Summer is a great time for teachers to review their curriculum and to find fresh media to enhance their students' learning. I find a lot of cultural information is available on broadcast television. I have my DVR loaded up for the summer so that I can add videos to my class that are made to attract the average television viewer. Many of the episodes that air on television are available online to use in the classroom at no cost.
I have just finished watching a program that aired on March 13, 2013 on the Travel Channel called Mexican Food Paradise. It is a special edition of the show Food Paradise which introduces viewers to places around the United States that serve the best dishes in each category. In this episode they describe seven different restaurants in the United States that serve various Mexican dishes. Many of the segments can be viewed online at the following link - Mexican Food Paradise. It can be used in the classroom to illustrate to students how Mexican culture influences the United States. Or it can be used in segments to give students a visual description of various Mexican foods.
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| Casa Bonita |
The first restaurant that is in the spotlight is Casa Bonita in Denver, Colorado. The restaurant is housed in a building that features a 22K gold leaf domed top that has become so famous it was even featured on an episode of South Park. The restaurant itself is an experience in itself. They can seat at least a thousand people while they dine and enjoy entertainment such as mariachis and cliff divers who plunge from waterfalls modeled on those in Acapulco. The signature dish at Casa Bonita is one that features all-you-can-eat tacos and enchiladas. All of the ingredients are made fresh on site. The chicken enchiladas are filled with chicken, tomato, onion, chili powder, and secret spices. They are covered with sauce and put in a steamer. For dessert, diners can enjoy a sopapilla, the Mexican equivalent of a doughnut, fried dough that is drizzled in honey.
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| Picture of enchiladas from Casa Bonita featured on Trip Advisor |
Visit their website - http://www.casabonitadenver.com/
The show then takes us to Tomasita's, a restaurant located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The building was once a train station where trains from Mexico carrying produce stopped on their way north to Denver. Their signature dish is the burrito which is typically covered in red and green sauces made from red and green chiles. Often chiles are dried and ground into powder, but Tomasita's soaks them and blends them into a sauce. A burrito grande is made with a flour tortilla covered with cheese and filled with chili, ground beef, and refried beans before it is wrapped and smothered with sauce and melted cheese.
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| Picture taken from the Guardian, UK |
Visit their website - http://www.tomasitas.com/
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| Picture of the Festival de Mole at Guelaguetza's from the Travel Channel |
If you are in Koreatown in Los Angeles, you probably wouldn't think about finding a Mexican restaurant. But the next restaurant is located in a bright orange building on the corner on Olympic Boulevard. Guelaguetza's was founded in 1994 by a family from Oaxaca that wanted to share their culture and their cuisine with their new home (the name Guelaguetza means reciprocity). Their signature dish is the mole as they serve all seven moles found in Oaxaca, including a plate called The Festival de Mole which allows diners to sample four moles at once. Their mole negro is made with ingredients that are imported from Oaxaca. The paste, which takes two days to make, includes four different chiles, chocolate, nuts, sesame seeds, raisins, plantains, bread, and spices. The paste is added to chicken broth. Tomatoes are roasted and strained into the paste mixture. The mole is served over chicken and rice. They also serve chapulines, fried and salted grasshoppers that are sometimes called Oaxacan popcorn. Diners can also sample mescal, an alcoholic beverage that is made from the same plant as tequila.
http://www.ilovemole.com/
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| From nytimes.com |
http://www.elcharrocafe.com/
The Bone Garden Cantina is a restaurant opened by two food-loving gringos from Los Angeles who wanted to bring great Mexican cuisine and art to Atlanta. The restaurant is decorated with various catrinas that provide an ambiance of El Día de los Muertos. Their recipes come from Acapulco and include a Carne Adobo Taco that is filled with beef marinated in salsa and lime juice and served with onions and cilantro on a masa tortilla. It is also a great place to eat tamales, which are steamed in banana leaves. Diners can also sample some of the sixty premium tequilas available.
http://www.bonegardencantina.com/
El Indio is a family restaurant in San Diego, CA that focuses on the 3 T's of Mexican cuisine; tamales, tortillas, and taquitos. The tamales are special because they have always been made from scratch on site. The corn is cooked overnight and ground between two stones to make the masa. The masa is spread on corn husks with various ingredients including meat, beans, and other vegetables. The tamales are steamed and covered in sauce and cheese. El Indio is where the taquito was invented by the original owner who wanted customers to be able to carry out food. Meat is wrapped in a corn tortilla (which are made from scratch on the premises) and deep-fried. Those who dine in get taquitos smothered in cheese, salsa, and lettuce. Tortillas are made fresh everyday. The scraps are fried to make tortilla chips, the third menu item that El Indio is famous for.
http://www.el-indio.com/
In Fort Worth, TX there is a large 1200 seat restaurant located in a building that looks like a Mexican hacienda. Diners at Joe T. Garcia's feast on their signature fajitas and margaritas inside or out on one of the patios that are designed to look like abuela's garden. The fajitas are made with chicken or beef that is sauteéd with peppers or onions. They come to the table still sizzling and are served with tortillas, pico de gallo, and guacamole.
http://joets.com/
The last stop on Mexican Food Paradise's tour of Mexican restaurants in the United States is in Los Angeles, CA. Yuca's Taco Hut is a little building where diners spread out across the parking lot to enjoy delectable cuisine from the Yucatan. Dora, the owner, recommends the Cochinita Pibil. This taco features tortillas and pork that are made by Dora everyday. The pork is roasted in spices and banana leaves. The salsa is made with tomatoes, cilantro, and onions.
http://www.yucasla.com/
http://www.bonegardencantina.com/
El Indio is a family restaurant in San Diego, CA that focuses on the 3 T's of Mexican cuisine; tamales, tortillas, and taquitos. The tamales are special because they have always been made from scratch on site. The corn is cooked overnight and ground between two stones to make the masa. The masa is spread on corn husks with various ingredients including meat, beans, and other vegetables. The tamales are steamed and covered in sauce and cheese. El Indio is where the taquito was invented by the original owner who wanted customers to be able to carry out food. Meat is wrapped in a corn tortilla (which are made from scratch on the premises) and deep-fried. Those who dine in get taquitos smothered in cheese, salsa, and lettuce. Tortillas are made fresh everyday. The scraps are fried to make tortilla chips, the third menu item that El Indio is famous for.
| From The San Diegan |
http://www.el-indio.com/
In Fort Worth, TX there is a large 1200 seat restaurant located in a building that looks like a Mexican hacienda. Diners at Joe T. Garcia's feast on their signature fajitas and margaritas inside or out on one of the patios that are designed to look like abuela's garden. The fajitas are made with chicken or beef that is sauteéd with peppers or onions. They come to the table still sizzling and are served with tortillas, pico de gallo, and guacamole.
| From Zagat |
http://joets.com/
The last stop on Mexican Food Paradise's tour of Mexican restaurants in the United States is in Los Angeles, CA. Yuca's Taco Hut is a little building where diners spread out across the parking lot to enjoy delectable cuisine from the Yucatan. Dora, the owner, recommends the Cochinita Pibil. This taco features tortillas and pork that are made by Dora everyday. The pork is roasted in spices and banana leaves. The salsa is made with tomatoes, cilantro, and onions.
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| From tripadvisor |
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| From seriouseats.com |
http://www.yucasla.com/
