What I Ate: March 1, 2008

For lunch, Tina and I ate some leftovers we had in the fridge. We finished off the pork buns and rice with stewed pork and bean sprouts.

For dinner, I made reservations at Consuelo which is a highly regarded Mexican restaurant. We ordered some fresh guacamole ($9) to start.

The guacamole was supposed to be "made fresh at your table" but it arrived pre-made. It was delicious and tasted perfectly fresh however, so perhaps it wasn't made at the table due to space constraints. However, I feel that guacamole is like steak in that no matter how good a restaurant makes it, the best they can do is match what you can make at home with decent ingredients. Having said that, it's good enough that I'd order it again.

Chamorro de cordero ($14) - Colorado Lamb shank marinated in a spice muscat paste, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed to perfection. The lamb shank was very tender and flavorful with the roasted sauce. The last several times we've ordered lamb shank at a restaurant it's either been a little tough and dry or had a flavorless interior. This was not the case with this dish. Excellent.

Pechuga rellena de huitlacoche ($13) - Chicken breast stuffed with a mix of huitlacoche, chayote squash and fresh corn, served over a roasted garlic sauce. We're usually wary of ordering chicken breast because if not done properly it can be tough and flavorless. Usually stuffed breast isn't too bad, so we took a chance and I'm glad we did it. The chicken was tender and the stuffing was really flavorful. The huitlacoche tasted fairly mild - like a sauteed button mushroom with the texture of soft woodear and a slight hint of earthiness that you might associate with black truffles. Not bad for something we consider to be a disease of corn and inedible in the United States. Huitlacoche is the immature bloated, blackened kernels of corn infected with the Ustilago maydis fungus known to corn growers as corn smut.

The huitlacoche stuffing makes the inside of the chicken breast look like it's been painted with black, slimy ink - really tasty black, slimy ink.

Nopales asados con rajas, hongos y hierbas frescas ($5) - Grilled young cactus leaves marinated in fresh herbs, roasted garlic and olive oil, mixed poblano strips, and [something I can't quite make out]. The cactus leaves were crunchy and soft at the same time. Sort of like how sauteed okra is crunchy and then soft and tender on the inside. They are naturally acidic, so I felt it was a little too lemony to each so much between two people. I really like the texture though.

For dessert we ordered their rice pudding: Arroz con leche ($6) - Mexican rice pudding with caramel sauce, raisins, and a touch of cinnamon. It was perfect - the spices in the rice pudding included cardamom and tasted like thickened horchata with rice (with just the right amount of mouth feel). Tina loved it and I would definitely recommend this dessert to any rice pudding or horchata fans out there.

Consuelo Mexican Bistro (Google Maps)
337 Santana Row
San Jose, CA 95128
(408) 260-7082