Totopos!

I can not say I felt as if I was walking in to a restaurant in Guadalajara, because I have never been to Mexico. However, I did feel as if I was entering some little spot we would find at home in Santa Barbara. La Lupita's Comida Mexicana creates the tastes and flavors of a Mexican kitchen, with a few adaptations for the Uruguayan palate.

As I walked into the restaurant, I was immediately impressed by the style and decor of this Mexican Cafe. Paintings by Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and symbols of ancient Mayan art gave a sense of ethnic flare, while fabrics and rugs adorned the room with bright colors. El Torero and I chose a small table underneath a caricatured map of Mexico. We located the cities of my ancestors and his family as we playfully mapped out our next trip. It was about 9:00pm on a Saturday night, the typical time Uruguayans START to think about eating dinner. However, we were not the only early birds. The cafe was about 1/3 full, and continued to get busy as the night went on.

Enough about the ambiance. ON TO THE FOOD...


My first squeal of delight came when they brought us tortilla chips, guacamole, "salsa", and sunflower seeds. (Totopos is the name for tortilla chips here in Uruguay. I need to find out why.)
The guacamole was tasty, though of course it had nothing over El Torero's homemade guacamole. The "salsa" was less impressive, as it tasted very similar to tomato sauce. As we munched on sunflower seeds and "totopos" we began to scan the menu. It was all there - tacos, enchiladas, chilaquiles, mole, "rellenos". We had been walking all day around town for the "Dia del Patriminio" and hadn't eaten since noon. Everything sounded good.

I decided to choose a "relleno" de mole, thinking it was a chile relleno stuffed with mole. Right? Wrong. Good thing I grilled the waiter with questions before ordering. "Relleno" simply meant "filled" (of course! We are speaking Spanish, Gaucha!). So, rellenos were the taco fillings. I could choose three fillings for a combination plate with rice and beans. I chose pollo con rajas, alambre (shredded meat) , y pollo con mole poblano. Though Torero was tempted by some of the more exotic sounding Mayan dishes, he opted for a plate of Chilaquiles con pollo and a quesdilla to start. Sadly the menu did not have horchata, though Coronas and margaritas were listed.

Shortly thereafter our food arrived. I am sorry I do not have a picture, but I was WAY too excited to eat. I chose well. My simple corn torilla tacos with "rellenos" were fantastic. The pollo con rajas tasted as if it was slow cooked in a tasty sauce of tomatoes and peppers. The shredded meat was just as tender, with a more subtle flavoring, allowing the taste of the delicious Uruguyan meat to take the staring role. The mole was by far my favorite. Mole is an interesting taste. (Some would say an "acquired" taste, but I think that sounds snotty.) It bears my favourite ingredient - chocolate, along with dozens of other Mexican spices. To me, it is a flavor that takes you back in time.

Sadly, Hugo's choice was not as noteworthy. The chilaquiles resembled a sort of lasagna, but lacked enough juice and sauce to make them really savory. The beans and rice were alright, but again could use some additional flavors. (Tomato, cumin, pepper, SALT.)

My appetite was still yearning for more home-cooking, so we agreed on ordering dessert. El Torero chose wisely this time- pears soaked in tequila with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream. Delicious. I toggled back and forth between arroz con leche and the speciality cheesecake of the house. AHHH Cheesecake. I had to choose this. Thanks to my mom, cheesecake is another comfort food for me. With El Torero's help I had no problem gobbling up the large piece they gave me. It was lovely. A tart-like crust, creamy Philadelphia cream cheese filling, topped off with slices of mango. A happy Gaucha I was.

You may think after all this food we waddled back home. Truthfully, I felt great. At home in California I would never say Mexican food is one of my favourite cuisines. But when you are far away from familiar comforts a little bit of soul food goes a long way.

Que aproveche.