Thursday, January 28, 2010

Cafe el Portal, with Kristina

01-28 Cafe El Portal
Sometimes it's too comforting to order the old tried and true (huevos con chorizo!), especially at places we've known forever. So it's always good to lunch with a variety of friends since you could never predict someone's tastes. Like how could I have known KO's new favorite dish is the Chile en Nogada at Cafe el Portal? I never knew that walnut sauce went well with pomegranate seeds and jablano chilies.
Cafe el Portal, 174 Elizabeth St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Kenmare & Spring)

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow! That's a beautiful dish.

Cali said...

I think that's poblano chile. I've grown all sorts of chiles in my garden here in California and my local grocery store probably has 50 kinds of chiles, but I've never heard of a jablano. I don't think they exist.

As for the look of the dish, well, I hate to be indelicate but I hope it tasted good because it looks like a plate of vomit.

Sara said...

I'm surprised that was found at a Mexican restaurant. I didn't realize they used walnut and pomegranate together there. I'm from the north of Iran, where that combination is very popular, especially as a paste/marinade for kabobs.

By the way - I'm a long time reader. This is my first post. I like your blog.

Dylan said...

I agree with Cali. Presentation is horrific. It doesn't need to be presented like a haute tasting menu, but because the visual is so negatively strong, it may have a huge detrimental effect to the taste and enjoyment.

So...I hope it tasted good, and wouldn't blame you if you couldn't look at it.

Front Studio said...

M, I think you're unusual in finding it beautiful! :)
Haha, Cali you're so right poblano. I think I got jalepeno and poblano mixed up.
Sara, that's totally interesting to me that it's a popular combo in northern Iran. I wonder how it got from Persia to Mexico, or maybe it's the reverse?
Dylan, I didn't try it but my friend assures me it's absolutely yummy.

Mira8 said...

Seriously, you've never heard of this? Isn't this the national dish of Mexico? The colors represent the colors of the flag?