not pass with flan colors

Nancy and Sra. Cuevas had Crepas a la Naranja, attractive and the orange sauce was good. Crepes would never be among my first dessert choices, but of course, tastes differ.

Crepas a la Naranja

 And now, the envelope, please!


Food: ***1/2
Service: *****
Ambience: ****
Price: $$+ (per person, complete meal. See menu pictures for details)
Restrooms: Clean and attractive.
Parking: spacious and free.

Location: Hotel Misión Pátzcuaro
Av. Lázaro Cárdenas No. 321
C.P. 61600, Centro
Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, México


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Tamales and tamales and tamales

Last week I went to the Buen Provecho Mercado in Pátzcuaro. This is a small mercado de especialidades, with a largely affluent expat clientele.
It's open only from 11 to 1:30, on Fridays! Location is in the Posada Yohuanalli, on Calle Dr. Coss in Pátzcuaro.


Although I went only to get a bag of mixed organic lettuces, I was attracted to a couple selling tamales estilo Oaxaqueños. Somehow, I ended up buying 4 instead of 2, but that's not a problem, as the chicken and chile one I tried was delicious. There should be yet another chicken tamal and two of rajas con queso. (Strips of roasted chile Poblano and cheese.)


These tamales are beautifully wrapped. I consider them works of artisanry.


I got some pics of the wrapped tamales. These are among the most beautifully crafted foods I've seen in Mexico. I noted that the number of ties and knots on the tamales differ. I think that this indicates the filling.


I'm looking forward to my next one. Here's a photo of one in its wrapper.

Tamal Oaxaqueño

It's now the following Tuesday, and I just had the last tamal for breakfast. It was filled with mole de pollo. It was almost as enjoyable as the first, but I admit, I'm tired of tamales. I think tomorrow for breakfast I'll have bacon and eggs and toast.

Here are some old and new photos of the Buen Provecho Mercado.

The Quest For The Ring

Sometimes little things take on great importance and become obsessions.

So it was with the little rubber gasket of our blender, a Licuadora "Man". It was several years ago when a friend in Oaxaca recommended the Man line of Mexican made blenders to replace our cool Breville blender when it fell apart. A small ferretería in Pátzcuaro had a Man Comercial model in stock. It boasted a powerful, two speed motor (I avoid buying blenders with more than two speeds and especially, multiple buttons that collect goo.) and especially, this blender boasted a nearly unbreakable Lexan beaker. The salesman beat the beaker on the bannister of the stairs to demonstrate its durability.  I was impressed, so I bought it. I think I paid $950 pesos.

Not long ago, as Sra. Cuevas was washing up the blender, she noticed that the small, double layer gasket was torn. It was only a matter of time until it would completely tear, so I set out to find a replacement. This rubber ring may be small, but it's vital to the successful operation of the blender. The Man website was helpful in identifying the part. Ref #5: Junta de Hule. Parte #716.

From there, I obtained a list of authorized service providers, finding two in Morelia and one in México Centro, not three blocks from where we'd been the week before!

It was logical to try Morelia next. There was a shop listed called Proveedora del Hogar on Avenida Madero, close to where a friend once lived. About a week or so ago, we successfully navigated the centro and even found parking less than two blocks away. My good luck ended when I reached the shop, only to find out it had moved and was now a TelCel outlet. (I bet that that there are more TelCel shops than taquerías in any average Mexican city.)

The young ladies there gave me directions to the blender repairs place, but we were unable to find it amidst the welter of businesses at "Tres Puentes".

There was still another possibility in Centro, but we were beginning to wear out. But the lady at La Frontera had told me of a licuadora parts store on Avenida Lázaro Cárdenas, near Mercado Independencia. We slowly drove along that street but couldn't find it.

At that point we retreated and I was preparing for another trip to Mexico City, where we are going anyway later this month, carrying the old blender ring to where the "Laiting" (Illumination) District adjoins Chinatown.

But a few days ago, while in Pátzcuaro, I had the bright idea of inquiring at the original ferretería "Manríquez" where I'd bought the machine. He directed me to nearby Vidrioeléctrica, Pátzcuaro's largest hardware store.

Vidrioeléctrica: If anyone carries it, they will.

 About 10 minutes of discussion with the salesgirl ensued. She pulled out various licuadora parts as I described with increasing adjectives what I was seeking.
"Anillo o junta de hule doble y flexible."
At last, she reached into a drawer in front of her and pulled out a Ring. Although it was only $5 pesos, I knew better than to buy more than one, until I tried this one on my blender.

The results were successful, altough the original ring was somewhat glued into the threaded cuff due to fruit juice leakage. After a short soak in soapy water, it came free, and I was able to fit the new one in place. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm confident that it will work.

Like Moths To The Flame Part Four

The Final Chapter!
Sunday.

We had a date with our friends in Colonia Roma to eat at Fonda La Veracruzana, on which I reported last year. We had a morning free, so on impulse and to further the search for a really good café espresso, we decided to walk to Café La Habana. We'd passed it as we rode to El Bajío on Saturday.

The walk was pleasant and easy, and we got to see the famed Reloj Chino.

El Reloj Chino

Café La Habana is not far beyond, at the corner of Avenida Morelos and Av. Bucareli.

La Habana is a place I've read about for years but until recently never visited. It has an atmosphere of history and nostalgia. It's said that Fidel Castro and co-revolutionaries plotted the invasion of Cuba while sipping cafecitos in the restaurant.

The Bar at Café La Habana

But after ordering coffees and breakfasts, we concluded that while it's a pleasant enough place, the fare is ordinary. There are cool holders for the glasses in which the coffee is served. Café con leche, here called "Café Habana" is poured at table. It's o.k. The Café Cubana, served black, was more to our taste.

Ron had a Tortilla de Papas Española:

And I had an Omelette La Habana. I confess that I don't remember what Sra. Cuevas had.

Here are the ratings:
Food: ***
Service: ***
Price: $-$$ Our breakfast for three, with several extra coffees, came to $445 pesos before tip.
Ambience: Old Havana

From Café La Habana, we took a long walk by way of Av. Júarez, stopping into the Museo Mural Diego Rivera at the west end of La Alameda. This was our token nod to culture. The principal attraction is the famed mural, "Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central". It's worth seeing and other artists' works are represented.

Detail: Left, Diego Rivera as a boy.
José Guadalupe Posada, right. La Catrina, center.

We also saw an antique carousel. All this was in the western section of La Alameda. For reasons unknown to us, the main part of La Alameda was hidden by fencing.

We were on a well trodden tourist track now. We stopped into Sanborn's La Casa de Los Azulejos just for a look, then Dulcería Celaya, without purchasing anything in either place, and onward to El Zócalo. It was as grand as ever. From there, we took a taxi back to our hotel.

---

Later in the afternoon, we took another taxi to our friends' house in Colonia Roma Sur. That was the most circuitous taxi ride of the weekend, yet the fare wasn't too excessive.

At the house, we conversed a while, then strolled the 8 or 10 blocks to Fonda La Veracruzana. It was Sunday afternoon, and very busy, but we had a table reserved and although it was a bit crowded, it worked o.k.

Instead of going into great detail about each dish, I'll just post a photo with a brief caption and move right along.

These were the blackboard menus of the day, posted just inside. They first two were valid Monday through Friday. I think that the latter two were for the weekend.

Blackboard seafood jungle

Tostada con seviche de pescado

Crema Fría de Aguacate con Mariscos (not a soup as I'd expected)

Ensalada con mariscos

Robalo en salsa de champiñones al ajillo

Mojarra a la Talla

Lomo de Pámpano a la Veracruzana

A few of us ordered dessert, in the form of Sambuca Negra (recommended!) and at least one cup of coffee. With a bottle of L.A. Cetto Vino Rosado and at least a couple of beers, the total bill was in the range of $1700-$1800 pesos. (I don't have a copy of the ticket.)

Ratings:
Food: ****
Service: ****  But a bit hectic on Sunday afternoons.
Ambience: low key, sunny and pleasant.

On the way back, we walked passed the nearby (around the corner, on C/ Chiapas) attractive restaurant "Con Sabor a Tixtla", which has been described by other food bloggers, but is on our list for our next visit. The cuisine is Guerrerense, and there is an attractive website.